Dr. Xiong

LX CO Fall Colors

Dr. Lina Xiong is an Associate Professor in the Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources at Colorado State University. She is also called “Dr. Bear” because her last name in Chinese means “bear” (熊). Dr. Xiong came to the U.S. in 2006 from mainland China. Lina completed her Ph.D. in Business Administration from Temple University in Philadelphia. Her dissertation, titled “Employee Brand Internalization: The Central Route to a Brand Aligned Workforce,” received a Highly Commended Award at the 2014 Emerald/EFMD Outstanding Doctoral Research Awards in the Hospitality Management category. Her research focuses on internal branding, service management, and employee wellbeing in the tourism and hospitality industry. Before coming to CSU, Dr. Xiong taught mainly business courses in the College of Business at Marshall University. Her teaching assignments at CSU include tourism strategic management and tourism marketing at both undergraduate and graduate levels. She also serves as the Director of China Sustainable Tourism Programs in HDNR, which include the collaborative Master of Tourism Management program – China and Master of Park and Protected Area Management program – China. Both programs are in collaboration with Central China Normal University with consistently strong enrollment.

As the Director for the China Sustainable Tourism Programs, Dr. Xiong oversees two international collaborative Master’s programs, including the Master of Tourism Management program – China and Master of Park and Protected Area Management program- China. Over the last eight years, the China sustainable tourism programs have grown from 15 students to 160 students in two programs. Dr. Xiong is in charge of daily program operations at CSU to ensure students’ CSU experiences while studying from China. The responsibilities range from personnel planning, budgeting, curriculum planning, student success, to significant coordination efforts between CSU and the partner university. Dr. Xiong also conducts engagement activities in-person for  students in China.  For a detailed look at these two programs, please see the descriptions here:

CSU’s online Master’s in tourism management in China

CSU’s online Master’s in parks and protected area management in China

Dr. Xiong’s research areas include internal branding, service marketing, and destination marketing. These areas emphasize an internal stakeholder’s wellbeing. The overarching idea is that the establishment of a sustainable competitive advantage through tourism branding is dependent on the internal stakeholders such as tourism employees as well as destination residents. The lack of consideration of service employee wellbeing in organization management and local residents in destination management is detrimental to the long-term success.  This research focus is critical for tourism organizations because a unique service brand experience can only be achieved through employees who are motivated to meet customers’ prior brand expectations through their brand-aligned attitudes, behaviors, manners, Similarly, residents at destinations play an critical role in substantiating tourists’ prior destination expectations.

Dr. Xiong has published many articles in top tourism and hospitality journals including International Journal of Hospitality Management, Journal of Travel Research, European Journal of Marketing, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, International Journal of Tourism research, etc.

Selected publications

2024    Yin, J., Xiong, L., Cavaliere, C. T., Qiao, H., Jia, Y., & Xie, S. Examining the carbon emission impact of livelihood transitions in pro‐poor tourism. International Journal of Tourism Research. https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.2598.

2023    Xiong, L. (2023). It takes a village: examining how and when brand-specific transformational leadership affects employees in internal brand management. Journal of Brand Management, 1-14.

2023    Branstrator., J. R., Cavaliere., C. T., Xiong, L., & Knight, D. W. Extended reality for transformative sustainable tourism: Restorying human-wildlife relationships for biocultural conservation. Journal of Ecotourism. https://doi.org/10.1080/14724049.2022.2055046.

2022    Xiong., L., Vaske, J. J., Almstead, J., & Wiebe, Z. (2022). Open Space Visitors’ Attitudes toward Ebikes on Natural surface Trails. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, https://doi.org/10.18666/JPRA-2022-11346.

2022    Zhang, X., Ma, C., Li, X., Xiong, L., & Nie, S. (2022). Assessing the impact of air pollution on inbound tourism along the yangtze river across space and time. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health19(17), 10944.

2021    Wang, H., Xiong, L., & Gage, R. (2021). Cultivating destination brand ambassadors in rural China: Examining the role of residents’ welcoming nature. International Journal of Tourism Research. https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.2460

2021    Xiong, L., Wang, H., Yang, Y. & He, W. (2021). Promoting resident-tourist interaction quality when residents are expected to be hospitable hosts at destinations. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 46, 183-192.

2020    Knight, D., Xiong, L., Lan, W. & Gong, J. (2020). Impact of COVID-19: Research note on tourism and hospitality sectors in the epicenter of Wuhan and Hubei Province, China. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 13 (12), 3705-3719.

2020    Xiong, L. & King, C. (2020). Exploring how employee sense of brand community affects their attitudes and behavior. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research44(4), 567-596.

2019    Xiong, L. & King, C. (2019). Aligning employees’ attitudes and behavior with hospitality brands: The role of employee brand internalization. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management40, 67-76.

2019    Xiong, L., So, K. K. F., Wu, L., & King, C. (2019). Speaking up because it’s my brand: Examining employee brand psychological ownership and voice behavior in hospitality organizations. International Journal of Hospitality Management83, 274-282.

2018    Xiong, L., & King, C. (2018). Too much of a good thing? Examining how proactive personality affects employee brand performance. International Journal of Hospitality Management. 68. 12-22.

2018    So, K. K., Wu, L., Xiong, L., & King, C. (2018). Brand management in the era of social media: Social visibility of consumption and customer brand identification. Journal of Travel Research57(6), 727-742.   

2016    Piehler, R., King, C., Burmann, C., & Xiong, L. (2016). The importance of employee brand understanding, brand identification, and brand commitment in realizing brand citizenship behaviour. European Journal of Marketing, 50(9/10), 1575-1601.

2015    Xiong, L., & King, C. (2015). Motivational drivers that fuel employees to champion the hospitality brand. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 44, 58-69.

2014    Xiong, L., King, C., & Hu, C. (2014). Where is the love? Investigating multiple membership and hotel customer loyalty. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 26(4). 572-592.

2013    Xiong, L., King, C., & Piehler, R. (2013). “That’s not my job”: Exploring the employee perspective in the development of brand ambassadors. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 35, 348-359.

2012    Lee, W., Xiong, L., & Hu, C. (2012). The effect of Facebook users’ arousal and valence on intention to go to the festival: Applying an extension of the technology acceptance model. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 31(2), 819-827.