Dr. Brian King

Brian King, Ph.D. is Professor and Department Head in the Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences. Prior to coming to Texas A&M University to serve in this role, King was Associate Dean in the School of Hotel & Tourism at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He was previously Professor at Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia where he held various Faculty and University-wide roles including Head of the School of Hospitality Tourism and Marketing, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Industry and Community) and then Pro Vice-Chancellor (Students). Originally from Scotland, Professor King has worked in the tourism field all his professional life linking academia and practice in Europe, Australasia, the Pacific and Hong Kong. His industry experience includes manager and/or director roles in airlines (Qantas), tour operations (Wigwam International), destination management (Destination Melbourne), cruise operations (Ocean Spirit Cruises) and hotels. King has provided consulting services to international agencies such as the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) on tourism human resource development and marketing. He has also undertaken consulting projects for UNESCAP and the European Union (Tourism Council of the South Pacific). After relocating from Australia to Hong Kong in 2012, King consulted for the Hong Kong Hotel Owners Association to develop a Hong Kong-wide Tourism Roadmap. He was a frequent media commentator and presenter at industry conference and events. He is the co-editor-in-chief of the international journal Tourism, Culture and Communication.

King has served as a lead consultant for the Australian Council of Tourism Ministers on an investigation into the zero based profit tours phenomenon from emerging Asian markets, including China. He also consulted to Tourism Transport Forum (TTF) in Australia on the financing of national parks and protected areas leading to highly cited publications in the top journals in the field. Indicative of his strong industry engagements, in November 2018 King was awarded the Qantas Outstanding Contribution by an Individual Gold Award in the Victorian Tourism Awards, Australia. As part of his industry engagements he has authored many best practice business and marketing cases of tourism ventures.

Tourism, Culture and Communication, Migration and International Education, Hospitality and Tourism Education, Destination Management and Marketing, Asia-Pacific Tourism, and Resort Development.