The 25th Annual Conference of the Japanese Society of Tourism and Hospitality Educators Announcement
The annual conference for this academic year will be held over two days, Sat, March 7 – Sun, March 8, 2026, under the theme “Tourism and Hospitality Education × Sustainability,” at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU) in Beppu City, Oita Prefecture.
Beppu City, the host city, is an internationally recognized tourism and hot spring city, blessed with rich regional resources including hot springs, nature, and local food culture. It welcomes a large number of visitors from Japan and abroad. In addition, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, where approximately half of the student body consists of international students from around the world, is located in Beppu, making the city a place where people from diverse backgrounds coexist. Based on the belief that “people are the most important and irreplaceable asset,” Beppu City aims to create a new value through the effective use of regional resources and to realize a sustainable community that ensures the long-term well-being of its citizens.
How can high schools and universities contribute educationally to the growing movement toward sustainability in tourism destinations? Tourism and hospitality education is closely connected to a wide range of fields, including language and communication, secondary–tertiary education collaboration, industry–academia collaboration, digitalization, internationalization, and employment and career development. For this reason, tourism and hospitality education is expected to play an increasingly important role in realizing sustainability in both local communities and tourism.
This conference aims to provide a forum for participants to deepen discussions on the role of tourism and hospitality education in directly supporting the sustainability of tourism destinations, as well as the profiles of human resources to be cultivated.
(Only the symposium on March 7 will be streamed online.)
Theme: Tourism and Hospitality Education × Sustainability
Date: Sat, March 7 – Sun, March 8, 2026
Venue: Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Green Commons (Building J)
1-1 Jumonjibaru, Beppu, Oita, 874-8577, Japan
Registration: https://jsthe2025.peatix.com/
Registration Fee
Regular Members / Honorary Members ¥3,000
Non-members (General) One-day participation: ¥2,000 Two-day participation: ¥4,000
Associate Members / Non-members(Graduate and Undergraduate Students) Free
Reception: APU “Pacific Cafe” : Fee ¥6,500
Registration for the Reception: https://jsthe2025reception.peatix.com/
Organized by Japanese Society of Tourism and Hospitality Educators (JSTHE)
【The 25th Annual Conference Executive Committee】
Chair ：Shunsaku Hashimoto（Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University）
Vice chair：Chiho Minetoshi（Ritsumeikan University）
Members：Shoko Iwata（Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University）, Keita Ogushi（Otemon Gakuin University）, Reiko Fujita（Seikei University）, Anna Yonemori（Osaka University of Commerce）
Program
Day 1：March 7th （Sat）
12:00 Registration Starts Venue：In front of J101
13:00 Research Reports and Educational Practice Reports Venue：J301, J302, J306, J307, J308
15:00 Break
Symposium: “Tourism and Hospitality Education × Sustainability” Venue：J101
Moderator: Kenta Fukumoto (Professor, Hannan University / Vice President, JSTHE)
15:10 Opening remarks Tetsu Nakamura (Professor, Tamagawa University / President, JSTHE)
15:15 Greetings from the Venue Hiroshi Yoneyama（President, APU）
15:25 Keynote Speech Masuo Abe (Deputy Mayor of Beppu City)
16:25 Break
16:35 Panel Discussion
Coordinator：Reiko Fujita（Professor, Seikei University / JSTHE Councilor,）
Panelist：LI Yan （Dean, College of Sustainability and Tourism, APU）
Nobuyuki Takadan（Director of the Administration Department, Suginoi Hotel & Resort Co., Ltd）
Kyoko Morikoshi（Professor Hokusei Gakuen University Junior College / Vice President, JSTHE）
17:45 Closing remarks Yasuyuki Furumoto（Professor, Kyorin University / Vice president, JSTHE）
18:00 Reception Moderator: Rikito Obata (Osaka University of Tourism/ JSTHE Councilor)
Day 2：March 8th （Sun）
08:30 Registration starts Venue：In front of J101
09:00 International session by the Internationalisation Committee Venue：J101
“Internationalisation for What, and for Whom? Multiple Meanings of internationalisation in Sustainable Tourism and Hospitality Education”
Moderator：Johan Edelheim（Professor, Graduate School, Hokkaido University）
10:00 Break
10:10 Workshop
Workshop 1: Exploring the Use of Generative AI in Lectures and Seminar Classes Venue：J101
Moderator: Kazuki Shibuya (Lecturer, Tokoha University / JSTHE Board Member)
Workshop 2: Employment, Career Development, and Tourism and Hospitality Education Venue：J307
Moderator: Yuko Yamada (Associate Professor, Kawamura Gakuen Woman’s University / JSTHE Executive Secretary)
Workshop 3: Synergies Created by Tourism and Hospitality Education and Diverse Partnerships Venue：J308
Moderator: Masami Kamimura (Associate Professor, Konan Women’s University / JSTHE Board Member)
11:50 Break
12:00 Reports from the workshops Venue：J101
Moderator：Takeshi Suzuka（Associate professor, Shikoku University /JSTHE Board member）
12:20 Closing remarks Kenta Fukumoto (Professor, Hannan University/ Vice President, JSTHE)
Day 2：March 8th （Sun） Workshop Overview
09:00～10:00
A Session Organized by the Internationalisation Committee Venue：J101
Internationalisation for What, and for Whom? Multiple Meanings of internationalisation in Sustainable Tourism and Hospitality Education
Moderator：Johan Edelheim（Professor, Graduate School, Hokkaido University）
Internationalisation is often seen as a common goal in tourism and hospitality education. However, people in different places and roles understand it in different ways. This workshop looks at how sustainability changes the meaning of internationalisation, who it is for, and how people inside and outside universities think about its purpose.
10:10～11:50
① Exploring the Use of Generative AI in Lectures and Seminar Classes Venue：J306 Moderator: Kazuki Shibuya (Lecturer, Tokoha University / JSTHE Board Member)
The rapid development of generative AI has drawn attention to concerns that traditional learning may no longer sufficiently cultivate skills such as accessing reliable primary sources, evaluating the accuracy of information, and thinking and explaining logically. At the same time, as demonstrated in the Gemini Use Case Handbook created by Google and university students, generative AI also has the potential—when used appropriately—to provide effective learning environments tailored to individual students. This workshop will discuss how generative AI can be utilized in classroom lectures and seminar activities, and will offer an opportunity to reconsider course design in an era of widespread generative AI use.
*1 https://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/geminiforstudents_handbook_2025nov.pdf
②Employment, Career Development, and Tourism and Hospitality Education Venue：J307
Moderator: Yuko Yamada (Associate Professor, Kawamura Gakuen Woman’s University / JSTHE Executive Secretary)
In recent years, while the new graduate recruitment market has become increasingly student-favorable, recruitment activities have also started earlier and become more prolonged. As a result, higher education faces the growing challenge of balancing the securing of sufficient study time with supporting students in making informed and meaningful career choices. Universities are expected to provide students, through academic learning, with a value framework that enables them to develop their careers autonomously. This workshop will discuss future approaches to student support and education from three perspectives: (1) the realities of job-seeking students and their impact on academic study, (2) changing student values, and (3) career education through internships and related programs.
③Synergies Created by Tourism and Hospitality Education and Diverse Partnerships Venue：J308
Moderator: Masami Kamimura (Associate Professor, Konan Women’s University / JSTHE Board Member)
This workshop focuses on practices in tourism and hospitality education that actively engage diverse learners—such as students, local residents, and company employees—as key participants. Active learning environments created through collaboration among local communities, businesses, and educational institutions foster cooperation and synergy across generations and roles, contributing to local value creation. By accumulating and sharing case examples of such practices, the workshop aims to explore, together with participants, the potential of community co-creation–based learning. It will also examine the synergies generated through collaboration from multiple perspectives, with the goal of passing these insights on as a legacy of our Society for the future.
