Lynn Minnaert

Lynn Minnaert, Ph.D., serves as the Dean of the School of Hospitality at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Her areas of expertise encompass travel and tourism, cultural differences in attitudes to time off, inclusion through tourism, business events, mega events, and trends in hospitality. Her focus is centered around social inclusion and social sustainability in tourism and events.  

With over 20 years of experience, Minnaert has actively researched various areas of social tourism, family tourism, and the social impacts of the Olympics, many of which have attracted funding from organizations such as the Economic and Social Research Council, the European Union, the International Olympic Committee, regional tourist boards and Meeting Professionals International. 

In addition to teaching, Minnaert is a member of the editorial board for the Tourism Analysis Journal and was the Co-President of the International Sociological Association’s Research Committee on International Tourism. Minnaert is the author of her own textbook, “Tourism Planning and Policy: Strategies for Destination Development,” as well as various articles, including “Stakeholder Stories: Exploring Social Tourism Networks,” which was featured in Annals of Tourism Research Journal.

Before joining MSU Denver, she served as a Professor and Head of Subject in Tourism and Languages at Edinburgh Napier University.

Minnaert earned both her Doctorate in Tourism and Master of Arts in Tourism Management from the University of Westminster in London, and Bachelor of Arts in Germanic Languages and Literatures from Ghent University, Belgium.