ICFRRT

Tourism is a growing and important sector of the economy in many places in the Global South and North. The sector is considered as a highly resilient economic activity. Indeed, it has overcome the past crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, which halted the global tourism for several years. However, the past research demonstrates that different places and tourism activities are more resilient than others and that the recovery process can vary greatly in different contexts. This has spurred a need for improved understanding of a recovery process, in order to build better resilience and good governance for the future industry and tourism-dependent communities and environments.

Ideally, better resilience building would help the industry to undergo recovery transitions in a sustainable manner and cope and adapt to future changes. This is an urgent research, education and policymaking need in the era of current polycrisis integrating different risk processes, such as climate change, sixth mass extinction, war conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, and global shifts in geopolitics, for example. All this call for critical thinking and discussion on the role and potential of tourism for development in the future, and how tourism could be more resilient and continue to operate towards sustainable development in the Global South and North.

This conference, co-organised by the School of Tourism and Hospitality, University of Johannesburg, and the University of Oulu, will focus on sustainable pathways for transforming the tourism industry, and its’ community and environmental relations in the context of recovery and resilience building.

We welcome abstracts related to conceptual and/or empirical aspects of sustainable pathways for transforming the tourism industry, education and employment in the context of recovery and resilience building.

Abstracts may focus on (but are not limited to) the following themes:

Prof Diane Abrahams
Dr Albert Kimbu, Surrey University
Prof Adam Issahaku, University of Cape Coast Other panelists TBC

Please send your abstracts of around 250-300 words before 9th May 2025. All abstracts are reviewed and those who are accepted will be notified by 30th May 2025. Please submit your abstract using: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=icfrrt2

There will be no conference proceeding. However, there is agreed journal publishing possibility for the papers based on conference presentations. All submitted papers will be considered in Special Issues in the following Journals:

Full information on publishing opportunities will be communicated to registered participants with accepted papers. Manuscripts should be written in English, and they will be peer-reviewed based on the normal editorial process of the journals.

The conference will be held at The Maslow Hotel Sandton, Johannesburg. Special conference rates have been organised for delegates.

Prof. Tembi Tichaawa (Co-Chair), University of Johannesburg, South Africa Prof. Jarkko Saarinen (Co-Chair), University of Oulu, Finland

Prof. Christian Rogerson, University of Johannesburg, South Africa

Prof. Kaitano Dube, Vaal University of Technology, South Africa

Prof. Jennifer Fitchett, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa Prof. Karen Harris, University of Pretoria, South Africa

Dr Tracy Daniels, University of Johannesburg, South Africa

Prof. Jayne Rogerson, University of Johannesburg, South Africa Prof. Adam Issahaku, University of Cape Coast, Ghana

Dr. Vyasha Harilal, University of Johannesburg, South Africa

Frederick Dayour, SD Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies, Ghana Dr. Albert Kimbu, University of Surrey, UK

Dr. Siyabulela Nyikana, University of Johannesburg, South Africa

Dr. Erling Kavita, Namibian University of Science and Technology, Namibia

Dr. Naomi Moswete, University of Botswana, Botswana

Prof. Wame Hambira, Botswana University of Agriculture and Forestry, Botswana

Prof. Maria Gravari-Barbas, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, France

Prof. Joseph Cheer, Western Sydney University, Australia

Prof. C. Michael Hall, University of Canterbury, New Zealand

Prof. Marina Novelli, University of Brighton, UK

Prof. Dallen Timothy, Arizona State University, USA

Prof. Anneli Douglas, University of Pretoria

Prof. Gustav Visser, Stellenbosch University