The 12th Annual Conference of EATSA – the Euro-Asia Tourism Studies Association – was held in Poland from 29 June to 3 July 2026. Our colleagues and PhD students from the Department of Tourism actively represented the University of Pannonia at the event.

Entitled “Bridges over Borders: Tourism in an Accelerating World”, the central theme of the EATSA 2026 Conference was the role of tourism in connecting people in an increasingly fast-changing, geopolitically divided and technologically transforming world.

Participants explored how tourism can build bridges between cultures, countries, generations and communities while addressing the challenges posed by artificial intelligence, sustainability, social justice and climate change. The conference placed particular emphasis on the future of responsible, human-centred tourism that fosters cooperation.

Our colleagues and PhD students delivered several presentations at the conference and contributed to a number of the research projects presented:

• Eszter Csontó: Artificial Intelligence in Hotels: Research Directions for PhD Dissertation
• Kitti Hiezl (Co-author: Katalin Juhász-Dóra): AI Literacy and the Recognition of AI-Generated Hotel Review Responses: The Effects of Raising Awareness
• Zsófia Papp (Co-author: Kitti Hiezl): From Prompting to Professional Judgement: How Tourism Education Shapes Students’ Revisions of AI-Assisted Travel Plans
• Mónika Horváth (Co-author: Zsófia Papp): Luxury Retail as an Urban Experiencescape: Personalized Experiences and Satisfaction
• Márk Fauszt: Immersive Exhibitions and Cultural Consumption: Reframing Visitor Experience in Cultural Tourism
• Petra Gyurácz-Németh (Co-author: Petra Emeneth): Factors Leading to Career Transition in Tourism with a Focus on Generation Y and Generation Z
• Gábor Michalkó (Co-author; the presentation was delivered by Mihály Tömöri – University of Nyíregyháza): The Millers on the Road: Crime-Related Travel in the Era of Total Tourism (additional co-authors: Kökény László, Michalkó Lili)

We are delighted and honoured that PhD student Eszter Csontó received the Best PhD Paper Award at the conference. We would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to her on this outstanding achievement.

During the conference, the members of the EATSA General Assembly elected the new Board of Directors for the next three-year term. We are proud that our colleague, Petra Gyurácz-Németh, was elected Vice President of EATSA’s European Region. You can read more about this here. >>>