Staff Profile
Dr Hongrui Zhu
Lecturer in Tourism and Hospitality and Course Leader for International Tourism and Hospitality Management.
I am a Lecturer and Course Lead for Tourism and Hospitality at York Business School, where my current work sits at the intersection of technological innovation, social inclusivity and responsible management education. With a Doctorate from the University of Otago (Dunedin, New Zealand), my research career began by advancing scholarly understanding of global youth mobility, specifically the working holiday phenomenon among Chinese youth. Building on these socio-cultural foundations, I now advocate a more equitable visitor economy, focusing on how Artificial Intelligence and neuro-inclusive practices can enhance accessibility, participation, and experience design within tourism and hospitality.
I have established a sustained and internationally recognised research profile in Tourism and Hospitality, evidenced by over 20 peer-reviewed publications, including articles in top-tier journals such as ABS 4-ranked Annals of Tourism Research, ABS 3-ranked International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management and ABS 2-ranked Current Issues in Tourism as well as scholarly book chapter, including a contribution to the Handbook of Accessible Tourism. In addition, as a member of the Organising Committee for the Leisure Studies Association (LSA) Annual Conference 2025, I actively contribute to shaping international research agendas and scholarly networks.
My academic practice is deeply informed by an international professional and academic career spanning the UK, Canada, Thailand, New Zealand, and China. I bring this global outlook and applied industry expertise into my teaching practices. I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and a Certified Management and Business Educator (CMBE) accredited by the Chartered Association of Business Schools. I am also a Recognised Practitioner in Advising (RPA) with the UK Advising and Tutoring Association (UKAT), reflecting my commitment to inclusive academic advising, student wellbeing, and evidence-informed personal tutoring. At York St John University, I actively drive the research-teaching nexus through my role as Co-chair of the Visitor Economy and Experience Research Group.
As Course Lead, I have successfully led the strategic revalidation of the BA (Hons) International Tourism and Hospitality Programme to ensure explicit alignment with the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME). The revalidated programme embeds the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), research-informed teaching, and the Work-Related Experiential Learning (WREL) framework at the core of the curriculum, strengthening commitments to equality, diversity and inclusion. Through this work, I am dedicated to shaping future graduates who are digitally fluent, ethically grounded, socially responsible and equipped to lead inclusively in diverse, global tourism and hospitality contexts.
Digital Research Profiles: Google Scholar, ORCID and ResearchGate
- School – York Business School
- Email – h.zhu@yorksj.ac.uk
- Research - View my work in RaY
- Postgraduate Research Supervisor
Further information
Teaching
I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA). I currently serve as Course Lead for the BA (Hons) International Tourism and Hospitality Management programme, where I have successfully led programme revalidation. Since January 2023, I have taught across both undergraduate and postgraduate modules at York Business School, encompassing module design and delivery, as well as the supervision of undergraduate dissertations and postgraduate capstone projects. I have previously taught on the BA (Hons) Tourism and Destination Management programme, BA (Hons) Events and Experience Management programme, and Master of Business Administration course. Through this breadth of teaching experience, I have made a sustained impact on programme delivery, curriculum development, and the student learning experience across the Business School.
As a lecturer and module leader, I have been responsible for delivering:
- BME4001M The Global Events Industry
- BMT4003M Hospitality in the 21st Century
- BMT4004M Hospitality and the Consumer Experience
- BMT4005M Hospitality in the Digital Era
- BMT4007M Delivering Excellence in Visitor Experience
- BMT5001M Destination Marketing
- BMS6002M Strategic Events Sponsorship
- MBB7007M Global Business Strategy
Research supervision:
- BMR6001M Research Investigation
- MBB7010M Capstone Project
Publications
PhD Thesis
Zhu, H. (2018). Chinese Working Holiday Makers in New Zealand: Expectations, Experiences and Outcomes (Doctoral dissertation, University of Otago, New Zealand)
Journal Articles
Zhu, H. (2024). Exploring the Case: Navigating through Transnational Experiences of Chinese Working Holiday Makers in New Zealand. Tourism Cases, (2024), tourism202400053.
Zhu, H. (2024). Navigating through Transnational Experiences of Chinese Working Holiday Makers in New Zealand. Tourism Cases, (2024), tourism202400054.
Yasami, M., Zhu, H., & Dewan, M. (2023). Poverty, Psychological Distress, and Suicidality Among Gay Men and Transgender Women Sex Workers During the Covid-19 Pandemic in Phuket, Thailand. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 20(3). 1203-1219.
Sangkaew, N., & Zhu, H. (2022). Understanding Tourists’ Experiences at Local Markets in Phuket: An Analysis of TripAdvisor Reviews. Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality and Tourism, 23(1), 89-114.
Yasami, M., Rabiul, M. K., Promsivapallop, P., & Zhu, H. (2022). The COVID-19 Crisis and Factors Driving International Tourists’ Preferences for Contactless Dining Services. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 34(11), 4029-4051.
Zhu, H. (2022) Young Chinese Share their Parents’ Views on the Decision of Embarking on Working Holidays in New Zealand. Asia Pacific Social Science Review, 22(2), 136-149.
Zhu, H., Duncan, T., & Tucker, H. (2022). The Precariousness of Young Chinese being Working Holiday Makers in New Zealand. Journal of China Tourism Research 18(4), 831-846.
Zhu, H., & Yasami, M. (2022). Sustainable Tourism Recovery amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of the Phuket Sandbox Scheme. Journal of Environmental Management and Tourism, 13(2), 477-485.
Yasami, M., Phetvaroon, K., & Zhu, H. (2021). International Tourists’ Choices and Satisfaction of Small Restaurants in Thailand: The Influence of Food Safety Indicators. Journal of Foodservice Business Research 25(5), 499-532.
Zhu, H. (2021). Chinese Working Holiday Makers in New Zealand: Adaptation to Work Culture. Tourism Culture & Communication, 21(2), 109-121.
Zhu, H. (2021). Why a Non-discrimination Policy Upset Airbnb Hosts. Annals of Tourism Research, 87(C), 102984.
Zhu, H., Duncan, T., & Tucker, H. (2021). Personal Changes of Young Chinese through Working Holidays in New Zealand. Journal of China Tourism Research, 17(1), 57-72.
Zhu, H. & Yasami, M. (2021). A Photo is Worth a Thousand Words: Hosts Upset by the New Non-discrimination Policy of Moving beyond Photos on Airbnb. GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites, 35(2), 348-354.
Zhu, H., & Yasami, M. (2021). Developing Gastronomic Resources: Practices of UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy. GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites, 39(4spl), 1406-1414.
Zhu, H., Tucker, H., Duncan, T., & Zhang, J. (2020). Young Chinese Becoming Working Holiday Makers in New Zealand: A Thematic Analysis of WHMs’ Motivations. Journal of China Tourism Research, 16(3), 406-423.
Zhu, H., Duncan, T., & Tucker, H. (2019). The Issue of Translation during Thematic Analysis in a Tourism Research Context. Current Issues in Tourism, 22(4), 415-419.
Book Chapters
Pisoni, G. & Zhu, H. (2025). The Role of AI in Enhancing Customer Service and Personalization. In R. Rahimi, N. Stylos, E.M. Navarro-López & P. Pillai (Eds.) Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Tourism, Hospitality and Events, Goodfellow Publishers (pp. 51-75).
Pisoni, G., Zhu, H. & Gurnell, A. (2025). The Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Enhancing Accessible Experiences: Insights from Case Studies in Yorkshire. In N. Halpern, J. Rickly, B. Garrod & M. Hansen (Eds.) Handbook of Accessible Tourism, De Gruyter (pp. 285-301).
Zhu, H., Tucker, H., & Duncan, T. (2018). Working and Traveling in New Zealand: A Reflective Narrative in the Field. In P. Mura & C. Khoo-Lattimore (Eds.). Asian Qualitative Research in Tourism (pp. 153-171). Springer: Singapore.
Conference Presentations
Zhu, H. & Mathew, R.C. (2025, July). An Investigation on Employees’ Perspectives in Supporting Inclusion and Diversity among Neurodivergent Individuals: A Study on North Yorkshire Service Industry. In Leisure Studies Association Annual Conference 2025 (p. 149). York St John University, York, United Kingdom.
Zhu, H. (2025, June). Exploring Accessible and Inclusive Practices in Hospitality and Tourism through Experiential Learning. In Talk About Teaching and Learning (TATL) Annual Conference 2025. York St John University, York, United Kingdom.
Zhu, H. (2017, February). An Exploratory Study on Why Chinese Youth Embark on a Working Holiday in New Zealand. In C. Lee, S. Filep, J. N. Albrecht & W. J. L. Coetzee (Eds.), Proceedings of the 27th Council for Australasian Tourism and Hospitality Education (CAUTHE) Annual Conference (pp. 76). Dunedin, New Zealand.
Zhu, H. (2016, September). Shaping Identities through Working-Holiday Experiences: Analysis of Chinese Working Holiday Makers in New Zealand. Proceedings of the Association for Tourism and Leisure Education (ATLAS) Annual Conference: Tourism, Lifestyle and Locations (pp. 116). Kent, United Kingdom.
Zhu, H. (2016, August-September). An Exploratory Study of Chinese Working Holiday Makers in New Zealand. Proceedings of Royal Geographical Society with IBG Annual International Conference: Nexus Thinking, London, United Kingdom.
Conference Publications
Cock, S., Johnston, A., Zhu, H., Walsh, S., Mathew, R.C., Swain, S., Esfehani, M., Paddison, B. & Hall, J. (2025). Leisure Studies Association Annual Conference 2025: Book of Abstracts.
Knowledge Exchange Blog
Zhu, H. (2025, July). Delivering Excellence for All: How Experiential Learning Can Foster Inclusive Values in Tourism and Hospitality Students. In Talk About Teaching and Learning (TATL) Blog. Available at: https://blog.yorksj.ac.uk/tatlblog/2025/07/14/delivering-excellence-for-all-how-experiential-learning-can-foster-inclusive-values-in-tourism-and-hospitality-students/.
Research
I have presented my research at international conferences and published extensively in reputable peer-reviewed journals, including Annals of Tourism Research, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Current Issues in Tourism, and Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism. My research portfolio spans diverse areas within Tourism and Hospitality, including youth and backpacking tourism, the sharing economy, accessible tourism, and the development of equitable and inclusive visitor experiences. My work combines socio-cultural insights with applied approaches to the visitor economy, exploring how innovations such as Artificial Intelligence and neuro-inclusive practices can enhance accessibility, participation, and experience design. Currently, I serve as Co-chair of the Visitor Economy and Experience Research Group, where I drive collaborative research projects and contribute to advancing knowledge and practice in sustainable and responsible tourism.
Professional activities
Professional Memberships and Service
- Invited Speaker: Transforming Futures: Exploring York Business School, Teaching and Advising Conference, York St John University, York, 2026.
- Certified Management and Business Educator (CMBE), Chartered Association of Business Schools, January 2026 – Present
- Recognised Practitioner in Advising (RPA), UK Advising and Tutoring Association (UKAT), November 2025 – Present
- Member, Leisure Studies Association (LSA), November 2023 – Present
- Fellow, UK Higher Education Academy (HEA), October 2023 – Present
- Member, Organising Committee of the Leisure Studies Association Annual Conference 2025, September 2024- July 2025
- Session Chair, Leisure Studies Association Annual Conference 2025, July 2025
- Member, International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (ICHRIE), November 2023 – December 2024
