Journal of Tourism & Hospitality
Open Access

Abstract

Professional Conferences, Social Capital and Tourism: Is The Alliance in Jeopardy?

Joyce Pittman and Brian McLaughlin

This editorial uses stakeholder and conference tourism theory to discuss how open access has influenced the increasing growth of virtual conferences and meetings and the implications for social capital traditionally valued by face-to-face events. Online or virtual conferences, meetings and events have emerged as a growing sector of the professional, education, research and development market worldwide. Educational and tourism leadership and stakeholders must form partnerships to determine the economic impact of global online conferences vs. face-toface meetings on host communities around the world and the social capital that is valued by such conferences and meetings in both the education and tourism communities. The purpose of this editorial, therefore, is to call attention to how face-to-face professional conferences and meetings support or add value to the relationship between social capital and educational tourism. This editorial recommends a research agenda to develop theories about how to sustain the social capital of professional conference while not compromising the benefits of FTF conference tourism. Such an agenda would first examine relevant literature on the key characteristics of online and face-toface conferences and their comparative social, educational, economical and political impact; and second, explore the contemporary issue of “social capital” within academic debates in a variety of conference contexts from an interdisciplinary stance.