Jun GAO

​​Associate Professor, Master's Supervisor​​

​​Co-chair holder, UNESCO Chair on Sustainable Tourism in UNESCO Designated Sites​​

​​PhD in Tourism Management, University of Waikato, New Zealand​​

Email: gaoj63@mail.sysu.edu.cn

Education

•2014.11 – 2018.04​​

​PhD in Tourism Management​​

University of Waikato, New Zealand

Supervisors: Prof. Chris Ryan, Prof. Jenny Cave

•​​2012.09 – 2014.06​​

​​Master in Tourism Management​​

Sun Yat-sen University, China

Supervisor: Prof. Zhang Chaozhi

•​​2008.09 – 2012.06​​

​​Bachelor in Tourism Management​​

Hunan Normal University, China

Supervisor: Prof. Zheng Yan

Work Experience

•​​2021.09 – Present​​

​​Associate Professor​​

School of Tourism Management, Sun Yat-sen University

•​​2021.03 – 2022.12​​

​Deputy Dean (Research)​​ (Nov 2021 – Dec 2022)

School of Tourism, Xinjiang University (Counterpart Support Program)

•​​2018.09 – 2021.09​​

​​Postdoctoral Researcher​​

School of Tourism Management, Sun Yat-sen University

Mentor: Prof. Zhang Chaozhi

Research Fields

•Coastal and Marine Tourism

•Heritage Tourism

•Border Tourism （China and ASEAN countries）

Courses Taught

•Coastal and Marine Tourism （Undergraduate）

•Cultural and Heritage Tourism （Undergraduate）

•Cultural and Heritage Tourism （Graduate）

Research Projects (Principal Investigator)

•​​2023.09 – 2024.09​​

Zhuhai Philosophy and Social Science Project: "Investigation on the Development of Yacht Tourism in Zhuhai from an Industrial Chain Perspective" (2023YBA005)

•​​2020.01 – 2022.12​​

National Natural Science Foundation of China (Youth Program): "Place Effects and Mechanisms of Border Tourism" (41901162)

•​​2020.04 – 2021.04​​

Sun Yat-sen University Basic Research Fund for Young Teachers: "Research on the Institutional Mechanisms of Cross-border Tourism Cooperation in Southwest Border Areas" (20wkpy56)

•​​2019.05 – 2021.09​​

China Postdoctoral Science Foundation: "Research on the Place Effects of Tourism Development in Southwest Border Port Areas" (2019M653260)

Social Services (Selected)

•​​2024​​

Project Lead: "Marine Culture and Tourism Enhancement Project in Wanshan Town, Zhuhai"

•​​2024​​

Project Lead: "Research on Development Strategy and Implementation Path of Moutai Group under New Consumption Trends"

•​​2023​​

Key Contributor (Rank 3): "Research on the Development of Marine Tourism in Guangdong Province" (Guangdong Ocean Center)

•​​2018​​

Project Coordinator: "Strategic Research on Tourism Development and Heritage Protection in Danxia Shan" (China Tourism Group)

Editorial Board Memberships

  • Tourism Planning and Development (2024 – Present)
  • Natural Protected Areas (Youth Editorial Board, 2024 – Present)

Representative Publications (Selected)

  • Gao, J., Wu, C., Yang, Y*., & Nootchanarta, C. (2025). Does culture matter? Thai perception of international tourist misbehaviors and its consequence. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 30(2), 147-160.
  • Gao, J*., & Song, L. (2024). A cross-cultural comparison of island vacation experience: Empirical evidence from the Maldives. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 29(7), 804-817.
  • Jiang, T., Gao, J*., Zheng, X., & Liao, Y. E. (2023). Engendering prosociality through tourist-to-tourist interaction in religious tourism: An existential transformative perspective. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 1-17.
  • Li, W., Cui, J., Gao, J.*, & Xiong, J. (2023). Corporate social responsibility in China's airline industry: A longitudinal content analysis of related reports. Journal of Air Transport Management, 111, 102420.
  • Xiong, J., Gao, J.*, Zhang, C., & Li, W. (2022). Should we be responsible to their society? Corporate social responsibility of Chinese-owned restaurants in Malaysia. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 107, 103303.
  • Gao, J., Zeng, X., Zhang, C.*, & Porananond, P. (2022). Understanding the young middle-class Chinese outbound tourism consumption: A social practice perspective. Tourism Management, 92, 104555.
  • Gao, J., Ryan, C.*, Zhang, C., & Cui, J. (2022). The evolution of Chinese border tourism policies: An intergovernmental perspective on border tourism in Xishuangbanna. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 27(2), 157-172.
  • Lin, H., Gao, J.*, & Tian, J. (2022). Impact of tourist-to-tourist interaction on responsible tourist behaviour: Evidence from China. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 24, 100709. 
  • Gao, J., Do, H. G., & Zhang, C. (2021). Understanding Vietnamese attitudes toward Chinese inbound tourism development: A cultural political economy Approach. Journal of China Tourism Research, 1-22.
  • Gao, J., Zhang, C., Zhou, X., & Cao, R. (2021). Chinese tourists’ perceptions and consumption of cultural heritage: A generational perspective. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 26(7), 719-731.
  • Gao, J., Lin, H., & Zhang, C*. (2020). Locally situated rights and the “doing” of responsibility for heritage conservation and tourism development at the Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces, China. Journal of Sustainable Tourism. doi: 10.1080/09669582.2020.1727912
  • Gao, J., Lin, S., & Zhang, C*. (2020). Authenticity, involvement, and nostalgia: Understanding visitor satisfaction with an adaptive reuse heritage site in urban China. Journal of Destination Marketing and Management, 15, 1-10.
  • Gao, J., Ryan, C*., Cave, J., & Zhang, C. (2019). Tourism border-making: A political economy of China's border tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 76, 1-13.
  • Gao, J., Zhang, C*., & Liu, L. (2019). Communicating the outstanding universal value of World Heritage in China? The tour guides’ perspective. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research. doi: 10.1080/10941665.2018.1564340.
  • Gao, J., Zhang, C*., & Huang, Z. (2018). Chinese tourists' views of nature and natural landscape interpretation: A generational perspective. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 26(4), 668-684.
  • Gao, J., Huang, Z., & Zhang, C*. (2017). Tourists' perceptions of responsibility: An application of norm-activation theory. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 25(2), 276-291.

Awards

  • Highly Commended Award, Emerald/EFMD Outstanding Doctoral Research Award (2018)
  • Excellent Postdoctoral Achievement Award, 4th National Tourism Management Postdoctoral Academic Forum (2021)

Student Supervision

  • Commitment​​: Dedicated to investing time in students while providing freedom for exploration.
  • Expectations​​: Seek self-disciplined, diligent, pragmatic, and communicative students.
  • Motto​​: "Take a walk with a turtle and behold the world in pause."