Call for Papers: RTCP-GCAT 2026 | Macao & Hengqin, 27–30 November 2026
July 6, 2026
The 2nd International Symposium on Regional Tourism Collaboration and Partnerships, held jointly with the Greater Bay Area and China-ASEAN Tourism Research and Education Forum 2026 (RTCP-GCAT 2026), invites global tourism scholars, policymakers, industry leaders, and practitioners to Macao and Hengqin from 27 to 30 November 2026. The conference theme is "New Paradigms for Future Regional Tourism: Intelligence & Creativity".
Regional cooperation is central to the high-quality, sustainable development of tourism. It supports the efficient allocation and sharing of resources, avoids redundant construction, expands markets, and drives the coordinated development of tourism with other industries. Through joint planning it can lift infrastructure, public services, and standards, while policy coordination helps create a fair and orderly market. Amid rising protectionism and geopolitical competition, the organisers frame steady regional tourism cooperation as both a safeguard against external uncertainty and a strategic route to mutual benefit, with the creative economy and AI now reshaping that cooperation on an unprecedented scale.
The RTCP and GCAT platforms are brought together here to pool their strengths and examine new models, strategies, challenges, and opportunities for regional tourism cooperation, and to advance resource sharing, market integration, and cultural exchange. The event is organised by the Macao University of Tourism and the School of Tourism Management at Sun Yat-sen University. Its dual-location format reflects its subject: Macao, positioned as a world centre of tourism and leisure and a platform for cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, and Hengqin, just across the water, with highly complementary cultural and tourism resources. The deepening integration of Macao and Hengqin within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area serves as a working model for the conference's themes.
Programme across four days
The conference moves from Hengqin to Macao across its four days, pairing keynotes and parallel sessions with young-scholar training camps and cultural and tourism resource tours. The camps and tours require advance reservation because capacity is limited.
Four days across Hengqin and Macao
Sessions run at the Macao University of Tourism's Dezhi Plaza Campus in Hengqin (27–28 November) and its Taipa Campus in Macao (29–30 November).
- Nov 27 Hengqin · Opening day Registration, Young Scholars Training Camp 1, and a Hengqin cultural and tourism resources tour. Camp and tour require advance reservation.
- Nov 28 Hengqin · Main sessions Registration, opening ceremony, keynote speeches, and parallel sessions 1 to 5.
- Nov 29 Macao · Training and tours Registration, Young Scholars Training Camp 2, and a Macao cultural and tourism resources tour. Camp and tour require advance reservation.
- Nov 30 Macao · Closing day Opening address, keynote speeches, parallel sessions 6 to 7, roundtable forums, and the closing ceremony with Outstanding Paper Awards.
Submission, publication, and key dates
Abstracts and full papers are accepted in either Chinese or English. Accepted abstracts are eligible for oral presentation in the parallel forums, and should run to 800 to 1,000 words excluding references, with no more than five keywords. Each abstract should carry the paper title, the targeted parallel session, and the presenting author's name, professional title, affiliation, mailing address, mobile number, and email. Full papers are welcome at 6,000 to 12,000 words for Chinese submissions and 5,000 to 9,000 words for English submissions, including references, formatted in APA 7th edition for English papers and GB/T 7714-2025 for Chinese papers. All submissions are made through the Microsoft Conference Management Toolkit, where corresponding authors first create an account.
Conference proceedings will be published under an ISBN, and authors may choose to publish their abstract, their full paper, or both. The Academic Committee will select outstanding papers from the full-paper submissions, award certificates, and recommend them to supporting journals, several of which are running dedicated special issues. Supporting journals include the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Tourism Geographies, Tourist Studies, Information Technology & Tourism (special issue on the Ethics of Digital Transformation in Tourism and Hospitality), Tourism Planning & Development (special issue on the Intelligent Transformation of Tourism Development in Asia-Pacific), and Tourism Science (旅游科学). All journal submissions follow the respective journal's peer-review process, and publication is contingent on acceptance.
Key dates
Abstract submission is the first deadline; the full paper stage is optional.
- Abstract deadline15 October 2026
- Registration30 October 2026
- Full paper (optional)10 November 2026
- Conference dates27–30 November 2026, Hengqin and Macao, China
General enquiries can be directed to the organising team at RTCP-GCAT2026@163.com.
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