Xinran Lehto

Professor, White Lodging-J.W. Marriott, Jr. School of Hospitality and Tourism Management

Areas of Expertise

Tourism and hospitality experience design
Destination marketing and management
Tourism planning and sustainable product development
Interface between leisure/hospitality services and technology applications
Wellness and wellbeing
Culture factors in HTM

HHS Signature Research Area(s)

Developmental Health and Wellness
Healthy Lifestyles and Vital Longevity
Sustainable Organizations and Thriving Communities

Biography

Xinran Lehto is a Professor in the White Lodging-J.W. Marriott, Jr. School of Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTM) at Purdue University. She serves as a member of the Research Council of the College of Health and Human Science at Purdue, as well as a member of the Faculty Affairs Committee of the college. Dr. Lehto’s contributions to the field extend to her editorial leadership positions, including her role as a co-editor of the Journal of Destination Marketing and Management, and as an associate editor of the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research. Prior to joining Purdue, Dr. Lehto was an assistant professor at Colorado State University. Before embarking on her academic career, she amassed valuable experience working for 6 years in the travel and tourism industry as a marketing executive in China and Singapore.

Dr. Lehto’s expertise area lies in experience design, management, and marketing in tourism and hospitality. Her current research focuses on delivering optimal experiences and services that enhance consumer well-being. Her work revolves around effectively planning and marketing experience-based vacation products for diverse traveler segments. She places considerable emphasis on understanding how tourists engage with destinations through leisure and hospitality experiences, as well as how various factors such as personal, interpersonal, technological, and cultural elements influence experience design and marketing practices.

Dr. Lehto enjoys an excellent research scholarship reputation. She is well published in first tier refereed international journals, including the top-rated Annals of Tourism Research, Tourism Management, Journal of Travel Research, and International Journal of Hospitality Management. Dr. Lehto is the co-recipient of multiple best paper awards from various international conferences and Article of the Year awards from two refereed journals. Dr. Lehto is one of the leading tourism scholars globally, with a Google Scholar citation record of over 13,500 citations, an h-index of 59, and an i10-index of 130.

Dr. Lehto emphasizes the ramifications of her research to the tourism and hospitality industry. She disseminates her research in a wide variety of forums including international conferences and colloquia, refereed journal articles, technical reports, media engagements, and public presentations. She has collaborated closely with community agencies to evaluate and develop programs and strategies related to tourism and leisure services.

Fundamentally, Dr. Lehto views the well-being of travelers and communities as the foundation for all tourism marketing and planning strategies. She considers the design of wellness-centered tourism as both a social responsibility and a strategic advantage for destinations. By integrating these principles into her work, she aims to contribute to the advancement of the field and foster positive impacts in the industry and society at large.

Education

PhD, 2000, Purdue University

Social Media Accounts

Current Courses

HTM231 - Hospitality and Tourism Marketing
HTM173 - Introduction to Tourism Management
HTM501 - Research Methodology in Hospitality and Tourism Management
HTM399 - Applications of Data Visualization for Marketing

Professional Affiliations

Co-Editor-In-Chief, Journal of Destination Marketing and Management
Immediate Past President, International Tourism Studies Association
Associate Editor, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research