Dr. Brian Edward Melville King

This study investigates how inaccurate information provided by ChatGPT impacts travelers’ acceptance of recommendations. Six experiments were conducted based on the accessibility-diagnosticity framework. These examined the moderating role of the prominence and type of incorrect information and their effects on decision-making. The results show that participants perceived more accuracy and trustworthiness, leading to stronger intentions to visit when incorrect information was absent. However, there was a decline in their intentions to visit when incorrect information was present and more prominent or in the same domain. This effect diminished when multiple domains were involved or when participants were focused on the initial task. The research highlights that both the prominence and type of incorrect information are boundary conditions and provides insights into AI applications in tourism. Furthermore, it offers practical implications for online travel agencies in terms of user interface and user experience design planning.

19 September 2019 in Tourism Recreation Research

Journal Article

Religious tourism studies: evolution, progress, and future prospects

Bona Kim

Seongseop (Sam) Kim

Brian Edward Melville King

This review study examines evolving themes in the scholarly literature on religious tourism and identifies research gaps that provide a basis for future investigations. The researchers evaluate a total of 84 studies of religion-induced tourism using content and thematic analyses. The findings show a plurality of approaches, both disciplinary and interdisciplinary, that extend to diverse methods, themes, applications, geographical foci and manifestations of the phenomenon. Understandings of religious tourism have evolved beyond pilgrimage and now encompass the meaningfulness of a destination. Recent explorations have extended beyond visitor motivations to consider their identities, such as individual religious affiliations and religiosity. The current paper contributes to knowledge by embracing infrastructure and the activities which occur in and around religious places as a legitimate study domain.

1 June 2015 in Tourism Management

Journal Article

Strengthening Community-Based Tourism in a new resource-based island nation: Why and how?

Denis Tolkach

Brian Edward Melville King

About Me

Brian King, PhD, is Full Professor and Head of the Arch H. Aplin III ’80 Department of Hospitality, Hotel Management, & Tourism (HMGT) at Texas A&M University. His career bridges academia and industry across Europe, Australia and the Pacific, and Asia. As an Elected Fellow of the International Academy for the Study of Tourism, the International Centre of Excellence in Tourism and Hospitality Education (THE-ICE), and the Council for Australasian Tourism and Hospitality Education (CAUTHE), he has provided consulting expertise to UN Tourism and the European Union. Ranked among the top 2% of scientists worldwide by Stanford University’s global database of scientific impact, he has published extensively in customer services, dining experiences and menu labeling. He was the recipient of the 2026 University of Delaware Michael D. Olsen Research Achievement Award. His leadership and expertise in tourism, hospitality education, and destination management continue to advance global collaboration and innovation in tourism research and practice.

Dr. Brian Edward Melville King

Dr. Brian Edward Melville King

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

Publication Type Breakdown

Representative Publications

About Me