Department of Geography

Tourism Planning and Marketing
Ethnic Tourism, Cultural Tourism
Tourism Analysis and Forecasting

      Dr. Li Yang is an active researcher in the field of travel and tourism. She has been involved in many research projects and has obtained university and governmental grants and awards. Her research interests are interdisciplinary as she has a diverse background in tourism, planning, statistics, and economics. Her primary research interests include tourism planning, marketing, cultural tourism, ethnic tourism, tourism analysis and forecasting. She has been examining the impacts of tourism and assessing associated planning and management implications since 1997. She has also addressed issues associated with cultural tourism and, particularly, how vulnerable and underrepresented groups such as ethnic minorities can be protected from the adverse consequences of tourism and, conversely, how they may be able to benefit, both culturally and economically, from involvement in tourism. She is currently working on two research projects: Ethnic Tourism and Cultural Representation funded by the Scherer Endowment Fund (Department of Geography, WMU), and Development and Identity: Relationships in Yunnan, China funded by Faculty Research and Creative Activities Award.   

She has researched and published related work on cultural tourism, tourism planning, ethnic tourism and minority peoples in a number of prestigious peer-reviewed journals such as Annals of Tourism Research, Tourism Management, and Tourism Geographies. She has been invited to serve as an expert reviewer for books and several prestigious international journals including Annals of Tourism Research, Environmental Management, Tourism Geographies and Journal of China Tourism Research. She has made presentations in major international, national and regional conferences such as the Association of American Geographers, the Travel and Tourism Research Association, and Tourism and the New Asia.

Dr. Yang also enjoys teaching and mentoring students, and considers it as an important component of her career. Her goal as a teacher is to provide students with a solid understanding of fundamental theories and concepts complemented by independent problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. She encourages students to learn through “hands-on” experience with laboratory exercises, field data collection and independent research projects. She regularly teaches in Introduction to Tourism (GEOG 310), Tourism Planning and Development (GEOG 418), Monsoon Asia (GEOG 389), and Spatial Analysis (GEOG 567). She has worked with individual students on independent studies and advised them on special topics in tourism. She has also served on thesis committees for graduate students and the department’s curriculum committee.