Xinyi Qian
Travel and tourism; outdoor recreation; social science methodology; project management; communications
Background & Expertise
Xinyi Qian has been the director and state specialist of the University of Minnesota Tourism Center since December 2021. She was the interim director from January to November 2021 and tourism specialist from June 2013 to December 2020. As the director, Qian oversees the center's strategic directions, manages the center's operations; actively engages the advisory committee; builds and maintains relationships with strategic partners and industry sectors; works with development officers to ensure the center's fiscal sustainability; interacts with faculty affiliates; and oversees the center's communications, media and social media strategies and work. As the state specialist, Qian conducts applied research on a variety of tourism-related topics, including visitor behavior, active transportation, recreational travel demand and sustainable tourism, among others. Prior to joining the Tourism Center, Qian was a research associate in the Department of Forest Resources at the University of Minnesota. Qian received her master’s and doctoral degrees in recreation, park and tourism management from Pennsylvania State University.
Earth Day 2023: IonE Community Shares Reasons for Hope
As we continue to reflect and celebrate the work that our IonE community has accomplished and are actively working on, we recognize that the topic of climate change isn’t always the most uplifting. It is difficult at times to take a step back and recognize how far we have come and the positive change that individuals, groups, and organizations are making in this space.