Who is Kazem Vafadari?
Kazem Vafadari is Associate Professor and Division Head of Tourism and Hospitality at Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Beppu, Japan.
He studies tourism policy and planning and community-based tourism. Engaged in advising tourism development in the rural traditional landscapes of Satoyama and Satoumi, he is an expert on agricultural heritage landscapes and rural development, and served the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization as an advisor and scientific committee member for the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems program.
He has published internationally on tourism applications of globally important agricultural heritage systems and on planning for sustainable tourism development.
International Center for Asia Pacific Tourism (iCAPt)
iCAPt researches the role of tourism and hospitality industry in shaping the future of the Asia Pacific region based on APU’s philosophy of “freedom, peace and humanity”. The Center studies the impact of tourism in the Asia Pacific Region from environmental socioeconomic and human perspectives. It aims to provide a platform for collaboration among academia, local communities, public and private sectors and international organizations. We value outcomes that contribute to the sustainable use of resources for development in the local area or on a global scale. The center intends to strengthen the network of stakeholders and their involvement in the development of the Asia Pacific through the interdisciplinary field of tourism studies.
The Center aims to achieve the following:
- Creating databases and conducting research on model Sustainable Tourism initiatives in the Asia Pacific;
- Benchmarking best practices and international collaborative research on the core topics of interest to the region and its tourism and hospitality industry;
- Holding participatory workshop activities among stakeholders for knowledge sharing;
- Evaluating the applications of collaborative initiatives and develop new models for development of the industry in the Asia Pacific Region;
- Disseminating research outcomes through publications and conferences.
