Brian King is Professor of Tourism and Department Chair Designate (starting Jan 2022) at Texas A&M University, USA. He is leading the repositioning of the Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism Science towards a stronger hospitality focus, drawing upon the opportunities for teaching and research at the recently completed on-campus A&M hotel and convention centre.
Brian is bringing his extensive international experience working across several sectors of hospitality and tourism including cruise, destinations, tour operations, airlines and resorts.
After starting his academic career at the Scottish Hotel School, University of Strathclyde, Prof King proceeded to hold professorships at Victoria University (Australia) and at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. His recent teaching and research has focused on the future of hospitality leadership post-pandemic and on the tourism and culture relationship.
Brian has authored books on integrated resorts, hospitality education, tourism development, marketing, VFR travel and Asia-Pacific tourism, and contributes extensively to leading tourism and hospitality journals. His most recent co-authored book (in English and Chinese) is Strategic Perspectives from Hospitality Leaders. In addition, he is Co-editor-in-chief and co-founder of Tourism, Culture and Communication.
He is an elected Fellow of several international scholarly networks, including the International Academy for the Study of Tourism, THE-ICE and CAUTHE.
Keynote Title
Leading in Hospitality & Tourism through a Disrupted Era
Abstract
This keynote will provide international perspectives on change leadership generally and particularly through the COVID-19 pandemic with reference to the hospitality and tourism literature. The presenter recently relocated from Hong Kong (in Asia) to Texas (in the USA) and will explore these different contexts. How do hospitality leaders juggle strategic and tactical concerns through periods of turbulence and uncertainty? How do they balance the interests of external stakeholders alongside guests and associates? In the pandemic context how have hospitality leaders handled the challenges encountered in their immediate communities and domestically along with global challenges such as border restrictions and reduced mobilities? What are the implications of the exceptional pandemic circumstances for leaders in hospitality education? Will hospitality leadership development resume its previous trajectory and if not what are the consequences for scholarship and teaching? Examples are drawn from the presenter’s research on hospitality leadership in Asia, executive education activities with hospitality enterprises and from his experience of relocating to a new continent during the pandemic.