Registration will open in February 2026.
Why you should attend
Receive feedback on your work in a friendly and critical-constructive atmosphere.
Submit contributions at different stages of your work seeking feedback on your plans or your results.
You do not have to waive any (copy) rights whatsoever with regard to the work you submit.
Try to win one of the four potential prices.
Enjoy interesting keynotes and targeted workshops for your needs.
Take part in the discussion on what tourism really is and in shaping a common new understanding.
Join the AIEST Research Clinic and get insights for publishing with top international scientific journals.
Experience Swiss tradition in and around St. Gallen and let yourself be surprised by the exciting social program. The technical excursion will blow you away — guaranteed!
Submission deadline is February 28, 2026.
Download the master copy for your submission.
We are looking forward to your contributions to be sent to info@aiest.org.
- Stream of Discussion 1: Tourism definition(s) revisited - 75 years after the first AIEST conference.
- Stream of Discussion 2: Designing tourism systems for a sustainable future.
- Stream of Discussion 3: AIEST's Advances in Tourism Research: Perspectives of Actors, Institutions and Systems.
Participants from different scientific disciplines and tourism related industries are invited to contribute to the following major sub-streams of discussions:
- Actors behaviour, focusing on behavioural issues of consumers, management, politicians, etc;
- Institutional settings, focusing on topics such as entrepreneurship and innovation, cooperation and strategic alliances, ITC and productivity led-growth, structural change in leading tourism relevant industries, etc;
- Systemic perspective, focusing on topics such as the analysis of the market forces, marketing management of destinations, tourism promotion and policies, management of tourism related resources, sustainable development in tourism, regulation and governance of places, etc.
- Other, consisting of contributions that cannot be classified as above.
Hosts: Christian Laesser, Thomas Bieger, Pietro Beritelli
Venue: SAS Radisson St.Gallen
This is a jubilee conference that brings AIEST back to its founding place. The first conference of AIEST was contributing to the modern definition of tourism. The topics of this very special conference therefore is again linked to fundamental concepts of tourism research. In a consensus session at the end of the conference, we will try to find a common basis for an adapted understanding of "tourism" in a structured discussion. The outcome of this discussion will be published in a paper.
Aiest Research Clinic on Sunday, August 23, 2026
Call for Contribution will follow soon.
As we try to set up a peer panel according to the type and disciplinary approach of your submission, we need your contribution by April 30, 2026.
Please submit to:
Judit Sulyok, PhD AIEST Director of Conferences, sulyok.judit@gtk.uni-pannon.hu
The cost of the AIEST Research Clinic is free, provided you attend the AIEST conference.
Pitch Sessions during the conference
Project collaborations: Present your own (planned) projects and invite colleagues to collaborate.
Tourism definition(s) revisited: Introduce your proposal for adjustments regarding tourism definitions.
The call for contributions to these pitch sessions will follow until April 2026.
Win an award!
The AIEST BEST CONTRIBUTION AWARD for the overlall best contribution at this conference.
The PETER KELLER AWARD for the best contribution uniting theory and practice.
The AIEST PhD AWARD for the best academic contribution of a PhD candidate at this conference.
The AIEST CRITICAL FRIEND AWARD for the audience member who provides the most constructive feedback on the work presented throughout the conference.
Full registration
AIEST member: 600 EUR (Early Bird until May 31, 2026, Regular 700 EUR from June 1 - August 11, 2026)
AIEST non-member: 800 EUR (Early Bird until May 31, 2026; Regular 900 EUR from June 1 - August 11, 2026)
The full conference package includes within the time frame of the conference:
- Entrance to all working sessions during the whole period of the conference
- Conference materials
- Welcome Reception on Sunday
- Coffee breaks from Monday to Wednesday
- Lunches from Monday to Wednesday
- Dinners from Monday to Wednesday
- Technical excursion including transportation and activities
Not included: Accommodation, any other food and beverages, Airport transfer and any other transportation costs (apart the explicitly mentioned), any personal expenses.
Daily registration
Please note: Daily registration does not allow for holding an oral presentation of your own work.
EUR 300 (Early Bird until May 2026, Regular 350 EUR June 1 - August 11, 2026)
This price includes:
- Daily conference pack: entrance to the working session on the particular day
- Conference materials
- Coffee break(s) on the particular day
- Lunch on the particular day
Not included:
- Dinner, even though it is on the same day selected
- Technical excursion, even though it is on the same day selected
- Accommodation
- Any other food and beverages, apart from the explicitly mentioned
- Airport transfers and any other transportation costs, apart from the explicitly mentioned
- Any personal expenses
Additional options
There are additional options for daily registered delegates, accompanying persons and spouses (tentative prices):
| Reception on Sunday | € 50 |
| Dinners | € 100 |
| Technical excursion | € 100 |
Winners of the awards at the AIEST Conference 2025 in Paris, France
The BEST CONTRIBUTION AWARD for the overall best contribution goes to Alessandra Pozzan, Nele Langebraun and Michael Gibbert for their contribution
"Through the looking glass: Navigating tourism case studies and interdisciplinary conventions".
1st and 2nd runner ups are (respectively):
- Peter Lewin, Danyelle Greene, Anna K. Zinn, Sarah MacInnes, Sara Dolnicar for their contribution "University partnership badges as a driver of sustainability implementation in hotels."
- Ulrike Pröbstl-Haider, Alice Wanner, Meike Jungnickel for their contribution "Dynamic adaptive pathways: The foundation for transition in tourism."
The PETER KELLER AWARD for the best contribution uniting theory and practice goes to Ulrike Pröbstl-Haider, Alice Wanner, Meike Jungnickel for their contribution "Dynamic adaptive pathways: The foundation for transition in tourism".
1st and 2nd runner ups are (respectively):
- Thomas Steiner, Rolf Müller, Mélanie Biehl for their contribution "Analyze, design, and test tourism ideas with AI."
- Giuzel Safiullova, Sara Dolnicar, Anna K. Zinn, Danyelle Greene for their contribution "TOURISM-4-GOOD: A single scheme to target multiple sustainable behaviours and tourism actors."
The AIEST PHD AWARD for the best academic contribution of a PhD candidate goes to Alessandra Pozzan, Nele Langebraun, Michael Gibbert for their contribution "Through the looking glass: Navigating tourism case studies and interdisciplinary conventions".
1st and 2nd runner ups are (respectively):
- Qingqing Chen, Danyelle Greene, Anna K. Zinn, Sara Dolnicar for their contribution "Can self-selected real-time feedback reduce shower duration? A field experiment."
- Peter Lewin, Danyelle Greene, Anna K. Zinn, Sarah MacInnes, Sara Dolnicar for their contribution "University partnership badges as a driver of sustainability implementation in hotels."
The CRITICAL FRIEND AWARD for the most constructive feedback on the work presented throughout the conference goes to Stephan Bingemer. Runner up is Sara Dolnicar.
Have a look at the abstract book here.