The University of Johannesburg’s School of Tourism and Hospitality (STH), together with University of Oulu (Finland), hosted the inaugural International Conference from Recovery to Resilience in Tourism this week.

The two-day conference brought together local and internationally distinguished tourism and hospitality scholars, emerging researchers, and postgraduate students at the level of PhD. to explore sustainable pathways for transforming the tourism industry in the context of recovery and resilience building.

Prof Robin Nunkoo, from the University of Mauritius, delivered an address focused on the need for interdisciplinary perspectives in tourism research, and Judy Kepher-Gona, the Founder and Principal Consultant of Sustainable Travel & Tourism Agenda, gave an address titled ‘Communities and the future of Sustainable Tourism’.

Conference Co-Chair and Academic Head for Tourism at STH, Professor Tembi Tichaawa, said: “The conference is premised on the fact that, for a long time, tourism has been considered a highly resilient growth-driven industry. However, the COVID-19 pandemic changed – at least temporarily – the course of tourism development.  Instead of being resilient, the tourism industry is now considered a sector that is highly vulnerable to external pressures.”

Oulu University Professor Jarkko Saarinen, added: “The economic and geopolitical changes impacting the tourism sector have activated the need for adaptation, recovery and building better resilience for the sustainability of the sector.”

“This academic conference aligns well with the recent leadership conference hosted by the Tourism Business Council of South Africa, where themes of resilience and sustainability were at the forefront of the private- and public-sector deliberations,” said Professor Diane Abrahams.

“The research presented at the conference will, in turn, provide academic insights on some of the key challenges and opportunities faced in the tourism sector globally,” she added.