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Yanyan Zheng

Title: Assistant Professor

Department: Hospitality, Event and Tourism Management

College: College of Business

Curriculum Vitae

Curriculum Vitae Link

Education

  • PhD, University of Central Florida, 2023
    Major: Hospitality Management
    Dissertation: What I Talk About When I Talk About Yijing: A Holistic Framework of Tourists' Aesthetic Experience
  • MS, University of Central Florida, 2018
    Major: Hospitality and Tourism Management
  • MA, St. John's University, 2015
    Major: East Asian Studies

Current Scheduled Teaching

HMGT 5630.402Advanced Convention and Event ManagementFall 2026
EDEM 1600.001Introduction to Global Event ManagementFall 2026 Syllabus
Texas Education Code 51.974 (HB 2504) requires each institution of higher education to make available to the public, a syllabus for undergraduate lecture courses offered for credit by the institution.

Previous Scheduled Teaching

EDEM 3600.001Cruise Events ManagementSpring 2026 Syllabus SPOT
HMGT 5950.006Master's ThesisSpring 2026
HMGT 5650.401Strategic Marketing of EventsSpring 2026 SPOT
HMGT 5630.402Advanced Convention and Event ManagementFall 2025 SPOT
EDEM 1600.001Introduction to Global Event ManagementFall 2025 Syllabus SPOT
HMGT 5950.002Master's ThesisFall 2025
EDEM 3600.001Cruise Events ManagementSpring 2025 Syllabus SPOT
HMGT 5630.402Advanced Convention and Event ManagementFall 2024 SPOT
EDEM 1600.001Introduction to Global Event ManagementFall 2024 Syllabus SPOT
Texas Education Code 51.974 (HB 2504) requires each institution of higher education to make available to the public, a syllabus for undergraduate lecture courses offered for credit by the institution.

Published Intellectual Contributions

    Conference Proceeding

  • Zheng, Y. (2025). A New Way to Define Aesthetics in Tourism: An Exploration of Yijing. 2025 TTRA International Conference.

    • Journal Article

  • Piao, Z., Chaulagain, S., Zheng, Y. (2026). Extending the health belief model to Gen Z hospitality students’ Help-Seeking: The role of self-efficacy and social support in a mixed-methods study. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism Education. 39 100620. Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhlste.2026.100620
  • Zhang, X., Shao, X., Zheng, Y. (2026). Dining with Dogs or Doubts? Understanding customers’ perceptions of pet-friendly restaurants through perceived risk and protection motivation theory. International Journal of Hospitality Management.
  • Wei, W., Zhang, L., Ying, T., Zheng, Y. (2025). Pet influencer marketing appeal in hotel booking: Exploring the power of message appeal and boundary conditions. International Journal of Hospitality Management. 126 Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2025.104094
  • Zheng, Y., Wei, W., Tasci, A.D. (2024). The aesthetic gaze of heritage sites: A framework of aesthetic experience formation. Tourism Analysis. 29 (3) 337-347. Cognizant Communication Corporation. https://doi.org/10.3727/108354224X17065734859574
  • Zheng, Y., Wei, W., Zhang, L., Ying, T. (2024). Tourist Gaze at Chinese Classical Gardens: The Embodiment of Aesthetics (Yijing) in Tourism. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research. 48 (2) 353-379. SAGE Publications. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/10963480221085958
  • Zhang, L., Wei, W., Rathjens, B., Zheng, Y. (2023). Pet influencers on social media: The joint effect of message appeal and narrator. International Journal of Hospitality Management. 110 103453. Elsevier BV. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2023.103453
  • Zheng, Y., Fu, X., Li, M. (2022). Reification in tourism: An investigation of visitors’ interpretation of omamori. The Journal of Destination Marketing & Management. 24 100706. Elsevier BV. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2022.100706
  • Wei, W., Zheng, Y., Zhang, L., Line, N. (2022). Leveraging customer-to-customer interactions to create immersive and memorable theme park experiences. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights. 5 (3) 647-662. Emerald. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/jhti-10-2020-0205
  • Ying, T., Tan, X., Wei, W., Zheng, Y., Ye, S., Wu, M. (2021). “I have to watch my back”: Exploring Chinese hotel guests’ generalized distrust and coping behavior. Tourism Management. 86 104355. Elsevier BV. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2021.104355
  • Zheng, Y., Wei, W., Line, N., Zhang, L. (2021). Integrating the tourist gaze with the social servicescape: Implications for creating memorable theme park experiences. International Journal of Hospitality Management. 93 102782. Elsevier BV. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2020.102782
  • McGinley, S., Wei, W., Zhang, L., Zheng, Y. (2021). The State of Qualitative Research in Hospitality: A 5-Year Review 2014 to 2019. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly. 62 (1) 8-20. SAGE Publications. https://doi.org/10.1177/1938965520940294

Contracts, Grants and Sponsored Research

    Grant - Research

  • Zheng, Y., "Faculty Summer Research Grant," sponsored by UNT, University of North Texas, $5000 Funded. (2025).

    • Grant - Teaching

  • Zheng, Y., "Faculty CETO Funds," sponsored by UNT DSI CLEAR, University of North Texas, $1500 Funded. (2025 - 2026).
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Overall
Summative Rating		 Challenge and
Engagement Index		 Response Rate

out of 5
out of 7		 %
of
students responded
  • Overall Summative Rating (median):
    This rating represents the combined responses of students to the four global summative items and is presented to provide an overall index of the class’s quality. Overall summative statements include the following (response options include a Likert scale ranging from 5 = Excellent, 3 = Good, and 1= Very poor):
    • The course as a whole was
    • The course content was
    • The instructor’s contribution to the course was
    • The instructor’s effectiveness in teaching the subject matter was
  • Challenge and Engagement Index:
    This rating combines student responses to several SPOT items relating to how academically challenging students found the course to be and how engaged they were. Challenge and Engagement Index items include the following (response options include a Likert scale ranging from 7 = Much higher, 4 = Average, and 1 = Much lower):
    • Do you expect your grade in this course to be
    • The intellectual challenge presented was
    • The amount of effort you put into this course was
    • The amount of effort to succeed in this course was
    • Your involvement in course (doing assignments, attending classes, etc.) was
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