On December 9, the Department of Tourism and Hotel Management will host the 10th Bilkent Tourism Forum, on the theme “Sustainable Tourism for Our Common Future” – a reference to the UN’s 1987 report on sustainable development titled “Our Common Future.” The forum, which will run from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., will take place in an online format, as a Zoom webinar.
This year’s forum follows that of 2020, also held online, which explored the topic “Post-Pandemic Tourism: A New Future.” The event attracted participants from 72 countries and received wide coverage in the local, national and international media. (Highlights from the 9th Bilkent Tourism Forum may be accessed on the Department of Tourism and Hotel Management YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/c/BilkentUniversityTHM)
The aim of the Bilkent Tourism Forums is to address developments taking place in the world and in particular the tourism sector and to contribute to the development and promotion of tourism by drawing attention to both the threats and the opportunities facing the sector. The forums bring together representatives of key public and private tourism industry organizations; faculty members and administrators from institutions of higher education; and students.
In the post-pandemic world, the need to adapt to new conditions in order to maintain a competitive advantage and establish the right supply–demand balance is a priority issue in the tourism sector, as in all economic sectors. In this context, the primary purpose of the 10th Bilkent Tourism Forum is to discuss in detail the parameters of sustainable tourism development based on technological infrastructure and to reevaluate the tourism sector’s contribution to the sustainable development of Turkey.
Among the speakers for this year are José Luis Martínez y Hernández, ambassador of Mexico; François Viel, agricultural counsellor for Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkmenistan in Ankara, Regional Economic Department of the French Embassy in Turkey; Zümran Ömür, founder of the Boğatepe Environment and Life Association; Sedef Budak (THS ’97), founding president of the Turkish Women in Renewables and Energy Network; Aslı Gücüyener (MAN ’04), head of Consumer Strategy and Insights MENA, Google Inc.; and Tolga Gencer (MAN ’94), board member of the Association of Turkish Tourism Agencies (TÜRSAB).
Simultaneous translation will be available at the forum. A detailed program for the event may be found at http://thm.bilkent.edu.tr/forum/