Prof. Fevzi Okumus

Prof. Fevzi Okumus joined the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management in August 2025 as Director of Global Strategy and Strategic Engagement and William McFall “Mac” Pearce Endowed Professor. An internationally recognized scholar, his work has significantly influenced strategic management, organizational behavior, sustainability, and innovation in hospitality and tourism. With extensive experience in both academia and the hotel industry, he is known for bridging theory and practice to address global challenges.

Before this role, Okumus served as the Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association Preeminent Chair Professor at the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management, where he also founded and led the Department of Hospitality Services (2007–2013). His academic career includes positions at Mugla and Erciyes Universities in Turkey, alongside earlier industry experience.

He holds a Ph.D. and M.S. from Oxford Brookes University and a B.S. from Cukurova University. Okumus has authored over 330 publications, including more than 220 journal articles. His work has garnered over 34,000 citations (h-index 82). He is editor-in-chief of three leading journals and serves on 25 editorial boards while actively contributing to global research, consulting, and funded projects.

Prof. Jiaying Lyu

Prof. Jiaying Lyu serves as Dean at the School of International School of Cultural Tourism, Qiantang Distinguished Professor at Hangzhou City University. She earned her PhD from Texas A&M University. She also holds concurrent posts as Associate Dean of Zhejiang Grand Canal Culture Research Institute, and Executive Director of Global Digital MICE Innovation Center. Additionally, she works as associate editor of the Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism.

Her core research covers cultural and tourism industry management, conservation and revitalization of cultural heritage, tourism destination management, and digital governance . She has presided over three national-level research projects, alongside ten provincial research projects. She has published more than 50 peer-reviewed papers in top domestic and international academic journals such as Tourism Management, Annals of Tourism Research, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, International Journal of Hospitality Management, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. Her research achievements have won the Excellent Research Awards from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and international academic conferences. She also works as entrepreneurship mentor for small and medium-sized cultural tourism enterprises.

Dr. Kiran Shinde

Dr. Kiran Shinde is a leading scholar in religious and cultural heritage tourism and its links with urban planning and management. He has published 80+ works, including six books with major publishers and articles in leading journals. His books include Religious Heritage and Tourism in Asia (co-edited with Dallen Timothy, Routledge, 2026), A Research Agenda for Religious Tourism (co-edited with Joseph Cheer, Edward Elgar, 2024), Sacred Sites, Rituals, and Performances: New Perspective for Religious Tourism Development (MDPI, 2021), Religious Tourism and the Environment (co-edited with Daniel Olsen, CABI, 2020), and Buddhist Tourism in Asia: Towards Sustainable Development (UNWTO, 2020). He led a UNWTO project on Buddhist heritage and tourism across 16 countries, has delivered keynote addresses internationally, serves as an associate editor of Tourism Geographies, and is a member of the editorial boards of Annals of Tourism Research and Tourism Planning and Development. He is a former head of the Planning Program at La Trobe University and holds a Ph.D. in Geography and Environmental Science from Monash University Australia.