On behalf of Marta Ugollini and Rossella Baratta (Verona University) and myself, we invite you to present your contributions to this thematic session on CIRCULAR ECONOMY IN TOURISM in INVTUR 2020 conference next May 13-15.
The whole economy is in a transition from the linear to the circular paradigm, and the tourism industry is not an exception in this process of change. Nevertheless, the state-of-the-art of scientific research in this field, recently presented by Vargas-Sánchez (2018), is characterized by the scarcity of the literature available and the lack of a common understanding of this concept, with a limited scope in its use. Further, there are very few well-documented initiatives on the Circular Economy in the tourism industry. Therefore, this is still an under-researched area that inevitably will deserve much more attention in the years to come. This fact represents an opportunity and INVTUR-2020 can contribute to bridging this gap. In addition, since tourism circular economy is clearly linked to some of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, this thematic session would contribute to the overall purpose of this conference, reinforcing its contribution to the attainment of the SDGs such as SDG11 (Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable) and SDG12 (Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns), among others.
The “circular economy” concept is a relatively new, but inescapable, paradigm whose application will contribute to more sustainable tourism industry. However, its particularities when is applied to the tourism industry have to be clarified, overcoming the certain degree of terminological confusion that still exists in this early stage. It is broadly recognized that the tourism industry has a significant role to play in the economic transformation which is ongoing, because of its multiplier effect on the whole economy and its capacity to encourage circular flows among its suppliers and customers. Additionally, it is important to boost this transformation awareness among businesses and consumers, together with some stimuli, particularly for SMEs, with more limited resources for innovation. Effective coordination within the complex and fragmented policy environment is also needed among the various interacting levels (European, national, regional ...) that influence the tourism sector.
The thematic session seeks submissions that attempt to address the following key issues, including (but not limited to) the following themes:
• Circular economy and SDGs;
• Circular tourism and sustainability;
• Eco-innovations;
• Circular business models;
• Waste management;
• Green issues in tourism;
• Good practices and case studies;
• Management of sustainable supply chains;
• Reduction, reuse and recycle.
Extended abstracts (up to 6,000 characters), full papers or posters should be submitted electronically (via
https://proa.ua.pt/index.php/rtd/) by NOVEMBER 30, 2019.
For further information regarding submission guidelines, conference fees and program, accommodation, how to get to the conference venue, and registration forms, please visit the INVTUR 2020 conference website:
http://www.ua.pt/invtur/.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
