Dr K Thirumaran ~ Academic Head, Business

Discovering Realities, Contributing Knowledge

Dr. K Thirumaran is a tourism and hospitality management specialist with James Cook University Singapore. He is the key organizer of the World Luxury Destinations conference 2018 and coined the term affinity tourism.

Thiru’s research focuses on service excellence, cultural and luxury tourism. He is interested in questions related to modern developments and their impact on emerging destinations’ cultural values and the use of virtual and augmented reality to improve training programs in the industry.

Some of his major projects that he is working on are related to MICE activities in emerging economies, service expectations in rural tourism, the value of tourism in the few remaining communist-capitalist states and luxury travel experiences. Prospective MPhil and PhD students are welcome to extend their education and explore these topics with Thiru.

Teaching

• LB1000: Academic Skills for Business (Level 1; SIN)
• LB5230: Managing Strategic Resources and Operations (Level 5; SIN)
• LB5235: Applied Research Project (Level 5; SIN)
• TO5101: Tourism Systems Analysis (Level 5; SIN)
• TO5103: Global Destination Competitiveness (Level 5; SIN)

Interests

Research

• Luxury Tourism; Cultural & Heritage Tourism; Service Excellence in Hospitality; Training & Technology in Hospitality

Experience

• 2016 to present - Academic Head, JCUS Business School, James Cook University (Singapore)
• 2008 to 2016 - Lecturer/Senior Lecturer, James Cook University (Singapore)
• 2007 to 2008 - Lecturer, Temasek Polytechnic (Singapore)
• 2003 to 2006 - Phd Candidate, National University of Singapore (Singapore)

Research Disciplines

• Tourism (1506)
• Business and Management (1503)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Tourism (9003)
• Property, Business Support Services and Trade (9002)

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

• Thirumaran K and Raghav M (2017) Luxury tourism, emerging destinations: research review and trajectories. Asian Journal of Tourism Research, 2 (2), pp. 137 -159, DOI:10.12982/AJTR.2017.0013.
• Thirumaran K, Dam M and Thirumaran C (2014) Integrating souvenirs with tourism development: Vietnam's challenges. Tourism Planning & Development, 11 (1), pp. 57-67, DOI:10.1080/21568316.2013.839471.
• Thirumaran K (2013) Interpretations of the hidden. Etropic: electronic journal of studies in the tropics, 12 (1), pp. 22-32.
• Thirumaran K (2009) Keeping tourist performances Indigenous in Bali and Bhutan. London Journal of Tourism, Sport and Creative Industries, 2 (1), pp. 43-52.

Book Chapters

• Pham V and Thirumaran K (2016) Managing development of resort destinations in Southeast Asia: emerging and peripheral Phu Quoc Island. In: Development of Tourism and the Hospitality Industry in Southeast Asia. Managing the Asian Century. Springer, Singapore, pp. 83-95
• Thirumaran K and Arumynathan P (2016) Destination ASEAN, beyond 2015. In: Development of Tourism and the Hospitality Industry in Southeast Asia. Managing the Asian Century. Springer, Singapore, pp. 1-11
• Thirumaran K (2009) Renewing bonds in an age of Asian travel: Indian tourists in Bali. In: Asia On Tour: exploring the rise of Asian tourism. Taylor & Francis, Abingdon, UK, pp. 127-137
• Thirumaran K (2006) The politics of tourism: ethnic Chinese spaces in Malaysia. In: Toursims and Polics: Global Frameworks and Local Realities. Advances in Toursim Research. Elsevier, Amsterdam, Netherlands, pp. 193-209

Conference Papers

• abidin a, Panchal J and K. T (2017) Celebrity chefs and the enhancement of culinary tourism experiences in Singapore. Balancing Development and Sustainability in Tourism Destinations: Proceedings of the Tourism Outlook Conference 2015. 29-31 July 2015, Lombok, Indonesia
• K. T and Raghav M (2017) Marketing sustainable beach holidays: a tropical agenda. Balancing Development and Sustainability in Tourism Destinations: Proceedings of the Tourism Outlook Conference 2015. 29-31 July 2015, Lombok, Indonesia
• Thirumaran K (2013) Managing graffiti at tourist attractions. Proceedings of the International Conference on Managing the Asian Century. In: ICMAC 2013: International Conference on Managing the Asian Century, 11-13 July 2013, Singapore

Other research outputs

• Klimkeit D and K. T (2018) Conclusion to "Management of Shared Service Centers in Asia: examples from Malaysia and Singapore". In: Management of Shared Service Centers in Asia: Examples from Malaysia and Singapore. GRIN Verlag, Munich, Germany, pp. 109-113

More

ResearchOnline@JCU stores 28+ research outputs authored by Dr K Thirumaran from 2004 onwards.

Advisory Accreditation: I can be on your Advisory Panel as a Primary or Secondary Advisor.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Current

• Agritourism and Planning Design: Basis in Sustaining the Tourism Growth (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
• A Comparative Study of the Circular Economy in Asian Setting: The Experiences of Singapore, Shanghai and Seoul (PhD , Secondary Advisor)