6th Coastal & Marine Tourism Congress, 23-26 June, 2009

Port Elizabeth - Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS AND SUPER EARLY BIRD REGISTRATIONS

Following the first call for expressions of interest, the CMT2009 Conference is now calling for abstracts of full refereed papers, and Super Early Bird registrations from potential presenters and delegates.

We would welcome proposals on a wide range of topics which reflect issues related to coastal and marine tourism. South Africa is currently dealing with a number of issues related to the marine environment. The Integrated Coastal Management Bill and Eastern Cape Coastal Management Plan have recently been published. A number of Marine Protected Areas and Marine Reserves have been proclaimed. South Africa is also experiencing the impact of global warming and climate change. South Africa is dealing with increasing population migration to coastal areas.

The impact of industrialization on coastal and marine environments is another challenge. Taking all of the above into consideration which are also global issues, we encourage all those with valuable knowledge and experience in these matters to come and share your expertise with us in the true ‘Spirit of Ubuntu’ our theme for CMT2009. “The Spirit of Ubuntu” acknowledges that we are connected by the oceans of the world like an umbilical cord and in a spirit of caring for our future we share our knowledge and experiences to become better custodians of the marine environment. There will be opportunities to offer capacity building workshops every afternoon.

Founded by Dr. Jan Auyong (Oregon State University and Sea Grant Oregon) and Professor Marc L. Miller (School of Marine Affairs, University of Washington), the first CMT was held in Hawaii during 1990. Thereafter, the Coastal & Marine Tourism Congress became a great success. Subsequent CMTs were held in Hawaii (1996), Vancouver (1999), Cesme/Turkey (2005), and Auckland (2007). The 6th CMT (CMT2009) in Port Elizabeth will be the first time that Africa has hosted a congress of this nature. We will be inviting participants from all the SADC countries especially those that share the Atlantic and Indian oceans with South Africa. The CMT is widely considered the world’s foremost gathering related to tourism and recreation in the marine environment. It is attended by academics and practitioners from around the world. The conference offers opportunities for the presentation and publication of refereed and working papers, as well as posters.

This call for abstracts of full refereed papers will in due course be followed by calls for working papers and posters. The appropriate deadlines for the conference process are:

Call for Abstracts - Refereed Papers                            1 October 2008 

Submission of Abstracts - Refereed papers                 15 December 2008 

Notice of Acceptance of Refereed Papers                   15 January 2008 

Submission of Abstracts - Working Papers / Posters    20 February 2009 

Submission of Final Refereed Papers                         1 March 2009 

Notice of Acceptance of Working Papers / Posters      6 March 2009 

Submission of Final Working Papers / Posters            20 May 2009

More details of the conference, as well as Registration Forms, abstract and paper submission formats, and registration fees can be found on the conference website at:

www.cmt2009.com

We encourage all delegates to take advantage of the Super Early Bird registration fee, and register as soon as possible. Delegates can register using the Registration Form available for download from the website, or alternatively through the convenient online registration and secure payment portal which will be available on the website by 31 October 2008.

We look forward to maintaining regular contact via our CMT2009 website and welcoming you to Port Elizabeth, Nelson Mandela Bay in June 2009.

Peter B Myles

Conference Chairman