Positions & Opportunities Call for Abstracts

Call for Abstracts: 2nd Tourism & Hospitality Postgraduate Conference | Drakensberg, 21–25 September 2026

July 12, 2026

The University of Zululand (UNIZULU), in collaboration with the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) and Tourism Educators South Africa (TESA), invites postgraduate students, early-career researchers, academics, and industry practitioners to the 2nd Tourism and Hospitality Postgraduate Conference. The conference is held at the Champagne Sport Resort in the Drakensberg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, from 21 to 25 September 2026, under the theme "Reimagining Tourism and Hospitality through African Perspectives: Innovations, Sustainability, and Cultural Resilience".

The conference aims to create a vibrant platform for postgraduate scholarship, collaborative research, and knowledge exchange across Africa and beyond, and to contribute toward the establishment of the Pan-African Tourism and Hospitality Postgraduate Research Network (PATH-PGRN). It is run in a hybrid format, so participants may attend either physically in the Drakensberg or virtually. Alongside its research programme, the conference is built to strengthen collaboration between academia, Community Tourism Organisations, and the industry, to support research development and academic writing, and to build capacity for supervisors and early-career academics.

Conference sub-themes

Contributions are welcome across three broad thematic areas, each spanning several sub-topics.

Invited topics

Three conference sub-themes

Each theme welcomes conceptual and empirical work from postgraduate and early-career researchers.

  1. 1 African knowledge systems, culture, and community-centred tourism African perspectives in tourism and hospitality; community-based tourism and rural development; cultural heritage and indigenous knowledge systems; creative and cultural industries; and participatory research and community engagement.
  2. 2 Sustainable tourism development, governance, and responsible destinations Sustainable tourism development; responsible tourism and environmental sustainability; and tourism policy, governance, and destination management.
  3. 3 Innovation, entrepreneurship, and the future of tourism and hospitality Tourism and hospitality entrepreneurship and innovation; education and curriculum transformation; digital transformation and smart tourism; and hospitality management and service innovation.
Accepted authors are invited to submit full papers of up to 5,000 words for the edited conference proceedings (ISBN 978-1-0492-7219-1, e-book) or a special issue in an accredited journal.

Abstract guidelines and key dates

Abstracts should run to 250 to 300 words and include the title, author names, institutional affiliation, and email (with the corresponding author indicated), together with five to six keywords. Each abstract should state the research aim or objectives, methodology, and expected contributions, and indicate whether the presentation will be physical or virtual. All submissions and registrations are made online at the conference website.

At a glance

Key dates and fees

Registration fees are in South African Rand. Students and TESA members qualify for reduced rates on proof of status.

  1. Abstract deadline2 August 2026
  2. Abstract acceptance14 August 2026
  3. Full paper deadline9 September 2026
  4. Paper acceptance18 September 2026
  5. Conference dates21–25 September 2026, Drakensberg, South Africa
  6. Postgraduate feeR3,800 physical; R1,100 virtual
  7. Academic early-birdR6,000 TESA; R8,000 non-TESA (by 31 July 2026)
Additional rates apply for virtual academic presenters (R1,100), partners or spouses (R1,500), and the conference dinner (R650 per person). The full fee schedule is on the conference website.
Submit & register | Africa Tourism Conference africatourismconference.co.za→

General enquiries can be directed to the conference secretariat at secretariat@africatourismconference.co.za.

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