It is the leading scientific organisation in the field of tourism research on a global scale

Salvador Anton Clavé, professor of Regional Geographical Analysis at the URV, has been elected a member of the International Academy for the Study of Tourism, made up of academics from universities around the world who have contributed significantly to the study of tourism. After his nomination, Professor Salvador Anton Clavé was invited to make his presentation at the Academy’s biennial conference in Leuven, Belgium, last June. He will be formally appointed as a member of the International Academy for the Study of Tourism at its next conference in 2024.

The Academy consists of academics from universities around the world who have contributed significantly to the study of tourism. To become a member, researchers must be nominated by one of its members and undergo an initial selection process. If successful, they are invited to give a presentation at the Academy’s biennial conference and subsequently the members vote on whether they should be accepted as a candidate. The nominated academics, who are evaluated on their research profile and their presentation, must obtain a majority of votes from the members in order to be elected as new members of the Academy. The maximum number of active members of the Academy (apart from the emeritus members) is 75.

Salvador Anton Clavé is professor of Regional Geographical Analysis, distinguished professor and director of the Research Group in Territorial Analysis and Tourism Studies at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili. He specialises in the complexity of the evolution of tourist destinations, the globalisation of thematic entertainment and recreational attractions and the effects on the region and on local and regional development of leisure mobility.

He was the first director and dean of the current Faculty of Tourism and Geography and coordinator of the Doctoral Programme in Tourism and Leisure from its creation in 2006 until 2020. Among his most important publications are the books Análisis Territorial del Turismo (co-author) (Ariel and Tirant lo Blanch, 1997 and 2011); The Global Theme Park Industry (CABI, 2007), rated as one of the top five essential references in the field by the Cornell University Library, United States; Geographies of Tourism: European Research Perspectives (Emerald, 2013, co-edited); Tourism Destination Evolution (Routledge, 2017, co-edited), and Key Concepts in Theme Park Studies: Understanding Tourism and Leisure Spaces (Springer, to be published this December 2022, co-edited).

Salvador Anton Clavé has been a visiting research scholar at the George Washington University’s International Institute for Tourism Studies in the United States, and has given courses and lectures on Master’s, PhD and specialisation programmes at more than 45 universities around the world. He is also currently director of the area of tourism of the technology centre of Catalonia-Eurecat. In 2021 he received the Roy Wolfe Award conferred annually by the American Association of Geographers for his outstanding studies in the field of tourism and he is an Honorary Member of the Professional Association of Economists of Catalonia.