Jafar Jafari, «an internationally recognized personality in the area of Tourism», is already a Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of the Algarve, after having received the distinction in a public ceremony open to the whole community, which took place yesterday, November 16, in the Grande Caixa Geral de Depósitos Auditorium, on the Gambelas Campus, in Faro.
In his speech, which focused essentially on the current challenges of economic activity in the area of Tourism, the new doctor from UAlg stressed that «Tourism is an industry of peace, because its very existence depends on Peace, it has no other choice but to be an industry that loves Peace».
Another of the highlights of the ceremony was the Laudatio given by João Albino Silva, professor emeritus of the Faculty of Economics of the University of the Algarve and godfather of the honoree, who gave a retrospective of the legacy of Jafar Jafari and his multidisciplinary model for the study of Tourism.
This was followed by the imposition of doctoral insignia and the speech of the new Doctor. For Paulo Águas, rector of UAlg, this is a fair and well-deserved recognition and assured Jafar Jafari: «We already consider him one of us, but from today onwards he will be part of UAlg forever».
«Jafar Jafari, as a guest lecturer at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Algarve, has helped to contribute to the scientific projection of the Academy in the field of Tourism», stressed the UAlg.
The new Doctor Honoris Causa in Tourism from the Algarve university is founding editor of the journal Annals of Tourism Research; Editor-in-Chief of the Tourism Social Science Series; co-editor-in-chief of the Bridging Tourism Theory and Practice Series; editor-in-chief of the Encyclopedia of Tourism; co-founder editor of Information Technology & Tourism magazine; co-founder of TRINET; co-founding president of the Tourism Intelligence Forum and founding president of the International Academy for the Study of Tourism.
He holds a PhD in Cultural Anthropology (University of Minnesota, USA) and a Master's in Hospitality Management (Cornell University, USA). He is Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of the Balearic Islands (Spain) and the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Spain). He also won, in 2005, the “Ulysses Award” from the World Tourism Organization of the United Nations.
He is visiting professor at Sun Yat-sen University (China), University of Algarve (Portugal), University of Isfahan (Iran), honorary professor at Bundelkhand University (India) and emeritus professor at the University of Wisconsin-Stout (USA).
He has been a consultant and advisor to several intergovernmental agencies (including the UNWTO and the Inter-American Development Bank) and to several ministries of Tourism.
The proposal to award the honorary title of Doctor Honoris Causa in Tourism to Professor Jafar Jafari was an initiative of the Faculty of Economics (FE), having received unanimously favorable opinions from all the Scientific and Technical-Scientific Councils.
The university also mentions that, «in terms of research, UAlg is home to the Center for Research in Tourism, Sustainability and Well-Being (CINTURS), rated Very Good by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), and hosts a pole of the Center for Research, Development and Innovation in Tourism (CiTUR), rated Good by the FCT».
«Currently, in this area, UAlg has two degrees, Tourism and Hotel Management; a postgraduate degree in Market Research and Analysis for Tourism (Portimão) and four master's degrees: Hotel Management and Tourism (in Portuguese), Management of Tourism Organizations and Tourism Economics and Regional Development (in English) and a doctorate in Tourism (in English), the first created in Portugal, in 2007», concludes the institution.
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