Dr. Devkant Kala

Devkant Kala is an Associate Professor at the School of Business, UPES. With a strong foundation in marketing, consumer behaviour, and tourism and hospitality, he brings a wealth of knowledge to his field. He obtained his MBA degree from HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar Garhwal. His exemplary academic performance earned him the prestigious Certificate of Merit, highlighting his commitment to excellence. He earned Doctorate from Uttarakhand Technical University. His research focuses on exploring various facets of marketing, consumer behavior, and the dynamic nature of the tourism and hospitality industry.

Before joining UPES in 2017, Dr. Kala worked with Uttaranchal University, Himgiri Zee University and Uttaranchal Institute of Technology, Dehradun.

His research interests centre around various aspects of marketing, consumer behavior, the dynamic landscape of the tourism and hospitality industry, and the ever-evolving field of technology adoption. He has published papers in Scopus-indexed and ABDC ranked journals including Current Issues in Tourism; Cornell Hospitality Quarterly; Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality and Tourism; Digital Policy, Regulations and Governance; Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism; Education and Information Technologies; International Journal of Tourism Policy; International Journal of Business Excellence; Tourism, among others.

Dr. Kala’s teaching philosophy revolves around creating an engaging and transformative learning experience for his students. He believes that education is not just about the acquisition of knowledge but also about developing critical thinking skills, fostering a love for lifelong learning, and nurturing personal growth. His teaching pedagogy includes case studies, business quizzes, presentations, live projects, videos, discussions, or any other combinations. He finds teaching a very rewarding experience and considers himself a lifelong learner and promotes that attitude in his students.

He teaches Marketing Management, Consumer Behaviour, and Customer Relationship Management courses to students pursuing their MBA and BBA degrees. He uses project-based learning, case studies, discussions, readings of prominent journals, and technology-enhanced learning to ensure student engagement and active class participation.

He qualified UGC-NET in Management in the year 2009. He was also granted an internal UPES research project in which he assessed the food quality and restaurant service experience in religious tourism destinations of Uttarakhand.

Dr. Kala edited a book titled ‘Global Opportunities and Challenges for Rural and Mountain Tourism’, published by IGI Global Publishers, USA. He also edited two issues of the Journal of Tourism – a UGC-CARE-listed journal of HNB Garhwal Central University, Srinagar Garhwal. He serves editorial board of Journals such as the Central European Journal of Geography and Sustainable Development, Economic Insights – Trends and Challenges, and Journal of Tourism. Additionally, he regularly reviews papers for renowned research journals, including the Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality and Tourism, Digital Policy, Regulation, and Governance, Sage Open, Heliyon, Tourism Review, FIIB Business Review, among others.

devkant.kala@ddn.upes.ac.in