May 13, 2026
📍 Greenville, South Carolina, June 24-26, 2025
TTRA is proud to announce the recipients of the 2026 TTRA International Conference Awards, recognizing outstanding contributions to tourism research, scholarship, and industry practice.
These awards celebrate individuals whose work advances the strategic use of research to create meaningful impact across the global travel and tourism industry through innovation, inclusion, sustainability, and destination stewardship.
Please join us in congratulating this year’s recipients:
🏆 MMGY Shifflet Award for Research Excellence
Presented to Marlise Taylor, Director of Tourism Research at Visit North Carolina.
The MMGY Shifflet Award for Research Excellence recognizes outstanding achievement in travel and tourism research that demonstrates innovation, relevance, and meaningful contributions to industry knowledge and decision-making.
Taylor was recognized for her leadership and strategic application of research during North Carolina’s tourism recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene. Her work helped guide statewide recovery marketing strategies, measure traveler sentiment and perceptions, and support tourism recovery efforts across impacted destinations.
🏆 J. Desmond Slattery Award
Presented to Hyunrae Kim, Ph.D. Candidate at Texas A&M University.
The J. Desmond Slattery Award supports emerging scholars in travel and tourism research and is awarded to a master’s or doctoral student to assist with the completion of a thesis or dissertation.
Kim’s research explores how residents perceive and shape destination brands within their communities, with a focus on destination image, sustainable tourism development, and resident engagement in tourism branding. Her work contributes to a broader understanding of socially sustainable destination development and resident-centered tourism planning.
🏆 Keeling Dissertation Award
Presented to Dr. Chenggang Hua, Assistant Professor at the University of Central Florida Rosen College of Hospitality Management.
The Keeling Dissertation Award recognizes exceptional doctoral dissertation research that contributes significantly to the advancement of travel and tourism knowledge and practice.
Dr. Hua’s dissertation research examines ableism and accessibility within tourism and hospitality service environments, exploring how organizational culture, service design, and implicit bias influence inclusive hospitality practices for people with disabilities. His work bridges tourism, hospitality, and public health while advancing important conversations around accessibility and equitable service design.
🏆 Charles R. Goeldner Award
Presented to Dr. Sara Dolnicar, UQ Business School, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, and Dr. Emil Juvan, Faculty of Tourism Studies Turistica, University of Primorska, Portorož, Slovenia, for their article:
“On the Importance of Field Studies for Testing Theory-Driven Behavioral Change Interventions in (Sustainable) Tourism” (link)
The Charles R. Goeldner Award honors the best article published in the Journal of Travel Research and recognizes research that advances both academic understanding and practical application within tourism.
Award recipients will be recognized during the 2026 TTRA Annual International Conference, taking place June 24 to 26 in Greenville, South Carolina.
Congratulations to all of our 2026 award winners. Your work continues to shape the future of tourism research and practice through thought leadership, innovation, and collaboration.
Learn more about the awards:
2026 TTRA International Conference Awards