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Keynote Speakers
Prof. Dr. Fevzi Okumus
William McFall “Mac” Pearce Endowed Professor
Director of Global Strategy and Strategic Engagement
College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management (HRSM)
University of South Carolina
USA
Topic: "Strategic Regeneration in Hospitality: Leveraging Innovation and Knowledge"
Professor Fevzi Okumus is the William McFall “Mac” Pearce Endowed Professor and the Director of Global Strategy and Strategic Engagement at the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management (HRSM) at the University of South Carolina. Until August 2025, Dr. Okumus was the Pegasus Professor and the Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association (CFHLA) Preeminent Chair Professor within the Hospitality Services Department at the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management. He was the Founding Chair of the Hospitality Services Department at UCF Rosen College. His main teaching and research areas include strategic management, leadership, hospitality management, services marketing, training, and lodging. He has served on and chaired/co-chaired numerous PhD dissertation and master thesis committees. He has over 350 academic publications (over 230 refereed journal articles, seven books, 12 book chapters, and over 100 conference presentations and reports). As of September 15th, 2025, his publications have received over 35,248 citations, and he has an h-index of 82. Prof. Okumus has been recognized as a “Highly Cited Researcher” in 2021; 2022; 2023 and 2024 by Clarivate, based on data from the Web of Science. Highly Cited Researchers™ are 1 in 1,000 of the world’s population of scientists and social scientists. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management (IJCHM) (Impact Factor: 9.0) and the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights (JHTI) (Impact Factor: 4.8). He is also the Founding Editor of the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Horizons (JHTH), which has been recently launched in January 2025. He is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences. He has received numerous prestigious awards and recognitions including “The Michael D. Olsen Research Award” in 2016; “The University of Central Florida Scroll & Quill Society Award” in 2017, the “CFHLA Preeminent Professor” again in 2017, and the John Wiley & Sons Lifetime Research Achievement Award from ICHRIE in 2018. In April 2025, Prof. Okumus received the “Pegasus Professor” award at the University of Central Florida, which is the highest honor for a faculty member at UCF.
Prof. Dr. Mohamed Battour
Nahda University (NUB)
Egypt
A’Sharqiyah University (ASU)
Oman
Topic: "Cultural Regeneration and Ethical Innovation: The Role of Islamic Tourism and Wellness in Sustainable Destinations"
Mohamed Battour is a professor of marketing at Nahda University (NUB), Egypt. He is a Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Islamic Marketing (Q1). He is Senior A. Editor in FIIB Business Review (Scopus Q1). He serves on the editorial advisory board of some journals, including Management and Sustainability: An Arab Review (Scopus) and Review of Management Literature. He has an impressive track record of publishing numerous papers in top-ranking journals (Q1/A*). Prof. Battour’s influence extends beyond academia, as he has been invited to serve as a keynote speaker at numerous international conferences, where he shares his insights and knowledge on Islamic marketing and tourism.
Prof. Dr. Dogan Gursoy
Regents Professor and Taco Bell Distinguished Professor
in Hospitality Business Management
Washington State University
USA
Topic: "Smart Tourism & the Age of AI: Redefining Guest Experience Through Technology"
Dr. Dogan Gursoy is Regents Professor and Taco Bell Distinguished Professor in Hospitality Business Management at Washington State University and the editor of Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management (SSCI IF: 11.0). He is the recipient of the Changjiang (Yangtze River) Scholar (长江学者) award from the Ministry of Education of China. He is also the recipient of the Michael D. Olsen Research Achievement Award, Outstanding Literary award for Social Scientists, as well as the ICHRIE Lifetime Research Achievement Award. Dr. Gursoy is also one of the few hospitality and tourism scholars who received the top 1% Highly Cited Researcher Award and Recognition from Clarivate in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. According to Clarivate, the Highly Cited Researcher Award recognizes the true pioneers in their fields over the last decade, demonstrated by the production of multiple highly cited papers that rank in the top 1% by citations for field and year in the Web of Science. Clarivate states that of the world’s scientists and social scientists, Highly Cited Researchers truly are one in 1,000.
As a leading hospitality and tourism scholar, Dr. Gursoy focuses on topics such as effects of artificial intelligence on consumer attitudes and behaviors, use of artificially intelligent devices in service delivery, sustainability, services management, tourist behavior, and hospitality and tourism marketing. Dr. Gursoy has published over 250 research publications in refereed journals and 12 books. The scientific impact of his publications is evident in the cumulative h-index of over 100 and over 50,000 citations (google scholar profile). He is recognized and consistently ranked as one of the most prolific hospitality and tourism scholars worldwide. He is also ranked as the number 39 researcher in the United States in Business and Management category by research.com and the number 73 researcher worldwide in the same category.
Distinguished Speakers
Prof. Dr. Faizan Ali
University of Galway
Ireland
Topic: "The Future Traveler: Changing Behaviors, Values, and Market Dynamics"
Dr. Faizan Ali is an Established Professor of Marketing at the J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics, University of Galway. His research and teaching lie at the intersection of marketing, consumer behavior, hospitality, and tourism, with a particular focus on how emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, service robots, and generative AI are reshaping customer experiences and business strategy. He has published over 140 peer-reviewed journal articles, authored several books and book chapters, and earned international recognition as a Highly Cited Researcher (2022, 2023). His work appears in leading journals across marketing, management, and hospitality, and he serves on the editorial boards of several top-tier academic outlets.
Dr. Ali’s ongoing projects examine the adoption and ethical use of AI in service contexts, the role of transparency and fairness in consumer trust, sustainable hospitality practices, and the psychosocial and performance dynamics of human–robot collaboration. Through his scholarship and teaching, he aims to bridge theory and practice by promoting responsible innovation, digital transformation, and human-centered approaches to business education and service design.
Adjunct Assoc. Professor Dr. Hera Oktadiana
Griffith Institute for Tourism
Griffith University
Australia
James Cook University
Australia
Topic: "Regenerative Tourism: Moving Beyond Sustainability"
Hera Oktadiana is an Adjunct Associate Professor at Griffith University and James Cook University, Australia and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Brawijaya, Indonesia. She is also a postgraduate academic at Trisakti Institute of Tourism, Indonesia, founder of Muslim Women in Tourism & Hospitality (M.WiTH), and founder of Halal, Sustainability and Inclusive Tourism (HaSIM) Forum. She holds a Ph.D. from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and CHE (Certified Hospitality Educator) from the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute. She has served as Head of Tourism and Hospitality at several Indonesian tourism institutions. Her research focuses on tourist behaviour, Muslim tourists, Halal tourism, sustainability and inclusive tourism, and tourism education, with several of her works receiving academic awards. She is also a member of the editorial board of several reputable international tourism journals and has been a speaker at various national and international tourism events.