The 3rd International Tourism and Retail Service Management Conference (TRMC 2021)
The 3rd International Tourism Retail and Service Management Conference (TRMC) 2021 builds on previous conferences hosted by the Macao Institute for Tourism Studies in 2018 and Nankai University (China) in 2019. This is a two-day all-virtual conference held on 12 and 13 October 2021, hosted by the School of Hospitality and Service Management at Sunway University, and partnered with Macao Institute for Tourism Studies (Macau, SAR-China), University of South Carolina (USA) and Nankai University (China). The theme of the conference, "Developing Sustainable Tourism Retailing" was carefully put together by the Organising Committee, who saw the need to critically discuss the changes in tourism retailing, and to create opportunities for constructive dialogue concerning suggestions and strategies on how the tourism retailing industry could move forward; particularly as nations are gradually recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Academicians, researchers and industry practitioners from various international locations such as Austria, Bangladesh, China, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Macau, Malaysia, Norway, Oman, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, the United States and Vietnam joined in the virtual live conference.
Prof Marcus Stephenson, Dean of the School of Hospitality and Service Management, mentioned that “The pandemic has brought about challenges and potentialities that could not be ignored. National lockdowns and movement restrictions have transformed the way things are being done by different constituents including individuals, academic institutions, businesses and governments. The hospitality and tourism industries are often regarded as resilient and post-pandemic tourists are anticipated to travel significantly. Nonetheless, there is a real need to advocate for consumption and experiences that are sustainable to the environment and local communities. Such discussions were also highlighted during the paper sessions”.
On a final note, Professor Perry Hobson, the TRMC 2021 Conference Chair, extended his gratitude and appreciation to the two Keynote speakers, Professor Dallen Timothy (Arizona State University, USA) and Professor Ming-Hui Huang (National Taiwan University). Also, to the industry panel speakers Mr KS Wong (Sr General Manager, Sunway Malls) and Mr Paul Gibbons (Managing Director, Sports Direct Malaysia and MST Golf Management) who have delivered insightful developments in the tourism retailing industry. He noted that, “This conference would not have been possible without the support of industry organisations including Sunway Malls, Sunway Theme Parks and Sports Direct Malaysia & MST Golf Management”. He also added that, “We also want to thank Mr Jespuvan Singh, a trainer / consultant who is specialising in workplace wellness programmes for conducting such an engaging ‘mindfulness’ workout session. Along with our interactive networking sessions, he helped to create a truly engaging and unique conference experience for our delegates”.
