Sports, entertainment, and travel technology group CSTS Enterprises has added Professor Robert Li to its Advisory Board, tapping one of academia's most-cited voices in tourism and hospitality to inform the company's growing portfolio of experiential products and destination partnerships.
Who Is Robert Li
Professor Li holds the Fung King Hey Memorial Professor of Tourism Management chair and serves as Director of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Business School. He has authored more than 280 journal articles and book chapters, earned more than 30 research awards, and ranks among the top 2% of scientists worldwide in sport, leisure, and tourism according to the Stanford–Elsevier global rankings. He currently serves as President of the Travel and Tourism Research Association (TTRA), making him the first Asian elected to lead the organization in its nearly 60-year history. His advisory work spans the World Travel & Tourism Council, the U.S. Department of Commerce, Destination Canada, and China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
For hospitality operators and destination marketers, the appointment signals that CSTS is positioning itself at the intersection of sports tourism, hospitality innovation, and the broader experience economy — a segment drawing increased attention from hotel groups, F&B-led entertainment venues, and event-driven travel brands alike. Professor Li has spearheaded two graduate programs directly relevant to that convergence: an MSc in Leadership for the Experience Economy and an MSc in Sports Business Management, both designed to prepare practitioners for demand-driven, experience-first market conditions.
Operator Implications
Abel Zhao, Group CEO and Executive Director of CSTS Enterprises, framed the hire as central to the company's international growth agenda. "He is one of the most respected voices in global tourism and hospitality, combining world-class academic credentials with deep practical experience working alongside governments, industry bodies and international brands," Zhao said. "His insights will be invaluable as we continue to evolve our businesses and create innovative experiences that connect people, destinations and communities."
CSTS already collaborates on activations tied to major global properties including the FIFA World Cup, UEFA European Championship, and Formula 1 — events that generate substantial hospitality and food-and-beverage spending around host destinations. Professor Li's advisory role will focus on sports tourism strategy, hospitality product development, and new destination partnerships, areas where academic research on tourist behavior and destination marketing directly translates to commercial decision-making.
The move reflects a wider industry pattern in which travel and hospitality companies are embedding academic expertise to sharpen strategy as the experience economy matures. For restaurant and foodservice operators that depend on event-driven foot traffic or destination tourism for revenue, understanding how major platform companies like CSTS shape visitor journeys — and where hospitality and F&B fit within those journeys — is increasingly relevant competitive intelligence. Our colleagues at Food & Beverage Magazine have tracked the growing role of food experience programming within large-scale sports and entertainment activations as a key driver of consumer engagement and ancillary revenue.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
