Conventional tourism, especially in developing countries, is more vulnerable to the industry’s adverse effects from environmental risks like compromised ecosystems to socio-cultural conflicts arising from failure to respect, communicate and include local communities in the planning and benefit sharing. Sustainable tourism, on the other hand, reshapes the landscape by prioritizing the inextricable link between the welfare of people and the preservation of our natural and cultural heritage.

The transition to sustainable tourism challenges all participants to respect host communities’ socio-cultural diversity, fairly distribute the socio-economic benefits between all stakeholders, and optimize the use of environmental resources, among others. Hiroshima, Japan, the City of Peace, is proud to host the 2016 inaugural Asian Symposium on Sustainable Tourism for Development (AST4D 2016).

In our commitment to sustainable tourism, AST4D will include several guided tour options including a Walking Tour of Hiroshima City and also tours of Hiroshima Peace Park and the shrine island of Miyajima — both are UNESCO World Heritage Sites!

We welcome abstracts of 250 words in English on any of the streams below. Submissions should be received no later than Friday, February 5, 2016:

Adventure Travel
Agritourism and Culinary Tourism
Consumer Behavior
Corporate Social Responsibility
Cultural, Heritage and Dark Tourism
Destination Branding and Promotion
e-Tourism, ICT and Travel Technology
Eco-Friendly Destinations and Attractions
Eco-Friendly Hotel Operations
Eco-Tourism
Food Safety, Quality and Innovations
Food Service and Catering
Gastronomy and Wine Tourism
Geo-Tourism
Health, Wellness and Medical Tourism
Hotel and Hospitality Management
Indigenous Tourism
Marine And Coastal Areas Tourism
Responsible Tourism
Sustainable Business, Production and Consumption
Sustainable Development
Sustainable Energy and Tourism
Sustainable Tourism
Theme Parks, Casinos and Resorts
Tourism Accounting and Finance
Tourism Economics
Tourism Education and Training
Tourism Management
Tourism Marketing
Tourism Policy, Planning and Development
Tourism Products
Travel & Transportation
Urban and Rural Tourism
Other Areas (please specify)