Associate Professor · Texas A&M University
Jinyang Deng.
Ph.D. · Rural tourism, ecotourism
& the recreation economy
Arch H. Aplin III ’80 Department of Hospitality,
Hotel Management and Tourism
College of Agriculture & Life Sciences
Thirty-six years of measuring what land held in common — forests, parks, trails, small towns that happen to be beautiful — returns to the people who hold it.
Google Scholar · retrieved Aug 2026 · funding as published by the department
Field note
— the question
It began in 1990 with a master’s thesis on Zhangjiajie — the first national forest park in China. The question has not changed since: what is a landscape actually worth, and to whom?
Across China, Australia, Canada and the United States, my work sits where public lands meet the communities around them — rural tourism, nature-based tourism, community development. The through-line is measurement: what visitors actually value, what a destination actually returns, and how to know rather than assume.
Six lines of work,
one question.
-
01
Rural tourism
Stakeholder attitudes, social capital, and what tourism development actually returns to the communities that host it.
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02
Ecotourism
Who counts as an ecotourist, and how ecotourism destinations are identified, classified and evaluated.
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03
Tourism planning
Indicator systems, importance–performance analysis, and destination competitiveness assessment.
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04
Recreation economy
Visitor spending, economic impact, and market segmentation across public lands and national forests.
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05
Urban forests
Recreational use of urban forests, and their standing among the other things a city asks visitors to come for.
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06
GIS & spatial analysis
Suitability modelling, recreation opportunity spectrum mapping, and nighttime lights data as a measure of human presence.
Currently building
AI, augmented reality
and digital twins.
The newest line of work: augmented reality and AI for restaurant nutritional labelling, and AI-driven digital twins for rural tourism intelligence and economic sustainability.
The field log.
1990 — today · drag
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1990
Zhangjiajie, China
M.S. thesis on the economic benefits of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park — the first national forest park in China, and the start of everything since.
-
Ph.D.
Edmonton, Canada
Doctorate in Recreation and Leisure Studies, University of Alberta. GIS training at the University of Calgary and NAIT along the way.
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2008
Tourism Geography
Chen Chuankang Outstanding Paper Award in Tourism Geography.
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2018
Morgantown, WV
Professor at West Virginia University; program coordinator, 2018–2019.
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2021
WVU Forestry
Outstanding Faculty in Research, Division of Forestry and Natural Resources.
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Now
College Station, TX
Associate Professor, Arch H. Aplin III ’80 Department of Hospitality, Hotel Management and Tourism, Texas A&M University.
Active research.
-
01
Rural Community Well-being: Using Tourism Indicators to Identify, Understand and Address COVID Pandemic Impacts and Strategies for Resiliency
Co-PI · PI: Doug Arbogast
USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture
$648,2852022–2026 -
02
Leveraging Land-Grant Universities to Support Sustainable Rural Tourism Development in Appalachia
Co-PI · PI: Doug Arbogast
Appalachian Regional Commission ($485,807) and other sources ($125,558)
$611,3652024–2025 -
03
Menu to Meal (M2M): Leveraging Augmented Reality and Artificial Intelligence for Hispanic Restaurant Nutritional Labeling
Project Manager / Co-PI · PI: Brian King
USDA Agricultural Research Service, via the Texas A&M AgriLife Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture
$200,0002025–2026 -
04
Leveraging AI and Digital Twins for “Tourism Intelligence and Economic Sustainability” (TIES) in Rural Development
Principal Investigator
Texas A&M University Targeted Proposal Teams
$42,0002025–2026 -
05
Collaborative Consortium for Hospitality and Tourism Excellence
Principal Investigator
Texas A&M Graduate & Professional School
$50,0002025–2027
Combined value of active projects$1,551,650
Selected papers.
Recent
2024 — 2026-
2026
Rethinking language fluency: The role of mindset and authenticity in how poor communication enhances service evaluations in hospitality settingsNewthis year
Kim, J., Jhang, J., Jeong, E. H. L., & Deng, J. · International Journal of Hospitality Management, 135, 104594
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2026
Bridging Technology and Nutrition: A Systematic Review of AI and XR Applications for Nutritional Insights in Restaurants and Foodservice OperationsNewthis year
Bordbar, Y., Deng, J., King, B., Lee, H., & Zhang, W. · Nutrients, 18(9), 1364
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2026
Whitewater Rafting Injuries: A Case Study of West Virginia (2017-2021)Newthis year
Deng, J., Smaldone, D., & Burns, R. · Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 44(1)
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2025
Global nighttime light dataset from 1992 to 2022 with focus on low-light areas12citations
Tang, H., Zhong, Y., Deng, J., Xia, H., & Wei, J. · Scientific Data, 12(1), 982
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2024
Evaluating Residents’ Attitudes Toward Tourism Development and Regional Collaboration within the Monongahela National Forest Region.4citations
Martin, M., Deng, J., Arbogast, D., Pierskalla, C., & Smaldone, D. · Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education & Leadership, 16(3), 14
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2024
Effect of biophilic shopping environments featuring Christmas trees on perceived attentional and mental fatigue: A national study2citations
Pierskalla, C. D., Deng, J., McGill, D. W., & Jiang, S. · Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 95, 128309
Most cited
per Google Scholar-
2015
Resource-based destination competitiveness evaluation using a hybrid analytic hierarchy process (AHP): The case study of West Virginia170citations
Zhou, Y., Maumbe, K., Deng, J., & Selin, S. W. · Tourism Management Perspectives, 15, 72–80
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2014
Identifying and mapping forest-based ecotourism areas in West Virginia–Incorporating visitors' preferences157citations
Dhami, I., Deng, J., Burns, R. C., & Pierskalla, C. · Tourism Management, 42, 165–176
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2018
Linking importance–performance analysis, satisfaction, and loyalty: A study of Savannah, GA119citations
Deng, J., & Pierskalla, C. D. · Sustainability, 10(3), 704
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2015
Self-identification of ecotourists91citations
Deng, J., & Li, J. · Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 23(2), 255–279
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2018
Urban tourism attributes and overall satisfaction: An asymmetric impact-performance analysis89citations
Yuan, J., Deng, J., Pierskalla, C., & King, B. · Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 30, 169–181
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2017
Suitability-sensitivity analysis of nature-based tourism using geographic information systems and analytic hierarchy process86citations
Dhami, I., Deng, J., Strager, M., & Conley, J. · Journal of Ecotourism, 16(1), 41–68
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2020
Recreation ecology research in China’s protected areas: progress and prospect48citations
Zhong, L., Zhang, X., Deng, J., & Pierskalla, C. · Ecosystem Health and Sustainability, 6(1), 1813635
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2020
Using social design to visualize outcomes of sustainable tourism planning: a multiphase, transdisciplinary approach32citations
Arbogast, D., Butler, P., Faulkes, E., Eades, D., Deng, J., Maumbe, K., et al. · International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 32(4), 1413–1448
Background.
Education
- Ph.D.Physical Education and Recreation (Recreation and Leisure Studies)University of Alberta, Canada
- M.S.Agriculture (Forest Recreation)Central South University of Forestry & Technology, China
- B.S.Agriculture (Forestry)Central South University of Forestry & Technology, China
- Graduate courseworkGIS (one year)University of Calgary, Canada
- CertificateGIS TechnologyNorthern Alberta Institute of Technology, Canada
Editorial service
- Associate EditorFrontiers in Sustainable Tourism
- Associate EditorJournal of Park and Recreation Administration
- Editorial Board, 2017–2024Tourism Analysis
Awards
- 2021Outstanding Faculty in ResearchWVU Division of Forestry and Natural Resources
- 2008Chen Chuankang Outstanding Paper Award in Tourism Geography
Working on land,
tourism, or both? Write.
Room 409M
2261 TAMU
College Station, TX 77843