Education

Ph.D., Strategic Hospitality Management, Oxford Brookes University (Oxford, United Kingdom)
M.S., International Hotel Management, Oxford Brookes University (Oxford, United Kingdom)
M.S., Tourism and Hospitality Management, Erciyes University (Kayseri, Turkey)
B.S., Tourism and Hotel Management, Cukurova University (Mersin, Turkey)

Background

Fevzi Okumus joined the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management in August 2025 as the director of global strategy and strategic engagement and William McFall “Mac” Pearce Endowed Professor. He is an internationally recognized hospitality scholar whose research and leadership have shaped strategic management, organizational behavior, sustainability and innovation in the hospitality and tourism industry. With decades of experience in academia and the hotel sector, Okumus is known for bridging research and practice to address global industry challenges.

Prior to joining the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management, Okumus served as the Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association Preeminent Chair Professor at the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management. He was the founding chair of Rosen’s Department of Hospitality Services, leading its development from 2007 to 2013. His earlier academic appointments include faculty roles at Mugla University and Erciyes University in Turkey. Before becoming an educator, he gained hands-on experience working in various functional roles in the hotel industry.

Okumus holds a Ph.D. in strategic hotel management and an M.S. in international hotel management from Oxford Brookes University in the United Kingdom, and a B.S. in hospitality and tourism from Cukurova University in Turkey. He has authored more than 330 academic publications, including over 220 refereed journal articles, seven books, 12 book chapters and 90 conference papers and reports. His research has been published in leading journals such as Tourism Management, Annals of Tourism Research, Journal of Business Research, Service Industries Journal, Management Decision, International Journal of Hospitality Management, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, and Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research. According to GoogleScholar, As of August 2025, his work has received over 34,000 citations with an h-index of 82.

An influential voice in global hospitality scholarship, Okumus serves as editor-in-chief for the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, and Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Horizons. He sits on the editorial boards of 25 international journals and is a frequent keynote speaker at national and international conferences. His expertise has informed projects with universities, industry associations and government agencies worldwide, and he has secured more than $600,000 in competitive grants, contracts and scholarships.

Honors / Awards

• Pegasus Professor, University of Central Florida (2025)
• Highly Cited Researcher, Clarivate Analytics (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)
• Listed in the top 2% of scientists worldwide by the Stanford University’s Database under the Author Career Citations and the Single Year Citations for 2021; 2022; 2023 and 2024.
• John Wiley & Sons Lifetime Research Achievement Award, ICHRIE (2018)
• CFHLA Preeminent Professor, University of Central Florida Rosen College (2017)
• University of Central Florida Scroll & Quill Society Award (2017)
• Michael D. Olsen Research Award (2016)

Research Interests

• Strategic management in hospitality and tourism
• Leadership and organizational behavior in service industries
• Sustainability and corporate social responsibility
• Hospitality services, marketing and innovation

Teaching

• Strategic management in hospitality and tourism

Professional Affiliations

• International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (ICHRIE)