(MW) HOSPITALITY, LEISURE, SPORT & TOURISM

Framework: Worldwide, tourism growth has been heterogeneous, due to both global and national societal changes that led to modifications in tourists’ profiles and travel patterns, affecting host communities’ quality of life, as well as challenging and pressuring those who work in the sector. Regarding tourists, new markets are emerging as the result of new family typologies, population ageing, emergent economies, mutant values and lifestyles, and the spread of technological changes, which allow new ways of searching touristic products and services.

Tourism, Culture, Society and Language - It includes the cultural and historical dimensions, the sociological and anthropological approaches to tourism, and the ‘tourism products’ (e.g. culture and religion, heritage, literature, gastronomy and a broad range of the so-called ‘new’ forms of tourism). Ethics and social responsibility in tourism have now become consolidated research topics. Locally-lived language practices also play a major role in tourism and mobility practices.

Territory and Tourist Destinations - Focused on tourism policy tools adopted by local governments and their impact on local tourism development. It also includes transport networks and infrastructures.

e-Tourism - This includes applications for business management and tourist destinations.  It also includes more specialized issues such as helping with risk management, local restaurants (e-menu) or local lodging (e-booking), the contribution of new types of economy, namely the sharing economy and its respective IT platforms.

Tourism, Hospitality and Restaurants - Includes human resource management and the effects of new technologies on innovation practices and on their relationship with human resources. Alongside hotel management, there are specific dimensions of gastronomy, culinary arts and food production that need to be flagged and   to explore niches in the agro-food/food service/food industry sectors that have the potential to generate new innovative products and services underpinned by a health and safety perspective.

Tourism Economics and Management - focused on development and capitalization of tourism economics decision support systems for public policy and business planning; efficient management accounting systems; tourism contributions to the circular economy; strategic and operational marketing instruments for business and destination competitiveness.