Seminar: Managing tourism after the crisis – A mediterranean perspective

MANAGING TOURISM AFTER THE CRISIS – A MEDITERRANEAN PERSPECTIVE
AN EXECUTIVE PROGRAMME FOR TOURISM PROFESSIONALS
THURSDAY 21ST TO SUNDAY 24TH OF MAY 2015, RHODES, GREECE

THE AIMS
The period after 2008 has been a period of crisis for many countries of the world, not least for those of the Mediterranean region. During the crisis, with their longstanding involvement in international tourism, the countries around the Mediterranean faced many similar issues in relation, for example, to market demand, maintaining competitiveness, and securing investment, product development and employment. Now that the world economy is emerging from the economic crisis the same countries are taking stock of their futures in tourism and finding ways of securing or re-establishing their positions as leading world tourist destinations. This short executive programme brings together some of the leading world academic specialists in tourism to work with leaders of tourism from across the Mediterranean region. The aims of the Executive Program are to:

• explore the key issues for tourism in the region
• share experiences and developments from the region and from other parts of the world
• identify the current challenges and opportunities for Mediterranean tourism

THE PARTICIPANTS
The programme is designed for those involved in tourism at a senior level, from the private, public or voluntary sectors and from the Mediterranean region. It is most suitable for those with strategic responsibilities relating to the development of their organisations to meet future challenges. Likely participants will be from hospitality, attractions, transport and travel trade organisations, from tourism destination management and marketing bodies, from government departments with responsibility for tourism and from consultants, research analysts and investors.

THE PROGRAMME
The programme is designed to provide experiences and knowledge from the world at large and to use this to focus on the Mediterranean experience. With this in mind, the programme starts with an interactive session identifying the big issues facing tourism in the region. This will then provide themes to be explored during the remainder of the programme. Throughout, the emphasis is on strategic issues and change but with opportunities to consider operational implications in the discussion sessions. The scope is on tourism as a whole.

Four major topics, which form key elements of the framework for future tourism development, provide the structure for the programme. Each of these will be led by world specialists and will embrace worldwide, as well as Mediterranean knowledge and experiences, followed by a panel discussion session including representatives from the region, designed to focus on regional experiences and opportunities. The four topics are:

Markets and marketing: to explore what is happening to markets for tourism, with examples from different parts of the world, and how new technologies are transforming the marketing environment.
Human resources: to review the changing patterns of employment in tourism and education for tourism and the issues faced by employers.
Destination development: to consider the nature of and changes in the development of destinations to meet future needs of the key stakeholders.
Maintaining competitiveness: to review what constitutes a competitive destination and how competitiveness is achieved and maintained.

PROGRAMME: 21-24 May 2015

Day

0930-1100

1100-1130

1130-1300

1300-1430

1430-1600

1600-1630

1630-1800

1

Introductions & Tourism in the Mediterranean Region – the big issues

The Team and led by Larry Dwyer

Coffee

What is happening to the markets?

 

Led by Alastair Morrison & Geoff Crouch

Lunch

The markets and the web

 

 

Led by Dimitrios Buhalis & Marianna Sigala

Coffee

Panel Discussion
The markets for the Mediterranean destinations

 

Panel led by Paris Tsartas & Pauline Sheldon

2

Human resources and the role of education

 

 

Led by Pauline Sheldon & David Airey

 

Measuring economic success in tourism

 

 

Led by Larry Dwyer & David Airey

 

Developing the destination

 

 

 

Led by Alison Gill & Tom Baum

 

Panel Discussion
The changing destination

 

 

Panel led by David Airey & Alistair Morrison

3

Using human resources effectively

 

 

Led by Tom Baum & Theodoros Stavrinoudis

 

Making a competitive destination

 

 

Led by Geoff Crouch & Dimitrios Buhalis

 

Competitiveness in Mediterranean destinations

 

 

Led by Andreas Papatheodorou & Larry Dwyer

 

Panel Discussion
Competitiveness for the Mediterranean

 

Panel led by George Drakopoulos & Harris Loukaras

4

 

Field Visit in Rhodes

 

For each session the designated leader of the session will be joined by at least two members of the team to facilitate discussion

COST: €400/participant

THE SPEAKERS
The Programme is being supported by members of the International Academy for the Study of Tourism (IAST) as a part of the biennial (2015) meeting that is taking place in Rhodes. This is a part of the endeavour of the Academy to create opportunities for members to engage with the tourism community in the location of their meeting and to bring their research to a wider tourism field. The Academy itself, which was formed more than 25 years ago, is an international organisation created to enhance both theoretical and practical research in the field of tourism. Its membership is limited to 75 leading tourism scholars from throughout the world. The goals of the Academy are to further the scholarly research and investigation of tourism, to encourage the application of research findings and to advance the international diffusion and exchange of knowledge about tourism. For further details see the Academy website http://www.polyu.edu.hk/htm/iast/. For this workshop the Academy members are being joined by experts in tourism from Greece. The full list of contributors is given below:

David Airey is Professor of Tourism Management at the University of Surrey, UK. He has been involved in tourism studies for more than 40 years. His research interests focus on tourism education, for which he has had national responsibility in England, and tourism policy. https://www.linkedin.com/pub/david-airey/15/654/40

Tom Baum is Professor in the Department of Human Resource Management in the Business School of the University of Strathclyde. His research focuses on workforce themes and issues related to tourism and hospitality. His work has a strong application focus and draws upon experience from across the world. http://www.strath.ac.uk/hrm/staff/baumtomprof/

Dimitrios Buhalis is Professor and Director of the eTourism Lab and Deputy Director of the International Centre for Tourism and Hospitality Research, at Bournemouth University in England. He is a Strategic Management and Marketing expert with specialisation in Information Communication Technology applications in the Tourism, Travel, Hospitality and Leisure industries. www.buhalis.com

Geoffrey Crouch is Professor of Tourism Policy and Marketing at the La Trobe Business School, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia. His research interests include destination competitiveness and management, tourism psychology and consumer behaviour, and tourism and destination marketing. http://www.latrobe.edu.au/business/about/staff/profile?uname=gicrouch

Georgios Drakopoulos, Tourism Expert, is currently Special Adviser to the Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization and Counsellor in the European Economic and Social Committee. He has served as Chairman of the Affiliate Members of the UNWTO (2012-2013) and as Director General of SETE (1997-2014).
https://www.linkedin.com/pub/georgios-drakopoulos/1/b55/8a9

Larry Dwyer is Professor of Travel and Tourism Economics at the Australian School of Business, University of New South Wales, Australia. He is President of the International Academy for the Study of Tourism. His research interests include tourism economics, planning and management. http://www.marketing.unsw.edu.au/LarryDwyer

Alison Gill is a Professor at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada where she holds a joint appointment with the Department of Geography and the School of Resource and Environmental Management. Her research interests lie in the area of destination planning and development.
http://www.sfu.ca/geography/people/faculty/alison-gill

Haralambos Loukaras is an Economist and holds a M.Sc. in Tourism Marketing and Management. He is Partner at Double Dot Consulting as well as Partner at Loukaras and Associates, both of them expertise business consulting firms in the field of tourism development and strategy.
https://www.linkedin.com/pub/harris-loukaras/7/702/a0a

Alastair Morrison is a Distinguished Professor specializing in the area of tourism and hospitality planning, development, and marketing in the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Purdue University, USA. He is the CEO of Belle Tourism International Consulting (BTI) and the Director for International Research and Communication at the International Center for Recreation and Tourism Research at Peking University. https://www.linkedin.com/pub/alastair-m-morrison-ph-d/28/28a/693

Andreas Papatheodorou is Associate Professor in Industrial and Spatial Economics with Emphasis on Tourism and Director of the Laboratory for Tourism Research and Studies (ETEM) at the Department of Business Administration, University of the Aegean, Chios, Greece. In 2009 he was recognized as an Emerging Scholar of Distinction by the International Academy for the Study of Tourism.
http://www.ba.aegean.gr/papatheodorou

Pauline J. Sheldon is Professor Emerita at the School of Travel Industry Management at the University of Hawaii, USA and co-founder of Tourism Education Futures Initiative (TEFI). Her research interests are in tourism education, tourism information technology, sustainable tourism and corporate social responsibility in tourism. www.tim.hawaii.edu/faculty_bios/pauline_sheldon.aspx

Marianna Sigala is Associate Professor of Service Management in Tourism at the Department of Business Administration, University of the Aegean, Chios, Greece. She has served at the executive board of the international associations ICHRIE, EuroCHRIE, IFITT and HeAIS. She specialises in Information & Communication Technologies in tourism/hospitality and her work has been published in numerous international academic journals and conferences.
www.ba.aegean.gr/m.sigala

Theodoros Stavrinoudis is Assistant Professor in Tourism Management at the University of the Aegean and Tutor at the Hellenic Open University. His research interests include Tourism Management, Human Resources Management in Tourism and Strategic Management in Tourism. http://aegean.academia.edu/DrTheodorosStavrinoudis

Paris Tsartas is Professor of Tourism Development at the Department of Business Administration, University of the Aegean, Chios, Greece. He served as Rector of the University of the Aegean between 2010 and 2014 and Head of Department of Business Administration between 2001-2003 and 2007-2009.
http://www.ba.aegean.gr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=924&Itemid=61

COST: €400/participantPlease complete the form below to express your interest for the seminar:

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