By-Laws of the International Association of Scientific Experts in Tourism (AIEST)

I. Name, Registered Office and Objects

Article 1

Under the name «International Association of Scientific Experts in Tourism» (Association internationale d'experts scientifiques du tourisme», «Internationale Vereinigung wissenschaftlicher Fremdenverkehrsexperten», Associazione internazionale degli esperti scientifici del turismo», «Asociación internacional de expertos científicos del turismo») exists an association of persons engaged in or particularly promoting scientific activity in the field of tourism.

Article 2

The registered office of the Association is located at the place of its secretariat. Its location may be changed by a decision of the General Meeting.

Article 3

The Association has the character of a scientific society; its principal objects are: 

  1. to foster friendly relations among its members; 
  2. to promote scientific activity on the part of its members, in particular:
    a) developing personal contacts;
    b) providing documentation;
    c) facilitating exchange of views and experience;
  3. to support the activity of scientific institutes of tourism, or other centres of research and education specializing in tourism, and to develop relations between them, as well as between them and the members of the Association; 
  4. to organise and to co-operate in congresses and other meetings and courses on tourism of a scientific nature.

The Association shall not undertake work already being adequately performed by existing institutions.

II. Members

 

Article 4

The Association has the following categories of members:

1. Regular Members 

Persons may be admitted as regular members if they produce satisfactory evidence that, within the field of tourism, they: 

  • are engaged in teaching or research at a scientific level
  • write and publishe scientific articles
  • endeavour, in practice, to apply scientific methods or to translate the findings of scientific research
  • are specifically involved in the promotion of tourism research or tourism education

2. Honorary Members

Persons may be designated as honorary members, whether or not they are regular members, if they have rendered special services to research or to education within the field of tourism.

3. Associate Members

An organization may be admitted as an associate member with consultative voice, if it is an organisation or institution which is interested in or committed to the objectives of AIEST.

Each associate member, or body, is entitled to send participants to the Association's annual conference, provided that their representation does not exceed a maximum of three delegates.

4. Senior Members 

AIEST members can apply for Senior Membership the year after their retirement begins and under the following conditions:

  • they have been a regular member for at least 10 years
  • they are at least 60 years old
  • they receive no substantial income from active work.

5. Junior Members 

Persons may be admitted as junior members if they are a scientific expert at an early stage of their academic or professional career according to Article 4, section 1. Junior membership expires after a maximum of five years and entitles the holders to become regular members without any formal application.

Article 5

Membership is granted by the Committee of the Association and must be supported by an AIEST member.

Article 6

Membership of the categories set out in Article 4 expires:

  1. on resignation, which must be notified in writing to the President, with a minimum of three months' notice to expire at the end of a calendar year. The subscription for the year, in which the resignation is tendered, is due in full
  2. on death (for individual members)
  3. on exclusion from membership, which in case of an individual and an associate member may be made by the Committee


Members who have resigned or who have been excluded from membership have no claims of any kind on the Association.

III. Organs

Article 7

The organs of the Association are:

  1. The General Meeting
  2. The Committee
  3. The Secretariat General
  4. The Auditors

A. The General Meeting

Article 8

The General Meeting consists of the regular, senior and junior members as defined in Article 4, sections 1, 4 and 5, and is held normally at least once a year. The associate members as defined in Article 4, section 3, are invited to take part with a consultative voice.

 

The General Meeting is convened by the President on the decision of the Committee, at least two months before the date of the meeting. The notice convening the meeting must state the business to be dealt with, on which alone the General Meeting may decide.

Article 9

The General Meeting has, in particular, the following powers: 

  1. To elect the Committee, i.e. the President, the Vice-Presidents if any, and the members, as well as the Secretary General and the Auditors of the Association, in accordance with Article 11, section 1, Article 14, section 2 and Article 16, section 1.
  2. To approve the annual accounts and the annual budget; it may delegate this power wholly or in part to the Committee.
  3. To fix the annual subscription and the allowances to be paid to the President, the Committee and the Secretary General (Article 18, paragraph 2).
  4. To decide amendments to the By-Laws.
  5. To reach a decision on matters referred to it by the Committee.
  6. To decide on the dissolution or liquidation of the Association.

Article 10

Each regular, senior, honorary and junior member has one vote at the General Meeting. The associate-members as defined in Article 4, section 3, have a consultative voice only.

All voting and elections take place by a show of hands unless the General Meeting decides otherwise.

Voting and elections are decided by a simple majority of the members present. In the case of equal numbers of votes, the President has the casting vote.

A two-thirds majority of the members present is required to decide amendments of the By-Laws.

A two-thirds majority of the members present is required to decide on the dissolution or liquidation of the Association.

B. The Committee

Article 11

The Committee consists of at least five regular members.

The period of the office of the Committee is four years; members are eligible for re-election.

Article 12

The Committee has, in particular, the following powers:

  1. To make preparations for the General Meeting, to arrange for it to be convened, and to carry out its decisions; to organize the congresses and other events in accordance with Article 3, section 4.
  2. To decide on the admission of members in accordance with Article 5, section 1, and to submit for approval to the General Meeting the admission of associate-members, in accordance with Article 5, section 2.
  3. To decide on the exclusion of members in accordance with Article 6, section 3.
  4. To decide on the use of the funds of the Association on the basis of the annual budget (Article 18, section 1), to be responsible for keeping the accounts, and to approve the annual accounts and the annual budget, in so far as this power is delegated to it by the General Meeting (Article 9, section 2).
  5. To supervise the Secretariat General, to give it the necessary instructions, and to decide on the engagement of assistant staff (Article 18, section 2).
  6. To set up sub-committees from among its members.
  7. To designate the persons to represent the Association and to sign on behalf of the Association.

Article 13

The Committee meets at least once a year. It is convened by the President. Its resolutions are decided by a simple majority and in the case of equal numbers of votes, the chairman has a casting vote. Voting must be unanimous for:

  1. the admission of a member in accordance with Article 5, section 1.
  2. the exclusion of a member in accordance with Article 6, section 3.

C. The Secretariat General

 Article 14

The Secretariat General consists of a Secretary and any assistant staff.The Secretary General, who must be a regular member, is elected for a period of four years, and is eligible for re-election.

Article 15

The Secretary General prepares and executes the work of the Association under the direction of the President on behalf of its respective organs.

 D. The Auditors

 Article 16

The Auditors are two regular members who must not be members of the Committee or of the Secretariat General of the Association.

The Auditors are elected for a period of four years and are eligible for re-election. They examine the annual accounts of the Association and submit a written report on them to the General Meeting and to the Committee.

 

The General Meeting may commission a fiduciary society to carry out the audit.

IV. Finance

Article 17

The Association derives its funds from:

  1. Annual subscriptions of members defined in Article 4, sections 1, 3, 4 and 5. The annual
    subscription for regular members is fixed by the General Meeting.

    The annual subscription for senior members amounts to 50% of the ordinary subscription if conditions defined in Article 4, section 4 are fulfilled.

    The annual subscription for junior members amounts to 50% of the ordinary subscription if conditions defined in Article 4, section 5 are fulfilled.

    The annual subscription for associate members is in minimum three times the amount paid by regular members.

  2. Other subscriptions or donations.

  3. Interest on investments.

Article 18

The use of funds of the Association is decided in accordance with Article 12, section 4, by the Committee on the basis of an annual budget submitted for approval to the General Meeting, unless otherwise decided in accordance with Article 9, section 2.

The General Meeting determines the allowances to be paid to the President, the Committee and the Secretary General (Article 9, section 3) and the Committee decides on the engagement and conditions of employment of assistant staff of the Secretariat General (Article 12, section 5).

Article 19

The liability of the Association is limited to its capital. The liability of the members is limited to their subscriptions.

Article 20

The financial year begins on 1 January and ends on 31 December of each year.

V. Notifications

Article 21

The notifications of the Association are published in «The Tourism Review» («Revue de Tourisme», «Zeitschrift für Tourismus»).

Vl. Dissolution and Liquidation

Article 22

In the event of dissolution of the Association being decided upon (Article 9, section 6, and Article 10, paragraph 5), the Committee appoints the liquidators. 

Any surplus remaining after the repayment of debts, will be handed over in accordance with the decision of the General Meeting which has agreed upon the dissolution, to institutions devoted to research, study and education in tourism.

VII. Conclusions

Article 23

These By-Laws were approved by the General Meeting of the Association in Montreux on 2 September 1986. They include amendments which were approved by the General Meeting of Association in Breinerd (USA) on 29 August 2005, in Macau, (China) on 20 August 2007 and in Barcelona (Spain) on 29 August 2011.

They supersede those approved by the inaugural meeting in Rome on 31 May 1951, and the General Meetings in Palermo on 23 June 1954, in Stresa on 24 September 1960,in Belgrade on 5 September 1975 and in Alexandria on 21 September 1978.

 

AIEST, International Association of Scientific Experts in Tourism
 
President:
Prof. Dr. Peter Keller

 

Secretary General:
Prof. Dr. Christian Laesser