缅北禁地

Dr Weizheng Zhang joined 缅北禁地 Business School as a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) with research interests in tourism marketing, innovation, SME and migration topics in January 2024. Before joining 缅北禁地, he was a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) at the University of Essex. He is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA). He has published in leading journals in the field, such as Tourism Management (ABS 4, A*), Journal of Sustainable Tourism (ABS 3, A*) & International Journal of Hospitality Management (ABS 3, A*). He serves as a reviewer in high-quality journals such as Tourism Management, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management etc.

Weizheng awarded his PhD at the University of Surrey (Full-scholarship funded), which focused on tourism SMEs and their service/marketing innovation in the context of domestic migration in January 2023. Weizheng also completed his MSc study (Research in Human Geography) at the University of Birmingham (UK) and his BSc degree in Geographical Science at the Northwest Normal University, China (With an exchange year in the Geography department of National Changhua University of Education), where he developed his research interests. Dr Zhang previously worked at the Hunan Daily News Agency in China (2016-2017) as a training journalist for regional political and economic affairs, which influenced his research interests in solving socio-economic problems.

Weizheng is happy to accept and supervise PhD students with the following topics: Tourism (Destination) Marketing; Innovation in SME business; Risk and uncertainty; Equality, Diversity, Inclusivity and marketing.

Email Address:

weizheng.zhang@newcastle.ac.uk/ weizheng.zhang@ncl.ac.uk

Roles and Responsibilities:

Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Marketing

Chair of UG Board of Examiners

Qualifications

University of Surrey, UK (January 2023) PhD in Management (Full scholarship funded)

University of Birmingham, UK (December 2018) MSc Research in Human Geography

Northwest Normal University, China (June 2017) BSc Geographical Science (With an exchange year in the Geography department of National Changhua University of Education).

Research Interests

Tourism (Destination) Marketing

Innovation in SME business

Risk and uncertainty in decision-making

Equality, Diversity, Inclusivity and Marketing

I am interested in supervising PhD students aligned with those research interests.

I am actively supervising PhD students (Currently, I am supervising two PhD students) and I served as PhD examiner and panel member.

Funded Research Projects at NCL

• Monash Business School / 缅北禁地 Business School Collaborative Grants (NAMAWARDS): The Power of Equality: How Women-Owned Businesses Shape Consumer Response, GBP 10,000, 2024-2025.

Selected Publications

Wang, H., Zhang, W., Zhang, K., & Hu, B. (2026). The Rebounding Paradox in the Hospitality and Tourism Industry: Why Strategic ESG Strengthens Organizational Resilience While Responsive ESG Undermines It. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 10614. (ABS 3, A*)

Vernes, W. E., Zhang, W., Kimbu, A. N., & Hanna, P. (2025). Plus size people can and will travel too: body positivity in travel and leisure. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 1–27. (ABS 3, A* )

Zhang, W., Williams, A. M., Li, G., & Liu, A. (2022). Entrepreneurial responses to uncertainties during the COVID-19 recovery: A longitudinal study of B&Bs in Zhangjiajie, China. Tourism Management, 91, 104525. (ABS 4, A*)

I am a Fellow of Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and currently teaching following modules at NUBS

Academic year 25/26:

NBS8507 International Marketing (Module Lead)

MKT3095 Cultural and Heritage Marketing (Module Lead)

Dissertation Supervision

Academic year 24/25

MKT3021 Brand Management (Module Lead)

NBS8507 International Marketing (Module Lead)

MKT3095 Cultural and Heritage Marketing

Dissertation Supervision

Academic year 23/24

MKT3021 Brand Management (Module Lead)

NBS8507 International Marketing (Module Lead)

Dissertation Supervision

Previously at Essex as module lead in Academic year 22/23:

Contemporary in Tourism and Hospitality, Event Management

Research Method

Service Marketing

Dissertation

• Articles

  • Wang H, Zhang W, Zhang K, Hu B. . International Journal of Hospitality Management 2026, 135, 104614.
  • Vernes WE, Zhang W, Kimbu AN, Hanna P. . Journal of Sustainable Tourism 2025, epub ahead of print.
  • Zhang W, Williams AM, Li G, Liu A. . Tourism Management 2022, 91, 104525.

• Book Chapter

  • Kim Y, Zhang W. . In: Fevzi Okumus; Antonio Emmanuel Perez Brito;Adriana Fumi Chim-Miki; Martha Isabel Bojórquez Zapata, ed. Competitiveness of SMEs in Hospitality and Industry: A multidisciplinary approach. Leeds: Emerald Publishing, 2025. In Press.

• Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstracts)

  • Vernes W, Chang Y, Zhang W. . In: 2025 Global Marketing Conference. 2025, Hong Kong: Global Alliance of Marketing & Management Association.
  • Brannan MJ, Zhang W. . In: Work, Employment and Society Annual Conference 2025. 2025, Manchester: British Sociological Association.
  • Setthanandhaphokin P, Zhang W, Wu Z, Yu Q. . In: The 24th International Conference on Electronic Business. 2024, Zhuhai China.

• Online Publication

  • Vernes W, Zhang W. . London: The Conversation Trust, 2025. Available at: .