Crompton receives Lifetime Achievement Award for travel, tourism contributions

Writer: Paul Schattenberg, 210-859-5752, paschattenberg@ag.tamu.edu

Contact: Dr. James Petrick, 979-845-8806, jpetrick@tamu.edu

Dr. John Crompton, 979-845-5320, jcrompton@tamu.edu

COLLEGE STATION — Dr. John L. Crompton, Distinguished University Professor in the recreation, park and tourism sciences department of Texas A&M University’s College of Agriculture and Life Science, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Travel and Tourism Research Association, or TTRA, of Whitehall, Michigan.

Crompton, also a Regents Professor and Presidential Professor for Teaching Excellence, received the award at the TTRA 2018 International Conference in Miami.

“This prestigious international award is the highest honor given by the Travel and Tourism Research Association, comprised of global leaders in the tourism industry and leading behavioral scientists who study tourism,” said Dr. James Petrick, also in the recreation, park and tourism sciences department, who nominated Crompton for the award. “It is presented to the individual or organization who has made highly significant contributions to TTRA as well as to the travel and tourism industry in general. The award recognizes significant long-term contributions to the tourism industry, which is widely recognized by many as the world’s largest.”

Petrick said Crompton is imminently qualified for the award as he is the world’s most cited scholar in tourism with more than 35,000 citations. Six of his papers have more than 1,000 citations.

Crompton received his doctorate in recreation resources development from Texas A&M in 1977. He has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in both the recreation and parks department and marketing department at Texas A&M. He now teaches exclusively in the university’s recreation, park and tourism sciences department.

Crompton’s primary interests are marketing and financing public leisure and tourism services. He is author or co-author of 20 books and a substantial number of articles published in the fields of recreation, tourism, sports and marketing.

“Effective research outcomes are invariably the result of team efforts,” Crompton said. “This award is a tribute to, and should be shared by, the many talented graduate students in my 44 years at Texas A&M who chose to become my partners and invest their complementary skills, talents and enthusiasm into my research programs.”

Crompton’s tourism research has addressed numerous pressing issues in the field of travel and tourism. These include: tourism motivations, destination image, tourist decision making and tourism impacts. It has also addressed: the evaluation of tourism experiences, loyalty and repeat visitation, the measurement of novelty, tourist information seeking and the economic impacts of tourism.

“Findings from Dr. Crompton’s research have impacted pivotal decisions related to positioning, pricing, financing and advertising tourism destinations and attractions,” Petrick said. “With the depth and breadth of the impact his research has had on the travel and tourism industry, it’s only appropriate Dr. Crompton was singled out by the TTRA for this award.”