North - Eastern Hill University : North - Eastern Hill Uni-

versity (NEHU) was set up by an Act of Parliament of India

and notified on 19th

July 1973 with the

primary objectives

to disseminate and

advance knowledge

by providing in-

structional and re-

search facilities in

such branches of

learning as it may

deem fit; to pay

special attention to

the improvement of the socio - economic conditions and wel-

fare of the people of the hill areas of the North-Eastern region

of India and, in particular, their intellectual, academic and cul-

tural advancement. NEHU is headquartered in Shillong, the

administrative capital of Meghalaya (India). The university has

a tag of ‘a university with potential for excellence’ and has

been reaccredited by NAAC as ‘A’ grade in the year 2017. The

university has innumerable under-graduate and post-graduate

departments and many colleges affiliated to it.

Over the years, NEHU has contributed enormously in teaching

and research thereby making groundbreaking contributions in

the socio-economic fabric of the state of Meghalaya and the

North East India as a whole. In particular, the university has

started a number of new departments in recent years in science

and social science discipline.

Department of Tourism and Hotel Management: The

Department has been started keeping in mind the huge potential

of the tourism and hotel industry and to contribute towards the

growth and development of the state and North Eastern region

of India as a whole. Therefore, the Department imparts quality

teaching and research to the students and scholars into the vari-

ous domains and areas concerning tourism and hospitality pro-

fession. The Department presently offers Master of Tourism

and Travel Management (MTTM) and Doctor of Philosophy

Degree in Tourism and Hotel Management (Ph.D. - THM).

About the STHMCON - 2018 : Protection of environment

and culture, especially at nature based tourism destinations,

form the key element in the sustainable tourism strategy. Sus-

tainable tourism (ST) has been broadly defined as, “tourism

development in economically feasible manner ensuring conser-

vation of the resources on which the future of tourism depends,

notably the physical environment and the social fabric of the

host community. On other perspective the tourism and hospital-

ity products, because of its unique intrinsic qualities requires

different sort of marketing strategies. To ensure sustainability at

the destination, the planners, academicians and upcoming pro-

fessionals need to maintain careful equilibrium between mar-

keting and aspects of sustainability. Sustainable marketing

therefore utilizes marketing skills and techniques by under-

standing market needs to design more sustainable products and

identifying more credible methods of contact to bring behav-

ioural change amongst the consumers. Therefore, the

STHMCON will serve as forum for everyone - entrepreneurs,

operators, institutions and consumers - who are concerned with

tourism and to ensure that the tourism sector not only continues

to develop, but it should be in harmony with each local environ-

ment and culture. The sustainability approach adopts a holistic,

integrated view of marketing, considering social equity, envi-

ronmental protection, and economic liveability.

Hence, the aim of the present International Conference on

Sustainable Tourism and Hospitality Marketing: Setting

Agenda for Future Research (STHMCON - 2018) is to offer a

platform for academicians, research scholars, policy makers,

industry practitioners and the budding tourism / hospitality pro-

fessionals to exchange views, discussion and presentation of

research findings relating to the sustainable marketing of tour-

ism / hospitality products / services in general and North - East

India Tourism in particular.

International Conference

on

Sustainable Tourism and Hospitality Marketing: Setting Agenda for Future Research

(STHMCON - 2018)

March 15 - 17, 2018

ORGANISED BY

Department of Tourism and Hotel Management

North - Eastern Hill University

Shillong-793022 (Meghalaya)

India

SPONSORED BY

Conference Topics / Themes: To achieve the STHMCON

objectives, academic research papers and presentations, are

invited to testify the intellectual vibrancy of the conference.

The same will be complemented with key industry practitio-

ners, who will highlight industry trends and research gaps from

a pragmatic and applied perspective. The themes identified for

the conference will divulge the recent trends and advancements

in the tourism and hospitality marketing in sustainable manner.

Therefore the deliberations will include, but not limited to, the

following themes / topics within the domain of sustainable hos-

pitality and tourism marketing:

Marketing for hospitality and tourism products

Innovative marketing strategies

Transforming visitor experience through marketing

Marketing through destinations and events

Information systems and Marketing

Marketing of tourism and hospitality education

Sustainable / Green / Renewable marketing

Consumer Behavior

Decision making, experience and satisfaction

Service excellence and service quality

Food service marketing and management

Emerging technologies, social media and e tourism

Marketing for special interest tourism products

Cases on successful marketing practices

Marketing strategies of third world and developing na-

tions

Social and Ethical concerns of marketing

Future trends in the hospitality and tourism marketing

Food Service/ Culinary marketing

Services branding

Special interest tourism marketing and management

Publication Opportuni-

ties: STHMCON - 2018

has teamed up with

the Taylor and Francis

Group's Journal of Global

Scholars of Marketing Sci-

ence: Bridging Asia and the

World (JGSMS) and Emer-

ald Publishing Group's International Journal of Tourism Cit-

ies (IJTC). A number of selected high-impact full text papers may

be considered for the publication in these journals. Submitted pa-

pers must not be under consideration by any other journal for pub-

lication. The final decision for paper selection will be made based

on peer review reports by the Guest Editors and the Editor-in-

Chief of journals jointly. Selected full length papers will also be

considered for publication in the ISBN numbered volume to be

published after the event from reputed international publisher.

Local Organizing Committee:

Chief Patron : Prof. S. K. Srivastava, Vice Chancellor, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong (India).

Patron: Prof. B. Mishra, Dean, School of Economics, Manage-ment and Information Sciences, NEHU, Shillong (India).

Conference Chair and Convener: Dr. Saurabh Kumar Dixit, Associate Professor, Department of Tourism and Hotel Manage-ment, NEHU, Shillong (India).

Co - Convener: Dr. Punit Gautam, Head, Department of Tourism and Hotel Management, NEHU, Shillong (India).

Member: Dr. B. F. Lyngdoh, Assistant Professor, Department of Tourism and Hotel Management, NEHU, Shillong (India).

Member: Dr. S.K. Kulshrestha, Assistant Professor, Department of Tourism and Hotel Management, NEHU, Shillong (India).

Customer Relationship Management

Human resource strategies and operations

Small and medium sized enterprises

GIS applications in tourism

International issues and cross-cultural research

Niche tourism

Entrepreneurship

International issues and cross-cultural research

Customer retention and loyalty

Indigenous tourism marketing

Who Should Attend?

Academicians in tourism and hospitality fields

Researchers/ industry consultants and practitioners

Inter-regional organizations engaged in tourism and hospi-tality research

Policy makers and national tourism organizations

Post Graduate / Research students

Call for Papers: Authors willing to present paper in the con-

ference are required to forward an abstract that essentially pro-

vide a brief outline of the paper. Selected academic contribu-

tions addressing one or more of the themes of the conference

will be presented during plenary and parallel sessions. Abstract

of the research paper should be limited to 500 words with 5 key-

words. Abstracts must include: title; author (s); affiliations; a

summary of the research aims; approach and key arguments /

findings. Submitted abstracts will be scrutinized by a committee

of experts and contributors will be intimated to submit the full

length paper. Submit your abstract at sthmcon@gmail.com or

at the link provided in the conference website.

Important Dates:

Last date for submission of abstract: 15th December, 2017

Intimation of acceptance of abstract: 20th December, 2017

Last date of submission of full length paper: 15th Feb., 2018

Last date of submission of registration fee: 28th Feb., 2018

International Scientific Committee:

1. Prof. Arch G. Woodside, Curtin University, Perth, Australia.

2. Prof. John Bowen, University of Houston, Houston, USA.

3. Prof. Yoel Mansfeld, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel

4. Prof. Dallen Timothy, Arizona State University, USA.

5. Prof. Roy C. Wood, Visiting Professor, NHTV Breda Uni-

versity of Applied Sciences, Netherlands.

6. Prof. Luiz Moutinho, Dublin City University, Ireland.

7. Prof. Anna S. Mattila, The Pennsylvania State University,

USA.

8. Prof. Tej Vir Singh, Founding Director of the Centre for

Tourism Research & Development (CTRD), Lucknow, India.

9. Prof. Willy Legrand, IUBH School of Business and Manage-

ment, Bad Honnef-Bonn, Germany.

10. Prof. Mahmood A Khan, Virginia Tech University, USA.

11. Prof. Brian King, Hong Kong Polytechnic Univer-

sity, Hong Kong, PRC.

12. Prof. Dimitrios Buhalis, Bournemouth University, UK.

13. Prof. Konstantinos Andriotis, Middlesex University Busi-

ness School, U.K.

14. Prof. Bruce Prideaux, C Q University, Australia.

15. Prof Marios Sotiriadis, University of South Africa, S. A.

16. Prof. Conrad Lashley, NHTV Breda University of Applied

Sciences, Netherlands.

17. Prof. P.R. Klosse, Academy of Gastronomy, Netherlands.

18. Prof. Keith Mandabach, New Mexico State University, Las

Cruces, New Mexico, USA.

19. Prof. Carlos Costa, University of Aveiro – Portugal.

20. Prof. Jennifer Kim Lian Chan, Universiti Malaysia Sabah,

Malaysia .

Registration Details : The registration fee will include the con-

ference materials, access to all sessions, the official breakfast,

lunch, dinner, tea and snacks etc. The participants will be accom-

modated in the limited number of rooms in the university guest

house on twin sharing / first come first serve basis from 14th -

17th March 2018 (03 Nights). Participants requiring accommoda-

tion in the university guest house are requested to inform at

sthmcon@gmail.com before 15th February, 2018. In case you

wish to extend your stay before / after the conference, please con-

firm the same in advance. The same may be arranged on separate

payment basis, subject to availability. Accompanying persons are

entitled to enjoy all the facilities applicable to the delegates except

conference materials and participation certificate. Hotel accommo-

dation for delegates can also be arranged on request at normal

rates.

21. Prof. Noel Scott, Griffith University, Australia.

22. Prof. Ulrike Gretzel, University of Southern California,

USA.

23. Prof. Silvia Aulet, University of Girona, Italy.

24. Prof. Sidney C. H. Cheung, The Chinese University of

Hong Kong, Hong Kong.

25. Prof. Derong Lin, Xiamen University, P. R. China.

26. Dr. R T D Juwaheer, University of Mauritius, Mauritius.

27. Dr. Nunkoo Robin, University of Mauritius, Mauritius.

28. Dr. Michela C. Mason, University of Udine, Italy.

29. Dr. Vicky Katsoni, TEI Athens , Greece.

30. Prof. S.P. Bansal, Vice-Chancellor, Indira Gandhi Univer-

sity, Riwari Haryana, India.

31. Prof. Sandeep Kulshrestha, Director, IITTM, Gwalior, India.

32. Prof. Manoj Dixit, Vice-Chancellor, Dr. R. M. L. Avadh

University Faizabad , India.

33. Prof. Kapil Kumar, I G N O University, New Delhi, India.

34.Prof. Yedla Venkata Rao, Pondicherry Univer-

sity, Pondicherry, India.

35. Prof. G. A. Swamy, Pondicherry University, India.

36. Prof. Aparna Raj, Bundelkhand University, Jhansi, India.

37. Prof. Deepak Raj Gupta, University of Jammu, India.

38. Prof. Sampada Kumar Swain, IGNTU, Amarkantak, India.

39. Prof. S. K. Kabia, Bundelkhand University, Jhansi, India.

40. Prof. Manjula Chaudhary, Kurukshetra University, India.

41. Prof. Nimit Chowdhary, Jamia Millia Islamia, India.

42. Prof. B. B. Parida, Burdwan University, India.

43. Prof. Parikshat Singh Manhas, University of Jammu, India.

Indian

Delegates

Before

31-12-

2017

After

31-12-

2017

Participants from

Academic Institutes

E 2500/- E 3000/-

Research Scholars

and Students

E 1500/- E 2000/-

Participants from

Industry / govern-

ment organization

E 2500/- E 3000/-

Accompanying per-

son

E 1500/- E 2000/-

Foreign

Delegates

Participants from

Academic Institutes

US$ 150/- US$ 175/-

Research Scholars

and Students

US$ 100/- US$ 125/-

Participants from

Industry

US$ 150/- US$ 175/-

Accompanying per- US$ 100/- US$ 125/-

Local

Delegates

E 1000/- E 1500/-

Bank Detail:

The registration fee

may be sent by Bank

Transfer / DD

(Favoring FINANCE

OFFICER, NEHU,

Shillong) into the

bank account of the

conference, with a

scanned copy of the payment receipt being sent to

sthmcon@gmail.com. The detail of the conference bank ac-

count is:

Name of the Account: FINANCE OFFICER

Account Number : 054101000010709

Name of the Bank :INDIAN OVERSEAS BANK

Name of the Branch: Morellow Building, Shillong (India)

IFSC CODE : IOBA0000541 MICR CODE :793020002

SWIFT- CODE : IOBAINBB420

How to reach NEHU, Shillong , India: The North-Eastern Hill University is beautifully located on

hills in the suburb of Shillong City, Meghalaya. Shillong is

125 km away from Guwahati Airport and 100 km from Gu-

wahati Railway station of the Assam State in India. After

reaching Guwahati airport / railway station, one may hire a

taxi / deluxe bus / tata sumo to reach Shillong town and can

then take a local taxi to reach NEHU campus. While hiring a

reserved taxi from Guwahati, one should come to NEHU

campus directly by the same taxi. Airport also exists in Shil-

long; however flight connectivity is on selected days.

CONTACT

Dr. Saurabh Kumar Dixit, STHMCON CHAIR

Department of Tourism & Hotel Management

North - Eastern Hill University

Shillong, Meghalaya (India)

Email: sthmcon@gmail.com, saurabh5sk@yahoo.com

Website: http://www.sthmcon.online

Mobile: +91-9436565964, +91-7005690748

Tourist Spots Distance (Km)

from the venue

Location

Don Bosco Museum 3.3 km Mawlai, Shillong

Shillong Peak 18.2 km Upper Shillong

Elephant Falls 15.3 km Upper Shillong

Umiam Lake (Bara Pani)

15 km Ri Bhoi District

Mawphlang Sacred Grove

25 km East Khasi Hills Dist.

Sohra (Cherrapunjee) 53.7 km East Khasi Hills Dist.

Double Decker Living Root Bridge, Laitkynsew

65.7 km East Khasi Hills Dist.

Mawsynram (Wettest place in the World)

65 km East Khasi Hills Dist.

Nartiang Monoliths 65 km Jaintia Hills Dist.

Mawlynnong (Cleanest village in Asia)

90 km East Khasi Hills Dist.

Nongkhnum Island 107 km West Khasi Hills Dist.

Balpakram National Park

219 km South Garo Hills Dist.

Siju Cave 439 km South Garo Hills Dist.

Kaziranga National Park 317 km Assam

Kamakya Temple 130 km Assam

NEARBY TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

Post Conference Tour: An One day / Two day post-

conference tour may be organized to Shillong – Cherrapunjee –

Dawki and Mawlynnong Village / Dawki for the interested dele-

gates on payment of the requisite charges. Participants interested

in such tours may inform to sthmcon@gmail.com in advance.