Texas A&M doctoral student earns prestigious tourism research award
Hyunrae Kim to use Slattery Award to research impact of tourist destination residents’ perceptions
Hyunrae Kim, a doctoral student in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Arch H. Aplin III ’80 Department of Hospitality, Hotel Management and Tourism, is the winner of the Travel and Tourism Research Association’s, TTRA, J. Desmond Slattery Award for 2026.
The Slattery Award was presented at TTRA’s 56th annual International Conference, held June 24-26 in Greenville, South Carolina.
The award carries a $4,000 prize, a plaque and complimentary registration to the TTRA International Conference. It is awarded annually to a master’s or doctoral student to assist with the completion of a thesis or dissertation.
Putting residents at the center of tourism research
Kim’s dissertation examines how residents psychologically perceive their own communities as tourist destinations and how those perceptions shape their attachment to a place and their willingness to support local tourism development.
“Residents are an important stakeholder in tourism, but previous research has often mainly focused on tourists,” Kim said. “Tourists are the primary consumers of the tourism experience, and their perceptions directly influence destination choice, satisfaction and loyalty. However, if we only focus on tourists, we may miss how residents understand and support, or sometimes resist, tourism development.”
Her research draws on her undergraduate background in regional development, marketing and promotion, which sparked her curiosity about why so much of the academic literature overlooked the resident perspective.
“All of those studies were mainly focused on tourists,” she said. “I got curious about why researchers were not studying residents, because residents are important to creating a destination.”
Looking ahead
Kim, a native of South Korea, chose Texas A&M University specifically to work with John Crompton, Ph.D., Distinguished University Professor and associate department head, whom she described as a legend in the tourism industry and a mentor who has guided her far beyond academics.
“He is my academic advisor, but also a life advisor,” she said.
Crompton is Kim’s dissertation committee chair and encouraged her to submit her research proposal for the award.
“Dr. Crompton recommended I submit the proposal because he thought this research is very valuable and very competitive compared to others,” Kim said. “I was happy to submit it.”
She plans to defend her dissertation proposal next semester, collect more data and graduate in 2027. Kim hopes to pursue a faculty position and draw on her experience as a graduate teaching assistant to guide future tourism and hospitality students.
