UC professor appointed vice-president of the International Tourism Studies Association

^{Translation by Diana Taborda}

The International Tourism Studies Association (ITSA) has appointed Cláudia Seabra as ITSA Vice-President for Western Europe. Dr. Seabra is a Professor at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Coimbra (FLUC) and Researcher at the Centre of Studies on Geography and Spatial Planning (CEGOT) of the University of Coimbra (UC).

One of the responsibilities of the UC professor as Vice-President will be to set an agenda for the development of tourism research in Western Europe over the next three years, in the context of the multiple challenges currently threatening the sector.

Cláudia Seabra comments: "Being invited to lead this project in Western Europe is extremely important, as this region accounts for more than 50 per cent of the world's tourist arrivals. It's a great responsibility, not only because this is the most important region with regard to tourist flows, but also because this is where the first tourism studies and research were carried out back in the 1950s".

The Regional Vice-Presidents of the International Tourism Studies Association support the creation of regional networks in different parts of the world. These networks bring tourism researchers together through joint research projects, events, webinars, social activities and other initiatives.

Established in 2006, ITSA is dedicated to international tourism research and promotes research and collaboration between researchers and tourism professionals from both developing and developed countries.

"At first I was really surprised that out of so many renowned researchers they chose a "newcomer" who has only been doing research in this field for about 20 years. And that was exactly the question I asked ITSA founder Alastair Morrison when he invited me: ʽAre you sure I'm the right person? Am I up to it?ʼ. He quickly replied: We need young, dynamic people who work in institutions that do strong tourism research with a humanist and sustainability focus,ʼ "says Cláudia Seabra.