2026 TOU PRO

1. Paulette Hebert, Professor, Oklahoma State University, USA.
   Title: Exploring Novelty as an Aspect of Tourism & Wine Preferences.
2. Azlizam Aziz, Dean of the Faculty of Forestry and Environment, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia.
   Title: Illegal Wildlife Trafficking – The Dark Side of Traveling across Borders: Malaysia Experience.
3. Yasmin Babalou, Assistant Professor, Lewis University, USA.
   Title: Evolving Travel Risk Perception: Longitudinal Scale Development in a Politically Sensitive Destination (2019–2025).
4. Salete Goncalves, Professor, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Brazil.
   Marcelo Taveira, Professor, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Brazil.
   Endel Costa, Professor, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Brazil.
   Title: A Critical Reflection on the Macropolitics of Tourist Safety of Brazil.

1. Claudia Rodriguez Espinosa, Professor and Researcher, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Mexico.
   Erika Elizabeth Pérez Múzquiz, Professor and Researcher, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Mexico.
   Marcela Guadalupe Mariano Romero, Professor and Researcher, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Mexico.
   Title: Public Policies for Tourism Development: An Analysis Based on Perception and Economy – Case Study of the Pueblos Mágicos Program in Michoacán, Mexico.
2. Rimsha Khalid, Assistant Professor, Prince of Songkla University, Thailand.
   Title: Quietcations and the Pursuit of Inner Peace: Exploring Solo Travelers’ Motivations for Silent Tourism Experiences in Thailand.
3. Mohsin Raza, Lecturer, Prince of Songkla University, Thailand.
   Title: Illuminating the Night Economy: Exploring the Role of Night Markets in Phuket’s Noctourism Landscape.
4. Rahmatina Awaliah Kasri, Director, Center for Islamic Economics and Business, Universitas Indonesia, Indonesia.
   Fadlul Imansyah, Professor, Hajj Financial Management Agency, Indonesia.
   Muhammad Arief Mufraini, Professor, Hajj Financial Management Agency, Indonesia.
   M. Dawud Arif Khan, Professor, Hajj Financial Management Agency, Indonesia.
   Agung Hendarsa, Professor, Hajj Financial Management Agency, Indonesia.
   Risna Triandhari, Professor, Universitas Indonesia, Indonesia.
   Title: Towards an Integrated Pilgrimage Services: A Religious Tourism Framework for Optimizing Quality and Value Capture.

1. David Philip Wick, Professor of History (Retired), Gordon College, USA.
   Title: Arts, Artifice, Therapy & the Performative Destination – Pergamon: Α Few Glimpses of “Build” and “Showcase” in the Rise of the Ancient Mediterranean’s First “Destination” Arts, Resort and University Town.
2. Thomas Sakoulas, Professor, State University of New York at Oneonta, USA.
   Title: Information Design: Mapping Ancient Greece and the Challenge of Diachronicity.
3. Maria Irini Avgoulas, Researcher, Cultural Counselling and Consultancy, Australia.
   Rebecca Fanany, Associate Professor, Central Queensland University, Australia.
   Title: The Art and Experience of Greek Migration to Australian Born Generations.

Summary: Outsider art refers to a broad field of practice encompassing artists who may be self-taught or formally trained, but whose work develops outside early institutional, academic, and market validation. Often members of equity-deserving communities, these artists encounter systemic barriers to access, visibility, and recognition. Despite their foundational influence on modern and contemporary art since the early twentieth century, outsider artists and their contributions remain under-referenced within dominant art-historical narratives and institutional frameworks. This presentation traces the evolution of outsider art from its origins in Art Brut to its contemporary emergence as an expanded field of practice. I will examine current outsider-focused festivals in Canada and internationally, and present selected case studies of contemporary artists to illustrate the diversity of practices, contexts, and lived experiences encompassed by outsiderness. The presentation concludes by identifying persistent structural barriers faced by outsider artists and proposes understanding outsiderness not as a fixed category, but as a fluid spectrum shaped by social, cultural, and institutional conditions.

It requires pre-booking

1. Javier Albo, Professor, Georgia State University, USA.
   Title: (Re)discovering the African Roots in Flamenco Music.
2. Dena Kay Jones, Professor, The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), USA.
   Title: Vision through Sounds: The Life and Work of Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999).
3. Brenda M. Romero, Professor Emerita, University of Colorado Boulder, USA.
   Title: The Resilient Danza de Matachines Ceremonial.
4. Pierre Leichner, Vice President, Community Art Council of Vancouver, Canada.
   Title: Artists in the Kitchen.
5. Adnan Hadziselimovic, Associate Professor, University of Malta, Malta.
   Title: IMPULSE: Performing Digital Heritage in Mixed Realities.
6. Luis Xarez, Assistant Professor, University of Lisbon, Portugal.
   Title: Why Should Dance Resist Being Turned into a Sport?

1. Jose Luis Cornejo-Ortega, Professor, University of Guadalajara, Mexico.
   Title: Tourism and Water in Coastal Destinations: Water Governance, Ecological Limits, and Tensions in the Tourism Model. The Case of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
2. Azwifaneli Nemushungwa, Senior Lecturer, University of Venda, South Africa.
   Title: From Spiritual Practice to Economic Asset: The Developmental Economics of Sacred Travel in Emerging Tourism Regions – The Case of Limpopo Province, South Africa.
3. Ivanka Lulcheva, Head, Department of Tourism and Associate Professor, Agricultural University Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
   Krasimir Aleksandrov, Associate Professor, Agricultural University Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
   Title: Beyond Sustainability: Regenerative Pathways in Hospitality and Tourism Development in a Small-Scale Destination.
4. Anusara Sawangchai, Assistant Professor, Phuket Rajabhat University, Thailand.
   Title: From Vacation to Workation: Transforming Phuket into a Digital Nomad Hub.
5. Mohamed Hamdoun, Associate Professor, University of Tunis, Tunisia.
   Firas Daoudi, PhD Student, University of Tunis, Tunisia.
   Title: Investigating Sustainable Entrepreneurship in the African Tourism Industry: Unveiling Trends and Insights through Bibliometric Analysis.

1. Qi Xu, Institute Council Member, Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences, China.
   Title: How Do Flexible Norms Achieve Effectiveness for Sensitive Personal Information Governance in Tourism Big Data Commercialization?
2. Yudan Peng, PhD Candidate, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain.
   Title: Reframing eWOM in Cultural Heritage Destination Image Formation.
3. Sijie Liu, PhD Student, Shandong University, China.
   Haiyan Kong, Professor, Shandong University, China.
   Ye Ding, Associate Professor, Shanghai University, China.
   Jamie (Jie) Sun, Associate Professor, California State Polytechnic University, USA.
   Title: When Less Speaks Louder: Differential Effects of Liubai Types in Short-Form Travel Videos on Narrative Engagement and Visit Intention.
4. Yihui Lyu, Master’s Student, Shandong University, China.
   Haiyan Kong, Professor, Shandong University, China.
   Title: How AI Change Tourists’ Behavior?