What are the Academic tracks?
The theme of the conference is ‘BEYOND THE MAP: DEFINING THE FUTURE OF TOURISM’. The conference committee invites you to submit a paper or poster presentation within the broad theme of the conference and with the following conference tracks:
- Beyond the Map: Reimagining Tourism Marketing and the Traveller Journey: Contemporary tourism and hospitality marketing increasingly extends beyond promotion to encompass the full traveller and guest journey, from pre-travel inspiration to post-stay advocacy. This theme invites conceptual and empirical research on how destinations and hospitality organisations leverage creativity, digital technologies, data analytics, and storytelling to shape destination and brand image, influence decision-making, build loyalty, and sustain long-term relationships beyond the on-site experience.
- Beyond the Event: Programming Experiences that Shape Place and Purpose: Events and experience programming play a critical role in shaping hospitality demand, destination development, and place identity. Contributions under this theme are invited to examine cultural events, festivals, and mega-events, focusing on their economic, social, and reputational impacts for hospitality businesses as well as destinations. Research may also explore how event-led programming aligns with hospitality strategy, destination branding, and policy objectives
- Beyond the Workforce: Talent as the Foundation of Destination Reputation: Human capital remains central to hospitality service quality, operational performance, and destination reputation. This theme welcomes research on workforce development, leadership, education, and vocational innovation across hospitality and tourism, with particular attention to how talent attraction, development, and retention influence guest experience, brand perceptions, and long-term competitiveness in a dynamic labour market.
- Beyond Misconceptions: Women Shaping Destinations and Driving Change Gender dynamics continue to shape leadership, opportunity, and representation within hospitality and tourism systems. Research under this theme explores the role of women in hospitality operations, entrepreneurship, destination leadership, and policy-making, addressing issues of gender equity, empowerment, and inclusive governance. Contributions may examine how women’s participation reshapes organisational cultures, destination narratives, and innovation outcomes.
- Beyond the Plate: Culture, Gastronomy, and Destination Identity Food and culture are central to hospitality experiences and powerful expressions of place. This theme invites research on gastronomy within hospitality and tourism contexts, including culinary tourism, restaurant and hotel dining concepts, and gastronomy branding. Studies may examine how hospitality businesses and destinations balance authenticity, heritage preservation, and innovation to enhance guest experience and destination identity.
- Beyond Experience: Destination Reputation, Hospitality, and Quality Assurance Reputation in hospitality and tourism is built through consistent service excellence and quality assurance across multiple touchpoints. Contributions within this theme are encouraged to examine hospitality standards, service design, and quality management systems, focusing on the relationships between guest satisfaction, trust, experience delivery, and repeat visitation at both organisational and destination levels.
- Beyond Responsibility: ESGs, Accessibility and the Sustainable Destination Sustainability and inclusivity have become foundational to hospitality and destination governance. Research aligned with this theme investigates how Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles and accessibility practices are embedded within hospitality operations and destination management. Topics may include responsible business practices, accessible service design, ethical marketing, and the role of hospitality in advancing destination resilience and long-term value creation.
