- Email: [email protected]
Asia Pacific’s tourism role in 2000
RESEARCH NOTES AND REPORTS
1063
was the application of academic theory to marketing situations, providing information that practitioners could take with them back to their workplace. Practitioner presentations were outstanding, often of a quality equal to keynote talks at other conferences. Two particularly interesting presentations were by David Swierenga (Air Transport Association of America, USA) and Dann Lewis (State of Maine Of®ce of Tourism, USA). The former criticized the federal government's penchant for overtaxing the industry, which he argued dampens the demand and arti®cially limits tourism growth. He recognized the airlines' responsibility for supporting the nation's aviation system but argued that taxes beyond those needed to fund the system should be eliminated. The result of fair taxation, he concluded, would be a healthier industry better able to fund future tourism needs of the public. Lewis provided a wonderfully humorous but equally serious discussion of his of®ce's success in squeezing effective promotions from what he depicted as a small change budget. He noted that money is important, but creativity plays an equally critical role. The point was effectively demonstrated by his showing of an excellent state promotional video created for his of®ce at no charge by a bidder for the state's tourism advertising contract. In conclusion, more academics should consider including TTRA in their conference calendar. It provides a different slant from the norm and creates networking opportunities with a wide range of people actually ``out there'' selling tourism every day. Conference proceedings are available from the association. Next year's conference, scheduled in June, will take place in Burbank CA, United States.& Stephen Litvin: Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Republic of Singapore. Email < [email protected] >. Submitted 31 July 1999. Resubmitted 9 September 1999. Accepted 25 September 1999. PII: S0160-7383(99)00130-9
Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 27, No. 4, pp. 1063±1065, 2000 7 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved Printed in Great Britain 0160-7383/00/$20.00
Asia Paci®c's Tourism Role in 2000 Honggen Xiao Huaqiao University, People's Republic of China The Asia Paci®c Tourism Association (APTA) Fifth Annual Conference on ``Tourism 2000: Asia Paci®c's Role in the New Millennium'' was held in Hong Kong, China (August 23±25, 1999). Attended by some 200 delegates
1064
RESEARCH NOTES AND REPORTS
from 15 countries and regions, the conference was organized and principally sponsored by the Department of Hotel and Tourism Management of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. There were several keynote addresses. Erik Cohen (Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel) presented an agenda for sociological and anthropological research on tourism in Southeast Asia at the threshold of the 21st century. Substantiated with a literature review of Southeast Asia tourism studies over the last two decades, principal trends re¯ecting the changing philosophical and theoretical approaches and foci of interest were observed. Within such a context, a research agenda for this region was formulated from both theoretical and methodological perspectives. Cohen argued that theoretical issues such as the emergence of the ``post tourist'', the social construction of sites and local identities, the prioritization of the visual, and the emergence of local ``agency'' should be studied contextually, comparatively, and longitudinally for such topics as vacation resorts, `contrived'' attractions, and domestic and regional tourism. Reinforcing this presentation, Charles Goeldner (University of Colorado, USA) spoke on the directions and trends in tourism research. Because of the multitude of research journals and publications, the sophistication of research communication systems, and the active role of research organizations and conferences, he predicted a bright future for tourism research in the new millennium, holding that research programs would keep increasing, that more faculty would be engaged in tourism, and that there would be greater research output. Young-Suk Ohm (Dong-A University, Korea) spoke on promoting tourism cooperation and exchange in East Asia. On the basis of a review of the East Asia tourism market status, ¯ows and patterns, and cooperations and exchange prospects, future directions were proposed for cooperation in resource exploitation. These related to balancing inbound and outbound traf®cs, simplifying procedures, joint promotion packages, and routes and facilitation of joint investments in the resorts of East Asia. A complementary paper was read by Jim O'Hern (Marriott International, USA) who focused on industryeducation partnerships, speci®cally the role, the nature, and the trends of partnerships in the new millennium. From an industry viewpoint, key issues of innovative educational transformation, such as program optimization, interactive learning, the organization and network of alliances in learning, and knowledge management, were addressed. Exempli®ed by the practice of ``Marriott's virtual university for industry-hospitality worldwide'', his presentation was an attempt to build a new conceptual framework for learning and a learning culture, in which the speaker advocated that educators and practitioners should ``walk in the others' shoes''. There were several country-speci®c papers. An important paper in this category was by Qian Wei (Beijing Second Foreign Language Institute, China) who examined the basic ideas and challenges critical to the fast growth of China's tourism and analyzed its new role for the new millennium. While holding that tourism in China was a government-led industry and that its fast growth could be interpreted from the perspectives of developing it as a new sector of growth in the national economy, as a stimulus to domestic consumption, as a means of eliminating poverty, and as a force for world peace and friendship, he identi®ed eight major challenges that this industry in China would face in the new millennium. He argued that to survive international competition, among other things,
RESEARCH NOTES AND REPORTS
1065
China's tourism should better capitalize on strengths, conduct ongoing market research, keep pace with technological advances, promote strategic cooperation with other Asian destinations, and consolidate and privatize some business elements. The program featured many workshops, adding signi®cance to the conference and highlighting subthemes of common interest. One of theseÐ hotel, tourism, and destination marketingÐfocused on a variety of issues and case studies from different cultural and sectoral contexts. Another issue widely addressed in the workshop presentations was ecotourism and responsible development, which examined the contribution of this form of tourism to conservation and heritage. The workshop on education, training, and human resources was an important addition to the ideas of academic-industry partnerships and innovative, human resources development. There were also many empirical and quantitative studies, analyzing destination choice behavior and modeling the patterns of regional or international tourist ¯ows. Of special relevance to the theme of the conference were three regionally speci®c issues. First, hotel and tourism trends in the Asia Paci®c region were the most frequently documented topics by contributors and workshop presentations, partly because of the conference location in Hong Kong and the origins of the majority of the delegates. Second, the Asian ®nancial crisis and its impacts on hotel and tourism were illustrated, in which many speakers gave optimistic analyses for the future. Third, the application of technology in Asia Paci®c's tourism research and business in the new millennium was also noted in several papers. What is Asia Paci®c's role in the new millennium? The question remained unanswered at the close of this conference, but useful re¯ections and in-depth discussions were induced. As highlighted by the keynote addresses, the Asia Paci®c region will have a very promising and strategically important role to play in the world tourism arena in the new century. The papers presented in this conference illustrated a broad range of issues related to tourism in this region. More importantly, increasing rigor could be observed, in addressing both theoretical and practical re¯ections upon Asia Paci®c's tourism. As was revealed, tourism educators, researchers, and practitioners will all have their roles to play in the new millennium. Overall, the conference was a success. It facilitated a timely occasion for scholarly interactions and academic discussions on Asia Paci®c's tourism into the 21st century. Papers submitted to the conference (more than 110) resulted in the publication of two volumes of conference proceedings. For further information and copies of the conference proceedings, contact John Ap, Department of Hotel and Tourism Management, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Email < [email protected] >. The sixth APTA annual conference is to be organized in June 2000 by Prince of Songkla University in Phuket, Thailand.& Honggen Xiao: Department of Tourism, Huaqiao University, Quanzhou, Fujian 362011, China. Email < [email protected].®.cn >. Submitted 31 August 1999. Resubmitted 30 September 1999. Accepted 1 October 1999. PII: S0160-7383(99)00130-9
1063
was the application of academic theory to marketing situations, providing information that practitioners could take with them back to their workplace. Practitioner presentations were outstanding, often of a quality equal to keynote talks at other conferences. Two particularly interesting presentations were by David Swierenga (Air Transport Association of America, USA) and Dann Lewis (State of Maine Of®ce of Tourism, USA). The former criticized the federal government's penchant for overtaxing the industry, which he argued dampens the demand and arti®cially limits tourism growth. He recognized the airlines' responsibility for supporting the nation's aviation system but argued that taxes beyond those needed to fund the system should be eliminated. The result of fair taxation, he concluded, would be a healthier industry better able to fund future tourism needs of the public. Lewis provided a wonderfully humorous but equally serious discussion of his of®ce's success in squeezing effective promotions from what he depicted as a small change budget. He noted that money is important, but creativity plays an equally critical role. The point was effectively demonstrated by his showing of an excellent state promotional video created for his of®ce at no charge by a bidder for the state's tourism advertising contract. In conclusion, more academics should consider including TTRA in their conference calendar. It provides a different slant from the norm and creates networking opportunities with a wide range of people actually ``out there'' selling tourism every day. Conference proceedings are available from the association. Next year's conference, scheduled in June, will take place in Burbank CA, United States.& Stephen Litvin: Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Republic of Singapore. Email < [email protected] >. Submitted 31 July 1999. Resubmitted 9 September 1999. Accepted 25 September 1999. PII: S0160-7383(99)00130-9
Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 27, No. 4, pp. 1063±1065, 2000 7 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved Printed in Great Britain 0160-7383/00/$20.00
Asia Paci®c's Tourism Role in 2000 Honggen Xiao Huaqiao University, People's Republic of China The Asia Paci®c Tourism Association (APTA) Fifth Annual Conference on ``Tourism 2000: Asia Paci®c's Role in the New Millennium'' was held in Hong Kong, China (August 23±25, 1999). Attended by some 200 delegates
1064
RESEARCH NOTES AND REPORTS
from 15 countries and regions, the conference was organized and principally sponsored by the Department of Hotel and Tourism Management of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. There were several keynote addresses. Erik Cohen (Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel) presented an agenda for sociological and anthropological research on tourism in Southeast Asia at the threshold of the 21st century. Substantiated with a literature review of Southeast Asia tourism studies over the last two decades, principal trends re¯ecting the changing philosophical and theoretical approaches and foci of interest were observed. Within such a context, a research agenda for this region was formulated from both theoretical and methodological perspectives. Cohen argued that theoretical issues such as the emergence of the ``post tourist'', the social construction of sites and local identities, the prioritization of the visual, and the emergence of local ``agency'' should be studied contextually, comparatively, and longitudinally for such topics as vacation resorts, `contrived'' attractions, and domestic and regional tourism. Reinforcing this presentation, Charles Goeldner (University of Colorado, USA) spoke on the directions and trends in tourism research. Because of the multitude of research journals and publications, the sophistication of research communication systems, and the active role of research organizations and conferences, he predicted a bright future for tourism research in the new millennium, holding that research programs would keep increasing, that more faculty would be engaged in tourism, and that there would be greater research output. Young-Suk Ohm (Dong-A University, Korea) spoke on promoting tourism cooperation and exchange in East Asia. On the basis of a review of the East Asia tourism market status, ¯ows and patterns, and cooperations and exchange prospects, future directions were proposed for cooperation in resource exploitation. These related to balancing inbound and outbound traf®cs, simplifying procedures, joint promotion packages, and routes and facilitation of joint investments in the resorts of East Asia. A complementary paper was read by Jim O'Hern (Marriott International, USA) who focused on industryeducation partnerships, speci®cally the role, the nature, and the trends of partnerships in the new millennium. From an industry viewpoint, key issues of innovative educational transformation, such as program optimization, interactive learning, the organization and network of alliances in learning, and knowledge management, were addressed. Exempli®ed by the practice of ``Marriott's virtual university for industry-hospitality worldwide'', his presentation was an attempt to build a new conceptual framework for learning and a learning culture, in which the speaker advocated that educators and practitioners should ``walk in the others' shoes''. There were several country-speci®c papers. An important paper in this category was by Qian Wei (Beijing Second Foreign Language Institute, China) who examined the basic ideas and challenges critical to the fast growth of China's tourism and analyzed its new role for the new millennium. While holding that tourism in China was a government-led industry and that its fast growth could be interpreted from the perspectives of developing it as a new sector of growth in the national economy, as a stimulus to domestic consumption, as a means of eliminating poverty, and as a force for world peace and friendship, he identi®ed eight major challenges that this industry in China would face in the new millennium. He argued that to survive international competition, among other things,
RESEARCH NOTES AND REPORTS
1065
China's tourism should better capitalize on strengths, conduct ongoing market research, keep pace with technological advances, promote strategic cooperation with other Asian destinations, and consolidate and privatize some business elements. The program featured many workshops, adding signi®cance to the conference and highlighting subthemes of common interest. One of theseÐ hotel, tourism, and destination marketingÐfocused on a variety of issues and case studies from different cultural and sectoral contexts. Another issue widely addressed in the workshop presentations was ecotourism and responsible development, which examined the contribution of this form of tourism to conservation and heritage. The workshop on education, training, and human resources was an important addition to the ideas of academic-industry partnerships and innovative, human resources development. There were also many empirical and quantitative studies, analyzing destination choice behavior and modeling the patterns of regional or international tourist ¯ows. Of special relevance to the theme of the conference were three regionally speci®c issues. First, hotel and tourism trends in the Asia Paci®c region were the most frequently documented topics by contributors and workshop presentations, partly because of the conference location in Hong Kong and the origins of the majority of the delegates. Second, the Asian ®nancial crisis and its impacts on hotel and tourism were illustrated, in which many speakers gave optimistic analyses for the future. Third, the application of technology in Asia Paci®c's tourism research and business in the new millennium was also noted in several papers. What is Asia Paci®c's role in the new millennium? The question remained unanswered at the close of this conference, but useful re¯ections and in-depth discussions were induced. As highlighted by the keynote addresses, the Asia Paci®c region will have a very promising and strategically important role to play in the world tourism arena in the new century. The papers presented in this conference illustrated a broad range of issues related to tourism in this region. More importantly, increasing rigor could be observed, in addressing both theoretical and practical re¯ections upon Asia Paci®c's tourism. As was revealed, tourism educators, researchers, and practitioners will all have their roles to play in the new millennium. Overall, the conference was a success. It facilitated a timely occasion for scholarly interactions and academic discussions on Asia Paci®c's tourism into the 21st century. Papers submitted to the conference (more than 110) resulted in the publication of two volumes of conference proceedings. For further information and copies of the conference proceedings, contact John Ap, Department of Hotel and Tourism Management, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Email < [email protected] >. The sixth APTA annual conference is to be organized in June 2000 by Prince of Songkla University in Phuket, Thailand.& Honggen Xiao: Department of Tourism, Huaqiao University, Quanzhou, Fujian 362011, China. Email < [email protected].®.cn >. Submitted 31 August 1999. Resubmitted 30 September 1999. Accepted 1 October 1999. PII: S0160-7383(99)00130-9