The World Conference on Hospitality, Tourism and Event Research (WHTER) was found by Associate Professor Dr. Bongkosh N. Rittichainuwat, Siam University, Thailand in 2011. The conference program was designed based on Dr.  Rittichainuwat’s research articles on “understanding the motivations, facilitators, and inhibitors of association members in attending international conferences,” and “visitor attendance motivation at consumer travel exhibitions.”  The focus of the conference is on education, networking, and business development. 

The objective of this conference is to provide a research platform for delegates to share concepts, methodology, and research findings with peers, editors, and practitioners to improve the quality of their research and to help them to successfully submit papers to refereed journals.  WHTER also aims to connect academics with industry to collaborate on research projects that will minimize the gap between academics and industry and fosters international collaborations between international delegates and researchers and practitioners delegates from host destinations. 

The WHTER is a biannual conference that is rotated on a global basis. The first WHTER was hosted by Siam University, Bangkok, Thailand in 2013.  The second WHTER was held by Sejong University, Seoul, South Korea in 2015. The third WHTER has been decided to be in Turkey and will be hosted by Prof. Metin Kozak in November 2018 in Turkey. Any institution that would like to bid to host the World Conference on Hospitality, Tourism and Event Research (WHTER), please contact Dr. Bongkosh N. Rittichainuwat.  Click here.