Tourism Week brought to you by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC/AITC) is a seven-day (May 29-June 4, 2022) coast to coast event that aligns tourism organizations, businesses, and other partners in promoting the industry’s contribution to the Canadian economy and recognizing its impact on every community across the country.

After more than two devastating years for tourism, border restrictions have finally been removed. That’s why TIAC/AITC’s 2022 theme is Travel Now: For Work, Life, and Play!

HFTM is proud to celebrate #TourismWeekCanada2022 taking place this week by outlining our recent and upcoming 'tourism' successes. #HFTMproud

QS INTERNATIONAL EDUCATIONAL RANKING

• The University of Guelph was highly ranked in hospitality and leisure management, placing 1^st in Ontario and 2nd in Canada and among the top schools in the world. This is the first-time hospitality programs were included in the ranking and we're proud of our achievement. Read more [1].

NEW TOURISM POSITIONS

• Congratulations to post-doctoral student Dr. Michael Lever who has accepted the position of Assistant Professor, International School of Hospitality, Sports, and Tourism Management at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Vancouver, Canada. Michael will be teaching courses related to food and beverage management, quantitative research methods, and a special project focusing on destination marketing, and Dr. Kimberly Thomas Francois, who has accepted the position of Assistant Professor, Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, B.C. 

TOURISM MEDIA / RESEARCH

• Post-doctoral fellow, Dr. Susan Dupej's current research focuses on the impact of cannabis legalization on Canada’s tourism industry. Read more [2].
• Dr. Statia Elliot, HFTM Director and tourism expert discussed the several reasons behind the increased interest in travel and why Time to Travel begins with March Break. Read more [3].
   
• Professor Marion Joppe commented on CBC News: The National interview on the potential dangers of travel to Mexico, in light of the most recent shooting at a resort in Cancun last week. Marion adds tourists should be more concerned about Omicron which is spreading wildly in Mexico.  Read more [4].  
   
• Congratulations to Drs. Statia Elliot and Michael Lever on their published research article “You Want to go where? Shifts in social media behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic” in the Annals of Leisure Research Journal - Taylor & Francis Online. Research article [5].
   
• “It's one more hit to an industry that has been significantly hit by the pandemic" says Dr. Statia Elliot on the new #COVID19 testing rules.
• Dr. Kimberly Thomas-Francois is helping the Caribbean tourism and food systems be more sustainable and profitable. Learn more about Kimberly's research [6]. 

TOURISM CONFERENCE

• HFTM is pleased to support the Travel and Tourism Research Association (TTRA) 2022 Conference [7] as a sponsor and Dr. Statia Elliot, member of the International Board is the Academic Co-Chair. Dr. Michael Lever will be presenting, “Covid-19 Lessons for Tourism: Navigating Crises Responses using Innovative Methods.

GRADUATE STUDENT PRESENTATIONS, AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

• HFTM’s MSc. Tourism and Hospitality students presented at the 27th Graduate Education & Graduate Student Research Conference in Hospitality and Tourism.  The conference was hosted by the Hilton University of Houston and Hong Kong Polytechnic University.  Congratulations to:
  • Qianya (Hannah) Li - Co-advisor's: WooMi Jo & Lianne Foti

Presentation Title: Hotel Staycation Motivation: An Application of Q Methodology.

• • Rebecca Gordon - Co-advisor's: Mark Holmes & Bruce McAdams

Presentation Title: Is Restaurant Management an Extreme Job? How Restaurant Managers Experience Job Intensity.

• • Cui (Tracy) Yang - Co-advisor's: WooMi Jo & Bruce McAdams

Presentation Title: An Extended Protection Motivation Theory to Test Consumer Intentions to Report Food Delivery Safety Violations in China.

• Congratulations to MSc TRMH ’21 Graduate Student, Ying Zhou, winner of the Tourism HR Canada Graduate Researcher Award! Ying presented her winning research at the Travel & Tourism Research Association’s Annual Conference.  Ying’s study aims to explore the value of travel vlogs in destination marketing. Two parts were undertaken to understand the impact of travel vlogs. Part 1 uncovered how the mechanism of travel vlogs affects the travel decisions of Generation Y; and to test the differences between travel vlogs and DMO promotional videos in the mechanism. Part 2 examined the effect of destination competitiveness levels on willingness to pay between travel vlogs and DMO promotional videos.
• Congratulations to MSc Tourism & Hospitality Management student, Qianya Li who recently defended her thesis entitled, “Hotel Staycation Motivation: An application of Q Methodology. 
• Pengsongze (Dave) Xue, Yuxuan (Crystal) Lin, and WooMi Jo are presenting a study titled "The effect of perceived crowding on tourist behavior and deindividuation: moderating role of pro-environmental knowledge" at the 28th Asia Pacific Tourism Association Conference [8] (APTA) in Jeju Island, South Korea, July 06 - July 08, 2022. 

FACULTY RETIREMENT & RECOGNITIONS

• Congratulations to Marion Joppe on her retirement and extraordinary career! Marion held positions at the U of G, including Director of the School of Hospitality, Food & Tourism Management, Research Chair in Tourism and faculty member.  During her 18 years in HFTM, Marion has made significant contributions. Over this time Marion has taught in the undergraduate and graduate levels and abroad, most notably: International Tourism; Foundations of Tourism & Hospitality Theories and Responsible Tourism Policy & Planning.  Marion has received many research awards, including the Society of Incentive and Travel Executives Foundation; Ontario Hostelry Institute; The Research Process; Ontario Accommodation Association; and HAFA/HTM Alumni Association.  Her passion and areas of research interests include the planning, development and marketing of sustainable destinations.  She has published papers on gamification in tourism; policy and governance; productivity measurements in tourism; human resource management, transformational journey for tourism pedagogy, one country's transformation to spa destinations; drivers of innovation in rural tourism; as well as books, monographs and chapters.
   
• Dr. Marion Joppe has been awarded the title of University Professor Emerita.  This recognition of service is made on behalf of her significant contributions to tourism scholarship.  Congratulations, Marion!

FACULTY TOURISM SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

• Dr. Chris Choi recently spoke at the University of Guelph's One Health Seminar Series on "An Inconvenient Truth: The Darker Side of Tourism."
   
• Dr. Marion Joppe presented at the 2022 Impact National Sustainability Travel & Tourism Conference. "The pandemic provided time to reflect on the missions of tourism," said Dr. Joppe. Read more [9]. 

FACULTY TOURISM BOOKS

• Professor Marion Joppe and Professor Emerita Joan Flaherty's published a book, Teaching Tourism - Innovative, Values-Based Learning Experiences for Transformative Practices [10] through Edward Elgar Publishing. Congratulations Marion & Joan!

FACULTY PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS 

• Xu, B., & Choi, H.S.C. (2022). Residents’ attitudes toward and intentions to participate in local tourism during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research (Accepted). 
   
• Shen, Y., Huang, S. Choi, HS & Morrison, A. (In Press, 2022). Does brand love matter to casual restaurants? A multi-group path analysis. Journal of Hospitality Marketing and Management SSCI/A Journal.
   
• Wan, Z., Huang, S. and Choi, H.C. (In-Press, 2022). Modification and validation of the travel safety attitude scale (TSAS) in international tourism: A reflective-formative approach. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights.
   
• Huang, S., Liang, J.L., and Choi, H.S.C. (2022). How We failed In Context: A Text-Mining Approach to Understand Hotel Service Failures. Sustainability, 14(5), 2675 (SSCI IF: 3.5).
   
• Huang, S., Choi, H.C.*, Shen, Y.S. & Chang, H. (2021). "Predicting Behavioral Intention: The Mechanism from Pre-trip to Post-trip. Tourism Analysis, 26(4), 279-292.
   
• Zhiqiang, H., Liang, L.J., Meng, B., & Choi, H.C.* ( 2021). The role of perceived quality on high-speed railway tourists' behavioral intention: An application of the extended theory of planned behavior. Sustainability, 13(22), 12386 (SSCI IF: 3.5) 
   
• Rastegar, N., Flaherty, J., Choi, H & Liang, L. (2021). The Adoption of Self-service Kiosks in Quick Service Restaurant. European Journal of Tourism Research 27, 2709. 

FACULTY PUBLICATIONS 

• Pan, X., Jo, W., & Choi, HSC (2021). Effects of Interaction Quality for Solo Diner's Visit Intention: Role of Emotions. APTA 2021 Conference (Virtual9).
   
• Zolfaghari, A., & Choi, H. (2021).  Text mining approach to explore dimensions of national parks visitors' experience and satisfaction using online customer reviews.   Travel and Tourism Research Association Canada Chapter.
   
• Li, L., & Choi, H. (2021).  The Effect of Customer Co-Creation Behaviors On Well-Being: The Comparative Analysis Of Disabled Tourists And Non-Disabled Tourists.   26th Annual Graduate Education and Graduate Student Research Conference in Hospitality & Tourism. 

FACULTY TOURISM RESEARCH GRANTS  

• Opportunities for Cannabis Agritourism in Ontario: A Domestic and International Comparative Review, OMAFRA Alliance – Tier 1, 2022-2024 With Susan Dupej (PI).
   
• Cannabis Farmgate Sales in Canada: A Value-Chain Perspective 2021-2023 SSHRC Insight Development Grant with Susan Dupej (PI). 
   
• Business Recovery Support Program –Foundational Analysis - The Ontario Tourism Education Corporation (OTEC) (PI).

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT TOURISM PANELS AND COMPETITIONS

• The Hospitality & Tourism Management Student Association (HTMSA) hosted a Talk Tourism Panel. Guest speakers included: Jeff Dover, President, fsSTRATEGY; Jonathan Scott, GM of the Delta Guelph Hotel and Conference Centre; and Nicholas Sferrazza, Senior Brand Manager of Accor Fairmont and Raffles.
   
• The HTMSA hosted the Hospitality & Tourism Student Case Competition (HTCC) in 2022. The competition provided an opportunity for students in Hospitality and Tourism Programs to demonstrate their presentation, problem-solving skills and creativity by answering challenging case questions in front of a panel of industry leaders. Thank you to all of our sponsors Pearle Hospitality, Regional Tourism Organization 4, Fairmont Banff Springs, InnVest Hotels, Chick fil A, Guelph Tourism, Fill it Forward, Earth to Table Bread Bar and the Neighbourhood Group. Thank you to our tourism case judges, Sylvain Pierre, Camille Camirand and Samah Komia!
   
• Tony Elenis, the President & CEO of the Ontario Restaurant Hotel and Motel Association (ORHMA) spoke to the students in Professor WooMi Jo’s HTM 3060 Lodging Management class. The topic was “Insights in the Ontario Hospitality Industry”, followed by a Q&A session.

MEXICO FIELD SCHOOL IN SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

• Dr. Statia Elliot led an experiential course to examine tourism sustainability in a sun destination, Playa del Carmen, Mexico. The immersive one-week field engagement with community and operators included cultural excursions to Mayan ruins and villages, adventure excursions to snorkel through cenotes and zip-line over forests, and nature excursions to learn about flora and fauna. Students from a range of programs from tourism and sport management to geography and environmental studies participated. The 12 students conducted interviews and observational research to identify best and worst practices in sustainability, with a focus on positive change for the future of tourism. 

#GreenMeansGo #TourismWeekCanada2022 #HFTMproud #LangBusiness #UofG