Future Studies in Tourism: The Chair of Tourism welcomes Dr Jasper Heslinga as part of an international visiting professorship at KU

The visiting professorship focused on current issues relating to the future of tourist destinations. In his two guest lectures, ‘Tomorrow’s Tourism: Understanding, Rethinking, and Shaping Destinations of the Future’ and ‘Transforming Destinations: Accelerating Change and Innovation in Tourism’, Dr Heslinga highlighted how destinations can address the diverse social, environmental and technological transformation processes. In doing so, he introduced concepts of futures thinking and transition management, and explained how tools such as trend analysis, horizon scanning and scenario planning can help inform strategic decision-making in the face of uncertainty. Using concrete practical examples – such as circular hotel rooms, climate-resilient campsites or future concepts for airports from the Dutch SPRONG project – it became clear how destinations can make the transition from incremental improvements to transformative change processes.

The guest lectures met with great interest amongst the students. In particular, the forward-looking approaches and the way in which theoretical concepts were linked to specific practical examples led to lively discussions. It was particularly pleasing that the events brought together students from different disciplines – particularly from geography and business administration – thereby highlighting the interdisciplinary nature of current tourism research.

Another highlight of the visiting professorship was the public panel discussion entitled ‘Methods Matter: Who Owns the Future of Tourism Communities? Design and Foresight for Transformation’. Together with Prof. Vanda Maráková (Matej Bel University, Slovakia), Marit Piirman (University of Tartu Pärnu College, Estonia) and Prof. Harald Pechlaner (Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt), and moderated by Prof. Hannes Thees, Dr Heslinga discussed how tourism communities are changing in the face of global crises, digital platforms and climate change. The focus was on how foresight methods can help to shape tourism development in a more community-oriented way and to incorporate the diverse perspectives of the local population, politicians, the business sector and other stakeholders into transformation processes at an early stage. The involvement of several of the Chair’s partner universities – with which there has been a lively student exchange programme for many years – proved to be an effective approach to deepening relations with these institutions.

In addition to the lectures, the visiting professorship provided a wide range of opportunities for academic exchange. Discussions with the International Office served to further develop cooperation between KU and NHL Stenden University, particularly with regard to international student exchanges and joint teaching and research activities. The programme also included meetings with representatives from the region, including Lars Bender, Head of the Office for Tourism and Culture in the city of Eichstätt. These discussions provided an opportunity to explore current challenges and development prospects for tourist destinations from a regional perspective, and to identify points of connection between academia and practice.