The theme of the seminar is "The Voluntourism Effect:  Case Studies and Investigations"

Overview:
The annual Symposium and Professional Development Seminar of the 
Greater Western Chapter of the Travel & Tourism Research Association 
(GWTTRA) will be held March 18-20, 2009 in America's Finest City, San 
Diego, California.  The theme of the 2009 symposium is "The 
Voluntourism Effect:  Case Studies and Investigations".

Presentation Proposals:
We are seeking proposals for presentations.  Practitioners, 
Academics, and Graduate Students are encouraged to submit proposals. 
All submitted proposals will be blind-reviewed by three subject 
experts.

Presentation Proposal Themes:
Presentations should address GWTTRA's 2009 Symposium topic: 
Voluntourism (Volunteer Tourism).  

Proposals should address any of the following themes or other themes relating to Voluntourism or Volunteer Tourism:

1.	Volunteer tourism and the community perspectives
2.	Volunteer tourism and the voluntourists' perspectives
3.	Volunteer tourism and tour operators/NGO perspectives
4.	Best Practices in Volunteer Tourism/Worst Practices in 
Volunteer Tourism
5.	Defining Volunteer Tourism
6.	Research Needs in Volunteer Tourism
7.	Case-studies in Volunteer Tourism
8.	Innovations in Volunteer Tourism


Presentation Formats:
Presentation proposals are being requested for two types of 
presentation formats:
Presentation Format 1.  Seminar (completed studies)
Presentation Format 2.  Poster (works in progress)


Presentation Proposal Submission Requirements:
Our goal is to have presentations from representatives of several 
states.  Please send presentation proposals electronically (as an 
email attachment) to Vinod Sasidharan, Email:  

 This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
 , by the December 20, 2008 deadline.

1) Presentation title
2) Presenter(s) / Affiliation(s)
3) Presenter(s) Contact Information
3) Specify Presentation Format:  Seminar Presentation or Poster 
Presentation (please indicate clearly)
3) One page abstract of the presentation including (whenever 
applicable), purpose of the research project, methods used, 
conclusions, and how the results of the research were/can be applied 
to improve tourism management.

Proposal Acceptance Notifications will be sent to authors on or 
before January 20, 2008.


Symposium Proceedings:
Proceedings of the Symposium will be made available online 
(GWTTRA.com) following the Symposium.  Presenters selected to present 
(either Seminar Presentation or Poster) at the Symposium are required 
to submit a 3000-word paper by the March 16, 2009 deadline so that 
their work may be included in the online proceedings.


Program Plan for the Symposium:

Day 1 (Wednesday, March 18, 2009)
Pre-Conference and Welcome Keynote Address
-Half-day Pre-conference, starting early morning, involving
Voluntourism activities
-Panel 1:  Practitioner and academic joint panel discussion to
identify specific issues in Voluntourism
- GWTTRA Board Meeting
-Welcome Keynote Address (around 6:00 PM), Dinner (around 7:00 PM), 
poster set-up

Day 2 (Thursday, March 19, 2009)
Keynote Panel, Seminar, Posters, and Panel Resolution
-Keynote Panel Breakfast (early morning)
-Seminar Sessions (practitioners, academics, and students)
-Poster Sessions (practitioners, academics, and students)
-Panel 2 (The Resolution on Voluntourism):  Practitioner and academic 
joint panel discussion to identify specific recommendations for the 
resolution of issues in Voluntourism

Day 3 (Friday, March 20, 2009)
All-day Voluntourism Project

Conference Hotel:

Conference rate for GWTTRA attendees is $139.00 (available for 
Tuesday, March 17 until Friday, March 20, 2009).

[Rate does not include the 10.5% San Diego Transit Occupancy tax and 
the 2% San Diego Tourism Marketing District Assessment fee and the 
Hacienda Hotel-Old Town San Diego will add a $5.00 Resort Fee per 
night to our daily room rate (taxes and surcharges are subject to 
change).  Parking at the Hacienda Hotel is $12.00 per car per night.]

Please mention 'GWTTRA' when making reservations.

Hotel Contact Information:
4041 Harney Street o San Diego, CA 92110
Phone: (619) 298-4707

Best Western Hacienda Hotel Old Town, San Diego, California

Website 1: 
http://www.bestwesterncalifornia.com/hotels/best-western-hacienda-suites-old-town/
Website 2: http://www.haciendahotel-oldtown.com/

This San Diego hotel in Old Town San Diego offers a true, authentic 
California Mission atmosphere in a historic setting.
The Best Western Hacienda Hotel Old Town is adjacent to the Old Town 
State Park and minutes from San Diego's beautiful Balboa, Mission Bay 
and Belmont parks. Scenic golf courses and numerous beaches are also 
nearby.

Hotel amenities include free high-speed Internet, an outdoor heated 
pool, hot tub, exercise facility and meeting space to accommodate up 
to 125 people. Guests will enjoy a courtesy airport shuttle, an 
on-site coffee shop and cocktail lounge.

We hope to see you in San Diego!

Questions about the Symposium:
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact:
Vinod Sasidharan
School of Hospitality and Tourism Management
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA 92182-4514

 This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
  (e)
619-594-4726 (p)


Please visit the following link for more information regarding the
Symposium:
http://www.gwttra.com/symposiums.htm