APTA 2019
Danang, Vietnam
Invited Guests
Panelists
Graduate Panel Session/APTA Panel Session
Dr. Metin Kozak
Dokuz Eylul niversity
Prof. Dimitrios Buhalis
Bournemouth University
Dr. Bob McKercher
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Dr. Kozak hold Bachelor’s degree from Cukurova University (Turkey), Master’s from Dokuz Eylul University (Turkey) and Ph.D. from Sheffield Hallam University (UK); all relating to tourism and hospitality. He has published a wider range of articles, conference papers and books. As a Research Fellow, Dr. Kozak was affiliated with the University of Namur (Belgium) and as Visiting Professor at Hong Kong Polytechnic University (SAR China), and Bournemouth University (UK). He is serving an editorial board member and ad hoc reviewer of over 15 journals in tourism and hospitality. Dr. Kozak, has been invited as a guest lecturer to conduct seminars or lectures in more than 15 countries worldwide.
He also has an extensive experience in taking parts in the organization of various tourism and hospitality conferences, e.g. ATMC, Graduate Research Conference in Tourism and Hospitality, Interdisciplinary Tourism Research Conference, and IAST, TRC, AIEST, and CPTHL. He is the co-founder of the above first three conferences. Dr. Kozak was also elected as the Fellow of the International Academy for the Study of Tourism and Tourist Research Centre. His research interests entail destination marketing, and consumer behavior. His current affiliation is with Dokuz Eylul University, Turkey and acting as the co-editor of the journal Anatolia.
Professor Dimitrios Buhalis is a Strategic Management and Marketing expert with specialisation in Information Communication Technology applications in the Tourism, Travel, Hospitality and Leisure industries. He is the Head of Department of Tourism and Hospitality, Director of the eTourism Lab and Deputy Director of the International Centre for Tourism and Hospitality Research, at Bournemouth University in England. In 2018 Bournemouth University was ranked 8th in the QS World University Rankings for Hospitality & Leisure Management. He is also the First Vice President of the International Academy for the Study of Tourism, an Executive Board Member of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Affiliate Members and the Editor in Chief of the most established Journal in Tourism: Tourism Review, now and SSCI Journal in its 73rd volume. Dimitrios is a Founding Member and past President (2010-2014) of the International Federation for Information Technologies in Travel and Tourism (IFITT). Professor Buhalis’ work is referenced widely, being the 3rd most cited for tourism and 1st most cited for hospitality on Google Scholar with more than 31000 citations and h-index 76.
Dimitrios current research focus includes: Smart Tourism, Social Media Context and Mobile Marketing (SoCoMo), Augmented Reality, Experience Management and Personalisation, Reputation and Social Media Strategies, Accessible and Special Diet (Alergens) Tourism. He frequently delivers keynote presentations, speeches, seminars and workshops in both academic and professional conferences globally. He has close collaborations with industry, governments and international organisations worldwide.
Dr. Bob McKercher is a Professor of Tourism in the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He has been a tourism academic since 1990. Prior to that he worked in the Canadian tourism industry in a variety of advocacy and operational roles. He has published over 300 scholarly papers and research reports, is the author of The Business of Nature-based Tourism, and Cultural Tourism and has edited a number of other books.
Prof. McKercher is the President of the International Academic for the Study of Tourism. He a Fellow of the International Academic for the Study of Tourism; the Council for Australian University Tourism and Hospitality Education and; the International Academy of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research.
Special Session Presenters
Sustainable Tourism Management in Africa: Case of Serengeti National Park
Dr. Dev Jani is an Associate Professor in the Department of Marketing, University of Dar es Salaam Business School. He hold a PhD in Tourism and Hospitality Management from Dong-A University (South Korea) and MBA (Marketing) from the University of Dar es Salaam. Before joining the University in 2006, he worked in several organizations both private and public in different capacities including the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Pricewaterhouse Coopers. He has researched and published in the areas of tourism and hospitality both locally and internationally. He has in-depth knowledge of African and Tanzanian tourism in particular through his several research projects that focused on sustainability of Tanzanian tourism through engagement of all stakeholders.
Dr. Dev Jani
University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Prof Noah Sitati holds a BEd (Bot/Zoo) from Kenyatta University, Kenya, a Master of Philosophy (Mphil) in Wildlife Management from Moi University, Kenya and a PhD in Biodiversity Management from Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE), University of Kent, UK. He has over 20 years of experience in community conservation in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania working with international conservation NGOs namely WWF and AWF as a program manager, a Research Associate with Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology and a CEO for Masai Mara Wildlife Conservancies Association. Prior taking leave of absence, Prof Sitati was a senior lecturer at Moi University, Kenya, Department of Tourism Management.
Prof Sitati is currently is a Wildlife Species Expert with WWF Tanzania providing technical support to WWF Tanzania trans boundary Ruvuma Landscape program connecting Niassa – Selous game reserves with Mozambique and the Southern Kenya-Northern Tanzania trans boundary program. He is a member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission African Elephant Specialist Group and a Co-chair of the Human-Elephant Conflict working Group, a member of IUCN Sustainable Livelihoods Group, among other professional bodies.