David A. Cardenas, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Research Associate in the Richardson Family SmartState Center for Economic Excellence in Tourism and Economic Development

Dr. Cárdenas received his Ph.D. in Recreation, Tourism and Parks Management from North Carolina State University and prior to joining the faculty at the University of South Carolina, he was a faculty member at the University of North Carolina Greensboro.

Dr. Cárdenas has been a visiting professor in Shandong University in China, Inter-Continental University of the Caribbean in Curacao and mostly recently in Aruba with the University of Aruba. He has lead several service learning study abroad trips to Ecuador, SA. His research interests are in sustainable development, resident attitudes and tourism education. He has extensive experience working on community-based tourism planning projects in the United States and Ecuador, specifically working to engage and involve local residents in the sustainable tourism development process. His research has been published in the top-tier tourism and recreation journals such as the Journal of Sustainable Tourism, Tourism Analysis, Journal of Destinations Marketing, and Journal of Leisure Research, and Journal of Sport Management and presented his work at several regional, national and international conferences. In 2012 and 2008 he received “Teacher of the Year” in his academic unit and in 2010 was inducted into Phi Beta Delta International Scholars Honor Society. 

Dr. Cárdenas was born and raised in Quito, Ecuador and speaks English and Spanish.