旅遊暨觀光研究協會(Travel and Tourism Research Association,TTRA)第49屆年會於2018年6月26日至28日在佛羅里達州邁阿密珊瑚閣(Coral Gables)的比勒摩爾旅館(Biltmore Hotel)舉辦,匯聚產學界的菁英,共同研討「鼓勵旅遊研究廣度的創新」(encouraging innovation in the universe of tourism research)、「創新、智慧、永續的目的地」(innovation,smart and sustainable destinations)、「破壞性科技與激進創新」(disruptive technology and radical innovation),以及「消費者行為的新視角及創新研究」(new insights and innovation research on consumer behavior)等議題。此次會議為旅遊研究的未來提供重要見解,包括人工智慧與觀光議題探討、探索質性研究法-薩爾特曼隱喻誘引技術(Zaltman Metapher Elicitation Technique,ZMET)在觀光旅遊領域的運用、探險旅遊趨勢、消費者生活方式暨未來遊客族群,以及點對點住宿網路等,以提供瞭解遊客及其行為的新方法及新思維,以做為我國觀光事業研發之借鏡。
The Travel Tourism Research Association (TTRA) hosted the TTRA 2018 Annual International Conference at the Baltimore Hotel in Miami Florida from June 26-28, 2018. Industry and academic experts gathered to discuss topics such as "encouraging innovation in the universe of tourism research," "innovation and smart, sustainable destinations," "disruptive technology and radical innovation," "new insights and innovation research on consumer behavior," and other topics. This conference has provided important insights on the future of tourism research, including discussion on artificial intelligence and tourism topics, exploring qualitative research methods such as the usage of Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET) implementation in tourism industries, exploring tourism trends, consumer behavior and future tourist market, peer-to-peer accommodation network, and so on. With these new methods and perspectives to understand tourists and their behavior, we can better contribute to the development of the tourism industry in Taiwan.