The University of Algarve's School of Management, Hospitality and Tourism (ESGHT) organizes the first international conference Tourism & Management Studies Algarve 2011, which will take place from October 26th to 29th, at the Real Marina Hotel & SPA, in Olhão.
Participants from more than thirty countries on five continents will present a total of 177 communications, spread over fifty parallel sessions, covering a wide variety of topics related to tourism studies and tourism and hotel management. Also noteworthy are the five plenary conferences, which will have as speakers: Abraham Pizam (University of Central Florida, USA), Dimitrius Buhalis (University of Bournemouth, UK), Jafar Jafari (University of Wisconsin-Stout, USA), Jonathan Edwards (University of Bournemouth, UK) and Richard Butler (University of Strathclyde, UK).
Also aiming to stimulate interdisciplinary discussion, the meeting will promote academic cooperation and networking among researchers from all over the world.
Asked about the importance of this conference, José António Santos, professor at ESGHT and member of the Organizing Committee, is authoritative in stating that “the teaching and research in Tourism being one of the strong bets of the University of Algarve, namely through ESGHT and the Faculty of Economics, the organization of a major international research conference in Tourism contributes to the affirmation of the University of the Algarve in this area at national and international level.
On the other hand, he says, “this conference is associated with the ESGHT magazine, Scientific Meetings – Tourism & Management Studies, which is in a phase of internationalization. Our aim is that this meeting, which we plan to hold every two years, becomes a reference in the vast panorama of international conferences”.
Regarding the Algarve, José António Santos thinks that the conference will bring important contributions, which will help to rethink the region in a particularly difficult context.
“In this sense, academic contributions are important and we know that studies will be presented that focus on the Algarve and that can point to paths to be followed. At the same time, this initiative will bring many researchers from various countries, who will get to know the region better and help in its international dissemination.”
As the name implies, this conference will focus on tourism management and so-called Tourism Studies, which cover the various multidisciplinary themes of tourism, that is, the contributions of different areas or disciplines.
“There is a great diversity of themes that will be addressed, from the management and marketing of tourism, through sustainability issues, to the cultural and social aspects that involve both tourists and the resident population”, concludes José António Santos.
This meeting is open to all interested parties. A broad participation of students and professionals linked to the tourism sector is expected, as well as public entities and others interested in the themes under discussion. The price is 60 euros for the public and 50 euros for students.
For more information, see the conference website: www.esght.ualg.pt/conferencia
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