On October 16, 2025, the “Tourism+” series salon, hosted by the Integrated Resort and Tourism Management Department, was successfully held in the Hospitality Laboratory. The salon featured Dr. Liu Biqiang, Assistant Professor from the Integrated Resort and Tourism Management Department, who delivered an insightful presentation titled “The Beauty of Mess:The Persuasive Power of Visual.” The lecture was moderated by Assistant Professor Chen Feier and attracted a large number of faculty and students.
Assistant Professor Liu Biqiang began by presenting two contrasting images to introduce the cognitive concept that “disorder equals nature.” He pointed out that people tend to associate visual irregularity with ecological authenticity, and this “lay belief” profoundly influences tourists’ perceptions and expectations of natural attractions. While visual order is often considered more appealing and effective in traditional marketing, Professor Liu’s research reveals that visual disorder, under specific circumstances—particularly in the promotion of natural tourism destinations—has undeniable positive effects.
In terms of research methodology, Prof. Liu and his team employed various experimental designs, including Facebook A/B test, eye-tracking experiments, and scenario-based experiments. For instance, in the Facebook ad experiment, visually disordered advertisements achieved higher click-through and interaction rates. The eye-tracking experiment further confirmed that visual disorder effectively enhances participants’ attention and travel intention, with “existential authenticity” serving as a key mediating variable in this process.
During the interactive session, faculty and students actively engaged with questions, creating a lively atmosphere. Assistant Professor Chen Feier raised a question regarding author contributions and task allocation, to which Assistant Professor Liu Biqiang provided a detailed explanation of the team’s collaboration and logic behind task distribution. A student inquired about how to find research inspiration, and Assistant Professor Liu emphasized the importance of “consistent reading and broad accumulation,” encouraging students to remain sensitive and curious about phenomena. Additionally, Assistant Professor Liu Xing and Assistant Professor Liu Biqiang engaged in an in-depth discussion on the theoretical construction and argumentation logic of the moderating variable “power distance,” further deepening the audience’s understanding of the research topic.
The entire salon was rich in content and offered novel perspectives, providing both an academic and intellectual feast for all attendees.
