Brian King

Brian King is a leading scholar in the field of tourism and hospitality who has held professorships and undertaken professional work in four continents. Since 2022 he has held the position of Professor and Head of the Arch H. Aplin III '80 Department of Hospitality, Hotel Management and Tourism at Texas A&M University, USA where he has led the transition to align with the Texas-wide strategic emphasis on hospitality, tourism and culture. He was previously Professor and Associate Dean in the School of Hotel & Tourism at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (2012–2021). He completed his PhD at Monash University (Australia) and also holds MA (Hons) & MSc degrees from Aberdeen and Strathclyde Universities in Scotland, UK. He was Professor of Tourism at Victoria University (Melbourne, Australia) from 1998–2012 where he also occupied various university leadership positions, including as department head, director of a major institutional repositioning in the Office of the Pro-Vice Chancellor (Institutional Services) and as Pro Vice-Chancellor (Industry and Community). His expertise is in leadership of the hospitality and tourism sector, with a particular emphasis on culture. He is the author of several books - on tourism and hospitality marketing, hospitality leadership, visiting friends and relatives (VFR) travel, tourism development and planning, resorts and Asia-Pacific tourism. He is Founding and Current Editor-in-Chief of the international journal Tourism, Culture & Communication and has held visiting/adjunct professorships in Italy, Fiji, the USA and the UK. He has consulted for leading international tourism agencies on human resource development and market development and has extensive experience of delivering executive education to leading hospitality and tourism groups. His industry experience includes manager and/or director roles in airlines, resorts, tour operations, destination management and cruise operations. He is an elected Fellow of the International Academy for the Study of Tourism (IAST) and of the Council of Australasian Tourism and Hospitality Education (CAUTHE). He is a current auditor and former chair of the International Centre of Excellence for Tourism and Hospitality Education (THE-ICE).