Phone: 407-903-8210
Email: Rivera@ucf.edu
Rivera industry experience expands to companies such as Aramark, Chartwells, Pizza Hut, Starbucks, Java City, Pollo Tropical, Subway, Burger King, McDonalds and Sbarro. He had also the opportunity of working with institutions such as Florida International University, Saint Thomas University, Nova Southeastern University, Florida Memorial College, the Miami Dolphins Training Center, and the Kovens Convention Center.
Rivera also has worked as a research consultant for the Puerto Rico Convention Bureau, Puerto Rico Hotel Association, the Cámara de Turismo de Nicaragua, the Consejo Provincial del Guayas in Ecuador, the Curaçao Tourism Bureau, the Aruba Tourism Authority, Coca-Cola’s Latin Center Business Unit, and the Kissimmee CVB among others. Dr. Rivera also has extensive experience working with music festivals in the Caribbean, more specifically the Curacao North Sea Jazz Festival, the Aruba Soul Beach Music Festival, and the Aruba Electric Festival.
Rivera also serves as the Editor-in-Chief for the International Journal of Hospitality Management, one of the most regarded hospitality journals worldwide. Dr. Rivera has a passion for research that encompasses social issues. Some of his current research included issues related to poverty, income inequality, income distribution, Input-Output Model, Cointegration and Error Correction Models, economic entrepreneurship for street vendors, quality of life and more recently LGTB tourism. Some of his research projects have been published in academic journals such as the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Tourism: An international Interdisciplinary Journal, Journal of Heritage Tourism, Tourism Economics, International Journal of Hospitality Management, Journal of Events and Conventions, and the Journal of Ecotourism.