At the 9th International Congress of Tourism Studies held in Maspalomas, new business models are addressed, as well as the restart of the tourism sector, based mainly on the commitment to the development of digital marketing and innovation
Gran Canaria is, this week, a world reference in tourism study and research. Expomeloneras, in Maspalomas, hosts from today, Tuesday, the 9th Biennial Conference of the International Tourism Studies Association (ITSA), with the presence of more than a hundred world experts, from the five continents and the most leading universities in tourism research, who will analyze the recovery strategies of tourist destinations after the pandemic.
The doctoral professor from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), Teresa Aguiar, President of this scientific event, highlights that it is the first time it is held in Spain and Gran Canaria has been chosen for it thanks to its international relevance. of the ULPGC, an academic center that has one of the tourism research institutes with the most projection and scientific production in the sector.
The Rector of the ULPGC, Lluís Serra, attended the opening ceremony of this world congress, where some of the public representatives of the tourism field also gathered, such as the Tourism Councilor of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, Carlos Álamo. Both agreed to highlight this international meeting as a milestone for Gran Canaria not only to consolidate itself as a first-rate tourist destination, "but also as a meeting point for academics, researchers and professionals in the sector."
Lluís Serra highlights that ITSA is a “meeting-dialogue of the academy with the hotel industry in a complex and uncertain time in international markets,” and, in this sense, “new, innovative scenarios are urgently needed, where tourism activity once again reaches the levels we enjoyed before the pandemic.” Thus, the Rector of the ULPGC has highly valued the work carried out by the Institute of Tourism and Economic and Sustainable Development (TiDES) of the ULPGC, “which is currently carrying out innovative projects in the hotels of our islands, with the tourists who visit us, and who help develop tourism that is more adapted and oriented to new needs and trends,” he points out. “It is about starting again after this pandemic and taking advantage of these scientific meetings to strengthen ourselves in this sector so that future pandemics do not catch us off guard.”
In that same sense, the Tourism Advisor of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, Carlos Álamo, has referred to the current situation of the world tourism sector. “This congress is especially relevant after the health crisis we have experienced has rewritten the rules of the game.” Faced with the new challenges faced by the sector in the Canary Islands, which experienced 'zero tourism' for almost a year, “the ability to react and adapt to destinations is urgent, and there is no better recipe than those recommended by the most prominent world experts. that meet in Gran Canaria during these five days.”
Professor Teresa Aguiar points out that this Congress highlights some of the most relevant issues for the recovery of tourist destinations worldwide, and among them tourism marketing and new innovation processes in the tourism company stand out. “The Canary Islands depend 75% on the tourism economy and the commitment to research in this sector is vital. For this reason, this academic congress helps us position ourselves globally, and these days be a reference for many universities around the world that are specialized in tourism research.”
Biennial World Congress
The International Tourism Studies Association (ITSA) is a non-profit association made up of outstanding academics, researchers and professionals in tourism from Universities on the 5 continents with degrees and postgraduate degrees in tourism. Every two years, it holds its academic meeting in different parts of the world to debate the most innovative and relevant aspects of tourism research.
As a novelty, this ninth edition is held in Spain, and addresses the consequences of global tourism after the pandemic. In this way, after the health crisis, the world's most renowned researchers and experts in tourism analyze for the first time the new business models that emerge in a new economic scenario, interacting with the tourism entrepreneurs of Gran Canaria, bringing them closer to the new trends. and needs of tourists.
Most notable speakers
The experts who offer the keynote presentations at this academic congress in Gran Canaria come from the most leading universities in tourism: Hong Kong Polytechnic University (first university in the world in the Shanghai ranking in research in Tourism and Hospitality); Purdue University- USA (ranked fourth in the world) and Greenwich University (London).
The main speakers of this Congress will be Professor Sangwon Park (Hong Komg Polytechnic University), who focuses his conference on Big Data, as an essential element for the design of 'smart tourism'. The teacher Dennis Garand (University of Laval, Quebec) will present his conference 'How to adapt the business models of the tourism industry to the post-COVID era'; the teacher Xinran Lehto(Purdue University, USA), will address in his presentation 'hospitality' tourism in the most important destinations in the world and its trends; and the teacher Alastair Morrison (Greenwich University, United Kingdom), will focus on consumer tourism marketing in the post-COVID era.
To have the schedules of the main speakers and information about the Congress, you can consult the following web address: