Sunny Son

Research Interests

Tourism Management Tourist Behaviour and Visitor Experience Social Impact Assessment Strategic, metropolitan and regional planning

APrf Sunny Son

Associate Professor

School of Management

College of Business and Law

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.

Available For Media Comment.

Associate Professor Insun Sunny Son (née Lee) is the Academic Lead: Students in the School of Management, College of Business and Law, at Adelaide University. She is an active member of the Centre for Enterprise Dynamics in Global Economies (C-EDGE) and the CERM Performance Indicators® (CERM-PI). Dr. Son holds a PhD in Tourism, a Master of Business (Advanced) in International Event Management from the University of Queensland, and a Bachelor of Business in Hospitality Management and Event Management from Victoria University in Melbourne.
 
Her research expertise focuses on visitor experience and the visitor economy, particularly in tourism and event management, and has expanded to include placemaking and community development. She has worked with more than 30 local councils and organisations across Australia on projects related to governance, community engagement, impact evaluation, and strategic planning. She regularly presents at workshops and conferences for both government and industry professionals. Her strength lies not only in expanding academic knowledge but also in producing practical and relevant outcomes that support partner organisations to make evidence-based decisions, address their needs, and achieve sustainable outcomes, using both quantitative and qualitative methods to capture multiple perspectives.
 
Dr Son’s research has been published in leading journals in Tourism and Event Management, including Tourism Management and Event Management. She is a member of the Editorial Boards of Event Management, the International Journal of Event and Festival Management, and Frontiers in Sports and Active Living.
 
Read the media release and case study about my recent research:

Attending events is the ticket to happiness
Attending local events strengthens neighbourhood bonds
New Placemaking guide gives SA councils a planning edge
Real connections trump virtual gatherings – the magic of in-person events
Events shaping positive perceptions of place

Event impacts

Event experience

Destination Marketing

Placemaking

Visitor economy

Visitor experience 

 

Year Citation
2025 Son, S., Kitchen, E., & Jones, J. (2025). The value of events for personal well-being: a PERMA perspective. International Journal of Tourism Research, 27(3, article no. e70061), 1-10.
DOI
2024 Son, I. S., & Krolikowski, C. (2024). Developing a sense of place through attendance and involvement in local events: the social sustainability perspective. Tourism Recreation Research, 50(4), 715-726.
DOI Scopus8 WoS9
2023 Son, I. S., & Huang, S. S. (2023). Understanding the critical factors driving event leveraging: perspectives from small and medium-sized enterprises. Event Management, 27(3), 423-435.
DOI Scopus2 WoS2
2023 Son, I. S., Krolikowski, C., & Fleming, E. (2023). Intention to attend local events in the time of COVID-19: the case of Australia. Event Management, 27(5), 729-743.
DOI Scopus4 WoS3
2023 Kitchen, E., Son, I. S., & Jones, J. J. (2023). Can events impact on social connectedness and loneliness? An analysis of face-to-face and virtual events attended in South Australia. Event Management, 27(7), 1011-1024.
DOI Scopus6 WoS6
2022 Son, I. S., Krolikowski, C., Rentschler, R., & Huang, S. S. (2022). Utilizing events for placemaking of precincts and main streets: current state and critical success factors. Event Management, 26(2), 223-235.
DOI Scopus12 WoS10
2021 Son, I. S., Huang, S. S., & Padovan, D. (2021). Realising the goals of event leveraging: the tourism and hospitality SME perspective. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 49, 253-259.
DOI Scopus10 WoS5
2018 King, K., Shipway, R., Lee, I. S., & Brown, G. (2018). Proximate tourists and major sport events in everyday leisure spaces. Tourism geographies, 20(5), 303-306.
DOI Scopus10 WoS9
2016 Shipway, R., King, K., Lee, I. S., & Brown, G. (2016). Understanding cycle tourism experiences at the Tour Down Under. Journal of sport and tourism, 20(1), 21-39.
DOI Scopus39
2016 Lee, I. S., Brown, G., King, K., & Shipway, R. (2016). Social identity in serious sport event space. Event management, 20(4), 491-499.
DOI Scopus41
2015 Lee, I. S., & Huang, S. S. (2015). Understanding motivations and benefits of attending a multicultural festival. Tourism analysis, 20(2), 201-213.
DOI Scopus19 WoS16
2015 Brown, G., Lee, I. S., King, K., & Shipway, R. (2015). Eventscapes and the creation of event legacies. Annals of leisure research, 18(4), 510-527.
DOI Scopus41 WoS34
2015 Filep, S., Volic, I., & Lee, I. S. (2015). On positive psychology of events. Event management, 19(4), 495-507.
DOI Scopus27
2014 Huang, S., & Lee, I. S. (2014). Motivations for attending a multicultural festival: visitor ethnicity matters. Anatolia, 26(1), 92-95.
DOI Scopus9 WoS8
2014 Lee, I. S., Lee, T. J., & Arcodia, C. (2014). The effect of community attachment on cultural festival visitors' satisfaction and future intentions. Current issues in tourism, 17(9), 800-812.
DOI Scopus42 WoS33
2012 Lee, I. S., Arcodia, C., & Lee, T. J. (2012). Key characteristics of multicultural festivals: a critical review of the literature. Event management, 16(1), 93-101.
DOI Scopus36
2012 Lee, I., Arcodia, C., & Lee, T. J. (2012). Benefits of visiting a multicultural festival: the case of South Korea. Tourism Management, 33(2), 334-340.
DOI Scopus80 WoS60
2012 Lee, I. S., Arcodia, C., & Lee, T. J. (2012). Multicultural festivals: a niche tourism product in South Korea. Tourism review, 67(1), 34-41.
DOI Scopus19 WoS18
2011 Lee, I., & Arcodia, C. (2011). The role of regional food festivals for destination branding. International journal of tourism research, 13(4), 355-367.
DOI Scopus188 WoS149

Year Citation
2024 Son, I. S. (2024). Event concepts for place activation. In J. Mair, G. Aktas, & M. Kozak (Eds.), Source details - Title: International Case Studies in Event Management (pp. 1-7). UK: Routledge.
DOI
2017 Brown, G., & Lee, I. S. (2017). Sport tourism. In T. Bradbury, & I. O'Boyle (Eds.), Source details - Title: Understanding sport management: international perspectives (pp. 259-272). US: Routledge.
2017 Lee, I. S., & Brown, G. (2017). Sport event management. In T. Bradbury, & I. O'Boyle (Eds.), Source details - Title: Understanding sport management: international perspectives (pp. 243-258). US: Routledge.
2014 Lee, S., & Kim, A. (2014). Re-creation of traditional ritual into festival: the case of Kangnung Danoje festival in South Korea. In J. Laing, & W. Frost (Eds.), Source details - Title: Rituals and traditional events in the modern world (pp. 67-77). UK: Routledge.
Scopus3 WoS3
2011 Lee, I. S. (2011). Effects of servicescape. In T. Lee, & G. Stanciulescu (Eds.), Source details - Title: Practical principles in the tourism and hotel industry (pp. 121-131). Bucharest, Romania: ASE Publishing House.
2011 Lee, I. (2011). Servicescape in the tourism and hospitality industry. In T. Lee, & G. Stanciulescu (Eds.), Source details - Title: Practical principles in the tourism and hotel industry (pp. 109-120). Romania: ASE Publishing House.
2011 Lee, I. (2011). Event tourism and community benefits. In T. Lee, & G. Stanciulescu (Eds.), Source details - Title: Special interest tourism for community benefits (pp. 105-116). Bucharest, Romania: ASE Publishing House.
  • Barossa Council 2025 - Understanding Placemaking in Barossa, The Barossa Council, 12/01/2026 - 30/06/2026
  • Voices of TANDANYA: The Significance of Aboriginal Culture in South Australia’s Cultural Identity: Shaping the Future of TANDANYA, National Aboriginal Cultural Institute Inc, 20/10/2025 - 03/04/2026
  • Placemaking Benchmarking project for Local Governments 2025, Lismore City Council, 15/09/2025 - 28/02/2026
  • Placemaking Benchmarking project for Local Governments 2024, City of Charles Sturt, 04/10/2024 - 28/02/2025
  • Quality public spaces: developing placemaking indicators and benchmarks, Local Government Association of South Australia, 01/11/2022 - 31/01/2024
  • Creating quality places: Placemaking and Events. Impacts of Events on Place Identity., Adelaide City Council, 02/06/2023 - 30/11/2023
  • Quality public spaces: developing placemaking indicators and benchmarks - Partner Organisations, Campbelltown City Council, 01/11/2022 - 15/11/2023
  • Value of events: Beyond the short-term economic impact (LCB-UniSA Research Grant Scheme), City of Port Adelaide-Enfield, 31/10/2019 - 30/04/2023
  • Campaspe Shire Community Satisfaction Project 2021, Campaspe Shire Council, 01/09/2021 - 10/12/2021
  • HOSP 1001 Foundations of Event Management
  • HOSP 3002 Eventful Cities and Event Leveraging
  • HOSP 2008 UO Foundations of Event Management
  • HOSP 2006 UO Eventful Cities and Event Leveraging
  • HOSP 6005 Event Leveraging and Legacy

Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
2025 Co-Supervisor The Invisible Thread: Volunteers in Regional Community Festivals Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mrs Julia Jones
2022 Principal Supervisor Government-led touristification of community cultural events and stakeholder dynamics: The case of the Pasola Festival, Indonesia Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Gregorius Suri

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