Namhyun Kim
Namhyun Kim is a doctoral student in the Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism.
What are your general impressions of your doctoral program and the RST department?
I like friendly environment of RST and the open-minded people. I think that this environment supports an
interdisciplinary approach to RST research among doctoral students.
What has been your most interesting experience at the University of Illinois?
During my doctoral program, I have received two best paper awards from internationally recognized conferences
in the hospitality and tourism field. I am very happy to work with excellent scholars and colleagues.
Briefly describe the focus of your research.
My doctoral research is about the impact of globalization on tourism destination competitiveness. It focuses
on the question of whether economic globalization is good for tourism competitiveness and the standard of living of
residents in both developed and developing countries. Other research interests are in tourism cluster development,
entrepreneurship in tourism development and competitiveness, and service quality of festivals/events.
What are your post-graduation plans?
I would like to continue my career in academia. Furthermore, I want to contribute to developing theories on
tourism competitiveness and help tourism policy makers in developing countries.
What do you like to do for fun?
One of my favorite places at the U of I is the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. I go there to relieve
stress and enjoy diverse music performances.
Why would you recommend the Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism to others?
I recommend RST because it gives you a good opportunity to collaborate with colleagues from different perspectives
and to do interdisciplinary studies by taking courses outside of the department.