CANTON -- A SUNY Canton faculty member is doing research that could help area hospitality and tourism businesses, particularly with women and travelers with disabilities.

Christina Lesyk, who teaches social science, is the primary author of three research proposals that have been accepted for presentation at the 20th Annual Graduate Education and Graduate Student Research Conference in Hospitality and Tourism.

The proposals have direct implications on hospitality management and tourism concerns in the Adirondack and Thousand Islands regions, SUNY Canton said.

"One of the proposals uncovers the needs and preferences of female business travelers," Lesyk said. "Women are now the fastest growing segment of business travelers in the United States and are currently involved in 85 percent of household decisions, including leisure travel. A better understanding of this demographic could help create new revenue-generating strategies."

Lesyk also proposes to increase tourism by specifically designing and marketing tourism opportunities for travelers with disabilities, who are a significant part of the hospitality market, according to SUNY Canton.

"Historically, it's been very difficult to traverse the Adirondack and Thousand Island regions," she said. "The lack of easily accessible mass transit options has been seen as a deterrent to greater tourism to the area, but interestingly, this may not be as great a deterrent to travelers with disabilities."

Her presentation proposals were co-authored with professors Eric A. Brown, Thomas Schrier and Liang Tang from Iowa State University and professor Nicholas J. Thomas from DePaul University.

Prior to her SUNY Canton career, she was the lead event coordinator at Clarkson University in Potsdam and has extensive experience in the hospitality field, SUNY Canton said.

She began doctorate studies in hospitality management at Iowa State University in June. The program only accepts eight students per year and has been ranked 15th in the world's top 100 hospitality and tourism programs by the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, according to SUNY Canton. In October, Lesyk was inducted into Eta Sigma Delta, an international hospitality management honor society that recognizes exceptional academic achievement among hospitality and tourism scholars.