March 30, 2027 - April 3, 2027
SAVE THE DATE!
2027 TTRA Europe Annual Chapter Conference
Dates: March 30 – April 3, 2027
Location: Bournemouth, United Kingdom
Organizer: Travel and Tourism Research Association (TTRA) Europe Chapter
Host: International Centre for Tourism and Hospitality Research at Bournemouth University
Conference Overview
Tourism 2040: Human-Centered Futures in Smart and Regenerative Ecosystems
The Travel and Tourism Research Association (TTRA) Europe Chapter invites academics, practitioners, and industry leaders to the TTRA Europe 2027 Conference, hosted by the International Centre for Tourism and Hospitality Research at Bournemouth University.
This four-day conference will include academic research presentations, a Doctoral Colloquium, and a dedicated industry best-practice track, fostering meaningful exchange between scholars and tourism professionals. The event will explore the transformative forces shaping tourism and hospitality toward 2040.
Conference Theme
Tourism 2040: Human-Centered Futures in Smart and Regenerative Ecosystems
Tourism is entering a decisive period of systemic transformation driven by artificial intelligence, climate imperatives, geopolitical shifts, demographic change, digital acceleration, and evolving societal values. These forces are not incremental. They are structural, reshaping governance models, value creation, stakeholder relationships, and competitive advantage across destinations and organizations.
The central question is no longer whether tourism will grow, but how tourism systems can be redesigned to generate intelligent, inclusive, and regenerative value.
At the center of this transformation lies human centricity.
TTRA Europe 27 will advance a human-centered paradigm that positions residents, visitors, employees, entrepreneurs, and policy makers as active co-creators within smart tourism ecosystems. Rather than treating technology as an end in itself, the conference explores how artificial intelligence, big data, immersive environments, and platform economies function as enabling infrastructures that enhance human capability, facilitate collaboration, and improve wellbeing.
The conference will provide a global platform for interdisciplinary dialogue on how tourism can evolve into an integrated, adaptive, and regenerative socio-technical system. Discussions will examine how intelligent systems, collaborative governance, and transformational leadership can support sustainable competitiveness while safeguarding human dignity, social cohesion, and long-term societal wellbeing.
TTRA Europe 27 aims to help shape a forward-looking research agenda capable of guiding tourism policy, strategy, and innovation toward 2040 and beyond.
Core Conference Pillars
Human-Centred and Wellbeing-Oriented Tourism Innovation
- Resident wellbeing and social license to operate
- Social, environmental, and experiential value measurement
- Traveller experience and customer-dominant logic
- Co-creating inclusive tourism and accessible tourism design
- Workforce transformation, talent management, and future skills
Regenerative, Sustainable and Responsible Tourism
- Regenerative destination ecosystems
- Cultural heritage revitalization through community stewardship
- Climate risk adaptation and decarbonization strategies
- Smart monitoring of environmental and social carrying capacities
Smart and Intelligent Tourism Ecosystems
- Smart destinations, digital twins, and real-time optimization
- AI-powered decision systems and predictive analytics
- AI-enabled resource optimization (energy, mobility, capacity management)
- Platform economies, ecosystem orchestration, and cybersecurity
Ethical Governance and Inclusive Value Co-Creation
- Ethical policy frameworks and transparent accountability systems
- Community equity and benefit-sharing mechanisms
- Governance models for algorithmic destinations
- Privacy, trust, and digital legitimacy
Redefining Value and Optimizing Performance
- Evidence-based smart tourism policy and strategy
- Moving beyond arrivals to ecosystem performance metrics
- Real-time data dashboards for destination governance
- Systems thinking and interdisciplinary approaches
- Marketing intelligence and strategic leadership
Core Conference Tracks
A. Regenerative Destination Ecosystems
Track Lead: Adele Ladkin
Topics include:
- Climate-positive tourism and decarbonization pathways
- Sustainable behavior in tourism and hospitality
- Nature-based solutions and biodiversity regeneration
- Circular economy, policy, regulation, and governance
- Economic impacts and forecasting
- Regenerative destination planning
- Carrying capacity and visitor flow optimization
- Cultural heritage regeneration
- Blue economy and coastal destination regeneration
- Rural and mountain destination regeneration
B. Human-Centred Governance and Inclusive Value Co-Creation
Topics include:
- Governance and multi-stakeholder ecosystems
- Community empowerment and benefit-sharing mechanisms
- Resident wellbeing, social license, and quality of life metrics
- Ethics, justice, and equity in tourism development
- Indigenous knowledge systems
- Human-centered event ecosystems
- Cultural heritage and tourist perception
- Family travel, decision-making, and wellbeing
- Human rights, gender, and inclusion
- Accessible and inclusive tourism design
- Workforce transformation, skills, and human capital development
C. Resilient and Adaptive Business Models
Topics include:
- Regenerative entrepreneurship and SME development
- Crisis management, risk, and adaptive capacity
- Sustainable cruising
- Hospitality and destination competitiveness
- Dark tourism
- Latin American tourism perspectives
- Resilient and adaptive destinations
- Innovation ecosystems and tourism clusters
- Regenerative metrics and new value models
D. Digital Transformation and Responsible Innovation
Topics include:
- Artificial intelligence in smart tourism ecosystems
- Generative AI in the travel journey
- Robots and automation in tourism and hospitality
- Live streaming, short video, and real-time content
- Digital twins and destination intelligence systems
- Immersive technologies and metaverse experiences
- Ethical issues in smart tourism (AI, big data, IoT)
- Human-technology symbiosis in experience co-creation
- Smart mobility and sustainable transport systems
- Behavioural analytics and responsible consumer nudging
- Platform economies and digital intermediation
- Cybersecurity and trust in tourism systems
Conference Leadership
Conference Overall Chair
Prof. Dimitrios Buhalis
Bournemouth University Organising Committee and Academic Paper Review Committee
Adele Ladkin
Adam Blake
Shiva Ilkhani-Zadeh
Hande Turkoglu
Siamand Hesami
Duncan Light
Hanaa Osman
Communication and Social Media Lead
Guljira Manimont
Industry Track Chairs
Olivier Henry-Biabaud
Sarah Duignan
Aris Ikkos
PhD Colloquium Chairs
Mike Peters
Scott McCabe
Additional Information
More information, including the Call for Papers, registration details, and program schedule, will be announced soon.