3rd International Conference on “Destination Branding and Marketing” at Institute For Tourism Studies (IFT)

Macao is at the crossroads with its image positioning and marketing in tourism. It is undeniable that gaming has become a leading economic pillar of Macao which is confirmed by current statistics, Macao people would still like the world to appreciate other aspects as a unique tourism destination, from Macao’s UNESCO World Heritage, international events, local cultural festivals, leisure and entertainment treats, to the culinary delights. Strategies in enhancing the image of Macao from a gaming destination to a multidimensional leisure and entertainment hub are desired. With this reason, having successfully organised various seminars and conferences jointly with Purdue University, USA, in the past few years, IFT continues to organise, with new co-organisers University of South Carolina, USA, and Sun Yat-sen University, PRC, the 3rd International Conference on “Destination Branding and Marketing”, 2-4 December, at the IFT. This conference is an outcome of a long-standing partnership among the four organisers, and is expected to touch on some imminent issues that Macao is facing, and generate useful ideas that can be further explored, and applied in other destinations undergoing or wishing to undergo transformation. The opening ceremony of the conference was hosted by Dr. Fanny Vong, President of IFT, Dr. Liping Cai, Associate Dean of School of Consumer and Family Science of Purdue University, USA, Dr. Brian Mihalik, Dean of College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management of University of South Carolina, USA and Professor Bao Jigang, Dean of School of Tourism Management and School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-sen University, PRC. Delegates from Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, Mainland China, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, the Philippines, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Chinese Taiwan, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States, United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR; Participants from tourism and hospitality professionals, destination marketing practitioners, executives, researchers, academics, graduate students, convention and visitor's bureau executives, event planners and organisers, travel industry members, operators, and travel-related business owners and investors were invited to attend this conference. Aiming to create a forum and opportunity for the latest developments, trends, and research emerging in the area of destination branding and marketing, ideas are shared, discussed, and debated in the conference. Papers of both applied and conceptual orientation are presented on the following topics, along with other relevant concerns: - Strategic issues in destination branding and marketing development
- Measuring destination branding and marketing effectiveness
- Destination product innovation
- Cooperation, collaboration and competition in destination branding and marketing
- Success or failure stories, best practices and case studies in destination branding and marketing
- Consumer travel behavior, visitor segmentation and psychology in destination branding and marketing
- Branding for special interest tourism (nature, heritage and culture, events, conventions and gaming)
- The economics of destination branding and marketing
- Joint or regional destination branding, promotion and marketing
- Tourism distribution and online branding and marketing
- Hospitality and hotel management in a destination branding context Speakers include: - Prof. Bao Jigang
Dean, School of Tourism Management and School of Geography and Planning of Sun Yat-sen University, PRC - Dr. Liping A. Cai
Associate Dean, School of consumer and Family Science of Purdue University, USA - Dr. Jonathon Day
Department of Hospitality and Tourism of Purdue University, USA
Founder and President at Placemark Solutions, Inc - Jim Epperson
President/CEO, First Capitol Tourism Development Corporation
Executive Director, Harrison County Convention & Visitor Bureau - Prof. William C. Gartner
Professor of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota, USA - Dr. Rich Harrill
Director, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Travel & Tourism Industry Center and International Tourism Research Institute of University of South Carolina, USA - Dr. Nigel Morgan
The Welsh Centre for Tourism Research - Roger Pride
Director of Marketing, Welsh Assembly Government, UK - Dr. Annette Pritchard
Director, The Welsh Centre for Tourism Research, Cardiff School of Management, UWIC, UK - Prof. Haiyan Song
Associate Director, School of Hotel and Tourism Management of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR