Carla A Santos

Carla A Santos is a Professor and Head in the Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She holds additional affiliations as a Professor in Anthropology, Center for the Study of Global Gender Equity, European Union Center, Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies, Lemann Center for Brazilian Studies, Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Center for Global Studies, and as an Affiliate at the Siebel Center for Design.

• Education: Ph.D. in Mass Communications from Pennsylvania State University (2002)

Her research examines the socio-cultural and political dimensions of tourism, focusing on communicative practices across mass media and interpersonal interactions. Key themes include ideological forces shaping tourism representations, authenticity in virtual travel experiences, and intersections of leisure with ethnic identity and transnational dynamics.

Recent publications highlight trends in social media-driven tourism (e.g., TikTok/Douyin), casino development impacts, and Korean diaspora leisure practices. She co-directs the Tourism Lab for Economic and Social Behavior Research and serves on editorial boards of major tourism journals.