About

Discovering Realities, Contributing Knowledge

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 the 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 socialist-leaning states, and luxury travel experiences. Prospective MPhil and PhD students are welcome to extend their education and explore these topics with Thiru.

Teaching
  • TO5103: Global Destinations and 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
Socio-Economic Objectives
Publications

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
Book Chapters
Conference Papers
More

ResearchOnline@JCU stores 68+ research outputs authored by A/Prof K Thirumaran from 2004 onwards.

Supervision

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
  • The study of tourism in the staging of Dai dance: community interests, commercial value, and cultural sustainability (PhD , Primary Advisor)
  • Brand Identity and Value Creation: Determining Brands Co-ownership in the Experience Age (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
  • Towards the Development of Quality Tourism Workforce: The Case of Vietnam (PhD , Primary Advisor)
  • Technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Luxury Tourism (PhD , Primary Advisor)
  • A Study of Human Resource Training and Front-Line Service Quality through Gamification in the Hospitality Industry: Comparisons from the Hotel Sector in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Colombo (PhD , Primary Advisor)
  • Sustaining Chinese Mazu Cultural Heritage in Tourism through VR Technology: Insights from East and Southeast Asia (PhD , Primary Advisor)
  • Micro business and cultural heritage in Singapore: Continuity, Custodianship and Community. (PhD , Primary Advisor)
Completed
Collaboration

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.

  • 5+ collaborations
  • 4 collaborations
  • 3 collaborations
  • 2 collaborations
  • 1 collaboration
  • Indicates the Tropics (Torrid Zone)

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