On Thursday 20 March 2025, Breda University of Applied Sciences will be the host university of the annual Trend Congress Tourism and Leisure 2025. The theme of the congress is Tourism in Transformation: Business as Unusual. The congress organization today announced the three international keynotes: Dr. Willy Legrand, Stanislav Ivanov and Ramon Vullings.
Theme: Tourism in Transformation: Business as Unusual
The tourism sector is at a crossroads. The traditional way of travelling is no longer sustainable. Climate change, digitalisation and social unrest force us to think about a new future for tourism. This requires different business models, an innovative approach to the labour market, a better relationship with destinations and a transformation of tourist mobility. With a flourishing tourism sector, now is the time for a new course: Business as Unusual. We explore this future around three sub-themes that are also central to the National Training Profile of the Tourism Management programmes:
- Future-proof (travel) destinations
- Broad prosperity through tourism
- Tourist mobility
Keynotes
This year we have brought no fewer than two international keynotes to the Netherlands and we will conclude with a cross-industry expert.
- Prof. Dr. Willy Legrand, IU International University of Applied Sciences, Germany with Tourism Sympoiesis and Surprising Transformations
For some, transaction-based tourism is a dead end, but for others it remains the only viable way to generate economic value. But what if we have these binaries all wrong? In Willy Legrand’s keynote, we explore how collective creativity and collaborative dynamics can transform tourism into a regenerative force.
- Stanislav Ivanov, Zangador Research Institute & Varna University of Management, Bulgaria with Robots, AI and the changing skills requirements in tourism and hospitality
Stanislav Ivanov’s presentation focuses on how new technologies (particularly robotics and AI) are changing the skills of employees in the tourism and hospitality sector. We will discuss the creation of new job profiles and changes in existing ones, which technological progress requires from tourism and hospitality companies.
- Ramon Vullings, cross-industry expert, Belgium with Great Travelers Mix & Match
Our society is facing a number of major challenges. To solve these, cross-over collaboration between silos and sectors is crucial. Designing these collaborations and finding new solutions requires a new discipline: 'cross-sector innovation'. In this closing keynote, Ramon Vullings will talk about bringing in the outside world and why remixing ideas across sectors is a smart strategy in this digital age.
Change agents
Together we are on the road to regenerative travel with a next step in sustainability, digitalization and tourism in balance with our contribution to broad prosperity at destinations. This transformation to regenerative travel requires so-called change agents who must take the lead. At the Trend Congress we forge a coalition of the willing and bring together all (future) change agents. Together we make tourism: Business as Unusual.
Location and information
The Trend Congress Tourism and Leisure 2025 will be held on the campus of the Breda University of Applied Sciences.
More information: www.toerismecongres.nl.