2018 Conference

Registration for the 2018 Annual Chapter Conference is now open!

 

Visit HERE to register for the 2018 conference.

Registration Rates are shown below.  Early Bird ends October 31, 2018.

 

Program

Please access the final program HERE.

Keynote Speakers and Panelists

Keynote speech – in Coffee Table Talk Format

Ms. Pascale Herry

Ms. Pascale Herry, Head of Special Projects, TMG Hospitality, has worked across a range of roles including HR and Sales and was instrumental in setting up Buffalo Tours Retail. TMGH is the hospitality management company for Victoria Hotels & Resorts, EMM Hotels & Resorts, Spiceviet Restaurants and represents Emeraude Cruises, L’Azalee Cruises and Hai Au Aviation Seaplanes in Halong Bay. She is now developing a new 35-cabins cruise ship for the Mekong Delta, to be launched end of 2019. She has been living and working in Vietnam since 1992.

Mr. Benoit Perdu

French engineer and lay polymath Benoit Perdu landed in Vietnam in 1992. There were no jobs for engineers back in France. He’d already worked with Vietnamese people and learned a bit of their language. So when the opportunity presented itself he moved to Vietnam, which was relatively ripe with opportunities for the able. After working at a steelworks company, managing a few contracts in the North, and then a gas plant in the South, Benoit got married in Hanoi in 1996. He moved to the Mekong Delta in 1997, where he fashioned with his wife Ánh Bassac Cruises in 2003, now one of the pillars of tourism in the Mekong Delta. When it comes to the Delta, there are few who match his keen insight and matter-of-fact observations on its tourism and its way of life.

Mr. Simon Christy

Mr. Simon Christy is Founder & CEO of Alehap.vn, one of Vietnam’s first Online Travel Agent (OTA). As an Entrepreneur and Marketing Specialist with a passion for new technology he leveraged his extensive experience in advertising agencies, technology start-up’s and publishing/media in Europe to become a pioneer in Vietnam’s dot com revolution. Having traveled extensively in Vietnam starting in 1996, he moved his family to Vietnam in 2008 to play his part in growing the burgeoning tech + tourism industries.

Associate Professor Robert McClelland

Associate Professor Robert McClelland is the Head of Department, Management. Originating from Liverpool, England, Bob has been working in Vietnam for 1 year and 7 months and his family bases are both Liverpool and Thailand. His discipline is Research Methods and Statistics and he holds/has also held academic roles in SE Asia for almost 15 years. Connected to his former University employer for 44 years, as a scientist, Senior Lecturer and as a Reader for 21 years, he has also run his own market research company in the UK and was seconded out of the HE sector to London for two years, to work on a national UK education project. His research in concerned with Educational Technologies for Business, Public Sector evaluations, particularly in Health as well as Corruption and Ethics in International Business.   

 

Keynote speech – “Present building into the Future”

Ms. Wong Jie Cheng

JC Wong moved to Thailand from Malaysia to explore career opportunities and pursue her passion in Human Capital Development (HCD), which was inspired from her time as the first Chairperson of the PATA Malaysia Taylor’s Student Chapter. Prior to becoming PATA’s Young Tourism Professional (YTP) Ambassador, she spent three years in the Communications and Marketing Department for PATA Headquarters where she manages the Association’s digital platforms and organises numerous PATA events throughout the Asia Pacific region, including the PATA/UNWTO Ministerial Debate and PATA Global Insights Conferences in Guam, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Samoa. In relation to her passion, JC has initiated various social media platforms to connect PATA YTPs, brought youthful voices to annual committee meetings, and formed partnerships with several PATA member organisations to empower youth for their future through launching the PATAns D.N.A. (Development & Networking Academy) and BUFFET for Youth – a PATA food waste initiative.

Mr. Tran Phu Cuong

Mr. Tran Phu Cuong is Director General for International Co-operation Department at VNAT (the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism) in the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism based in Hanoi, Vietnam. He studied Economics and International Tourism at the Economics University, Varna in Bulgaria and completed his MBA there and at Vietnam National University, Hanoi as well. Since 2015 he has been working on his Ph.D. at the University of National Economics, Hanoi, Vietnam. He is Secretary General of the PATA Vietnam Chapter. For ten years he was a Board Member and Head of Office of the Vietnam Tourism Certification Board. Mr. Cuong has 20 years of tourism administration in the private and public sector and has a proven track record of managing, monitoring and implementing large-scale projects funded by international donor organisations such as the EU and ASEAN.

 

Special Session I – A Series of Speakers – “Handling Growth Sustainably”

Ms. Nia Klatte

Ms. Nia Klatte is a responsible tourism specialist with experience in sustainable tourism certification. With her Bachelor of Business Administration in Tourism Management and her Master of Arts in Tourism & Social Anthropology, she has worked for the Community Based Tourism Institute Thailand and the Pacific Asia Tourism Association. She joined EXO Travel Thailand in 2015 as the Sustainability Coordinator, developing and implementing EXO Travel’s sustainability initiatives. Since January 2018, she has taken over the Sustainability Coordinator role at EXO Travel Vietnam and Laos, overseeing all CSR and charity related activities in both countries.

Mr. Nick Wade

Mr. Nick Wade is the Assistant General Manager and Sustainability coordinator for Khiri Travel based here in Saigon. As one of the first TraveLife certified DMCs in Vietnam, Khiri wants to lead the promotion of sustainable tourism practices. As such, Nick was a co-founder of the IMPACT Vietnam collaboration group, bringing together traditional competitors in the industry to work together, support and innovate sustainable best practices in Vietnam. 

 

Mr. Miquel Angel Perez Martorell

Mr. Miquel Martorell is a hospitality leader originally from Catalonia who has been in Vietnam since 1999 after working in Thailand, Spain among other countries. He brings decades of hospitality experience to his current role as the General Manager of Oakwood World Wide in HCMC. As an active and dynamic individual, he is a member of the Tourism Advisory Board advising the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism on policy and regulatory practices. Additionally, he was active for 7 years as the Chairman of the European Chamber of Commerce Tourism Committee covering the entire country of Vietnam.

Mr. Jimmy Pham AM

Jimmy Pham, founder, and leader of Know One, Teach One (KOTO), is an internationally renowned Australian social entrepreneur. His exceptional ability to turn a simple but powerful youth development vision into a thriving social enterprise has resulted in KOTO radically transforming the lives of nearly 1000 marginalised youth across Vietnam over the past 19 years and 200 trainees in training. Leveraging his training and experience in hospitality, Jimmy founded KOTO in 1999 as the vehicle to improve the life chances of marginalised youth. KOTO commenced as a small sandwich shop in Hanoi. Today KOTO has grown into an internationally respected and award-winning social enterprise and takes in over a hundred trainees on a life-changing two-year program. In recognition of Jimmy’s and KOTO’s exceptional achievements, Jimmy has been the recipient of numerous international awards. He recently awarded the POSCO TJ Park Award from Korea, was appointed Member of the Order of Australia (2013) and named Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum (2011). He was also a finalist for the Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur of the Year award (2009) and received the Social Innovation award at UNICEF’s  ZEROawards.

 

Special Session II – A Workshop – “Handling Growth Sustainably”

Mr. Nhan Nguyen

Mr. Nhan Nguyen has been volunteering and working in the Environmental awareness space in Vietnam since 2008. He is the co-founder of Vietnam Clean and Green, an organisation that is dedicated to raising awareness about the negative impacts of littering in Vietnam. He actively promotes action against littering by organising and coordinating social marketing campaigns such as community clean-ups and educational campaigns targeting primary school children. He teaches management and marketing courses at RMIT Vietnam’s Saigon South campus and is also the School Manager for the School of Business and Management.

 

Special Session III – Panel Discussion – Women’s Roles in Developing Tourism Markets

Ms. Sophie Hartman

Ms. Sophie Hartman is a coordinator at ASSET-H&C, the Association of Southeast Asian Social Enterprises for Training in Hospitality & Catering. This platform brings together 15 vocational training centers willing to bring positive change in the lives of vulnerable youths and adults by teaching them tourism and hospitality skills that will allow them to successfully integrate into the job market and in society. Over the past few years, Sophie has been working with non-profit organisations and intergovernmental institutions in Asia and Latin America, notably the Lao National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality.

Ms. Hanh Ngo

Ms. Hanh Ngo, Director of Human Resources at InterContinental Hanoi Landmark72, has been working in all HR capacities including Learning and development, Human Resources Management, Talent Resourcing throughout her career and has spent almost 10 years in the Hospitality industry. Representing a young generation leader with an absolute GROW mindset, Hanh is committed to developing local young talented people to the next level of professionalism and success.

 

Ms. Chau Nguyen

Ms. Chau Nguyen is the Director of Marketing for Accor’s Premier Village Resort and Premier Residences Emerald Bay at Phu Quoc and responsible for leading all the marketing, communications and branding activities of both the properties.  Prior to joining the Phu Quoc properties, Chau developed her skills working in Marketing across a number of “Who’s Who” companies in Hospitality, including Assistant Director at Marriott’s Le Méridien, Saigon and Marketing Manager of The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Vietnam, Moevenpick Hotel Saigon and the Grand Mercure, Danang. Through the journey, she gained skills and knowledge in branding, digital marketing, public relations, advertising, and strategic planning, as well as a fou

Ms. Thu Vo

Ms. Thu Vo has been working in the hospitality industry since 2000. She started her career at Victoria Can Tho Resort as front office receptionist and worked her way up to management level through different positions. She is currently General Manager of Victoria Can Tho Resort cum Regional General Manager of TMG Hospitality, overseeing Mekong Delta region. Besides, she also worked as a tutor for front office skills for Vietnam Human Resources Development in Tourism Project (funded by EU Committee) and an assessor for Vietnam Tourism Certification Board from 2005 to 2009. She has a BA in English, Certificate in Accounting, and a Certificate in Business Administration & Management.

Ms. Jackie Lei Tin Ong

Ms. Jackie Lei Tin Ong is an experienced tourism consultant with a demonstrated history of working in the professional training & coaching industry. Skilled in Sustainable Development, Corporate Social Responsibility, Policy Analysis, Sustainability, and Urban Planning. Strong program and project management professional graduated with a doctorate in Sustainable Development Planning from the University of Queensland, Master in Urban Planning from the University of Melbourne and a bachelor degree from the National University of Singapore.

Confirmed Conference Sponsors

 

Our Chapter Supporters

Conference Venue

Preferred Hotel List

General instructions:

 1.1  This list recommends hotels in Ho Chi Minh City close to the TTRA APac Conference in 2018

1.2   The room rates are subject to availability of required room type on dates of stay. Early booking is highly recommended to ensure accommodation availability.

1.3   Users may choose to book a hotel outside this list.

1.4   All bookings should be made directly with the hotel.

Summary List of Hotels/Apartments:

Hotel Contact Details:

Please click HERE.

Dear Delegates,

Here are descriptions of tour options. Please note that not all the tours in these documents are available on Monday, December 3^rd. Please check the time on the tour descriptions. We have included a few longer tours in the event delegates want to take a tour on Tuesday the 4^th, on their own. Once Delegates have arrived on Day 1 and registered for the tour that they prefer, we will organize with the respective tour operator.

Thank you.

Buffalo Tour Packages

Vespa Adventure Tour Packages

Travel Information

Links to travel information about Ho Chi Minh City:

Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (official tourism bureau) –

http://www.vietnamtourism.com/en/index.php/tourism/items/72

Lonely Planet –

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/vietnam/ho-chi-minh-city

Traveller.com.au –

http://www.traveller.com.au/twenty-reasons-to-visit-ho-chi-minh-city-2evh4

TripAdvisor –

https://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Tourism-g293925-Ho_Chi_Minh_City-Vacations.html

Frequently Asked Questions

Please see the attached document for some FAQs.

2018 TTRA Asia Pacific Chapter Conference Second Call for Papers

TTRA Asia Pacific Chapter invites you to our 6^th annual conference in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam from 1 to 3 December 2018! Our host for this year’s edition of the conference is RMIT Vietnam presenting the conference theme: “Travel and Tourism Research in the Global South: Advancing through Co-operation and Collaboration”.

As a Chapter of TTRA International, the Asia Pacific Chapter is aligned with the key mandate of facilitating research opportunities to help link end-users of tourism and travel across borders. This year, we orientate ourselves towards the Global South, a region experiencing significant growth in tourism, and warranting the need for research to assist with informed decision-making. In conjunction with our Global South membership category, we invite submissions that will advance travel and tourism research in partnership with the Global South. Papers will serve as beacons to pioneer collaborative spaces, though not limited to:

• Advancing sustainable tourism in the dynamics of the Global South
• Co-creating knowledge using the Triple Helix (academic, industry and government) model
• Discussing impacts of the sharing economy and disruptors (OTAs/AirBnB/Grab/Uber) on tourism
• Diversifying mediatised tourism spaces
• Emerging products and markets
• Engaging with volunteer and philanthropic tourism
• Evolving workforce in the contemporary world
• Illuminating Indigenous tourism from emic and etic perspectives
• Showcasing inclusive research practices in gender and tourism
• Understanding risk and resilience in Global South tourism communities
• Unpacking innovation and entrepreneurship practices

Call For Papers:

Extended dateline for submission of abstracts (up to 750 words): 31 August 2018

Deadline for submission of full papers (up to 5000 words): 31 October 2018

Please direct all queries to:

Academic paper chair, Associate Professor Paolo Mura: paolo.mura@taylors.edu.my

OR

TTRA APac Chapter Vice President Dr. Aaron Tham: mtham@usc.edu.au

Two journals (eReview of Tourism Research and Tourism Management Perspectives) have each agreed to feature a special issue on ‘Tourism Accounting for the Global South’ and ‘Contemporary and Future Tourism Workforce in Asia-Pacific’ respectively.

We are also pleased to announce our confirmed keynotes for the conference, drawn from a range of distinguished tourism academics and practitioners, which include:

• Mr. Mark Bowyer (Founder of the Rusty Compass)
• Ms. Pascal Herry (Executive Director at TMG Hospitality)
• Ms. Hong Tang (Founder and CEO for Coins for Change)

More details (program, registration etc) will be made available on our website: https://ttra.com/asia-pacific-chapter/2018-conference/

See you in Vietnam!