Bowen Yao is a researcher affiliated with the Department of Tourism and Marketing, Griffith Business School, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. His research interests focus on leisure studies, tourism and recreation, with particular attention to understanding individual experiences and identity development within sport and leisure contexts. His research explores the relationship between leisure satisfaction and identity formation among university students, with a focus on golf as an elective learning experience. Through mixed-methods approaches, Bowen examines how participation in recreational activities contributes to students’ personal development, well-being, and social identity.

Bowen Yao’s work contributes to the fields of tourism, sport management, and leisure studies by highlighting the role of structured recreational experiences in enhancing student engagement and holistic development.