PhD Seminar
ATLAS PhD Seminar
Publishing tourism research: Community, Collaboration and Co-creation in Times of Crisis
Tuesday June 23rd, 2026
The ATLAS conference this year focuses on the importance of tourism (including leisure, hospitality and events) research in times of uncertainty and turbulence. In this unpredictable environment, shaped by multiple, intersecting crises, tourism may offer many opportunities for hope and collaboration, for challenging distrust and confusion, and opening up possibilities for greater justice. Of course, tourism is not immune to wider workings of power that can divide and exclude, and the conference will also consider how tourism can reflect and contribute to practices and discourses that marginalise some groups and communities, exacerbating divisions and separating people from each other and the nonhuman world around us. In these challenging times, how can collaboration and co-creation develop in tourism contexts to foster communities that can act together to reclaim agency and freedom, and a more hopeful and equitable future for all? It is within these discussions that the PhD seminar is situated.
Academia is also undergoing a time of crisis around the world, subject to questioning, challenge and transformation. In this highly competitive and turbulent environment, PhD students should be encouraged to communicate their ideas and discoveries that can impact policy and transform our understandings of the world. One way of doing this is through publications, so this will be the focus of the 2026 ATLAS PhD Seminar. It is never too soon to consider publication possibilities, at any stage of the PhD journey, but it can be a daunting and opaque process. Led by current journal editors, participants will join a supportive environment to help demystify academic publication and build confidence to submit research for publication in journals, books and other formats. The seminar allows space for PhD researchers to discuss their research with others, building a sense of community and opening up possibilities for collaboration. It will also provide a safe and inclusive environment to discuss publishing with journal editors who can provide support and guidance.
This PhD seminar aims to bring together PhD candidates who are engaging in research about tourism, leisure, hospitality, recreation and their related fields that can be linked to the wider conference call. The seminar aims are two-fold: it offers the opportunity to gain peer feedback on research and writing (outside of the supervisory process) as well as providing a small, intimate environment in which to get to know like-minded PhD colleagues and journal editors. It is an opportunity to get a head-start on the ATLAS Annual Conference and to build a community of PhD peers.
The ATLAS PhD Seminar is part of the ATLAS Annual Conference. Participation is free for student delegates of the ATLAS conference.
Requirements
Participants are expected to be enrolled as PhD students within fields related to tourism, leisure, recreation, hospitality, mobilities, transport, social/cultural geography, sociology, cultural studies or similar. Students at all stages of their PhD research project are welcome. In order to apply for the seminar, the student must submit a short research paper (approx. 1000-2500 words), related broadly to the conference themes. The paper should engage theoretically, methodologically, empirically or ethically with the PhD candidate’s research. The paper might be a first draft of a journal article, a chapter or conference presentation, or a reflection on the ways in which the student’s research intersects with the main conference themes. The paper may be a personal reflection on the PhD candidate’s journey or may discuss methodological challenges in researching these areas.
Participants’ papers will form part of the discussions during the PhD seminar. In sharing and discussing the papers and the aims/purposes/meanings behind them, the PhD seminar strives to foster a space of support, inclusion and collaboration. The seminar will provide the opportunity to consider how the viewpoints of the PhD candidates involved coalesce, differ, intertwine, diverge and build upon each other to lead to innovative, thought-provoking and engaged futures for those studying and researching in these areas, also providing valuable insight into academic publishing and dissemination of research findings.
Who should apply?
Participants should be enrolled as PhD candidates within fields related to tourism, leisure, recreation, hospitality, mobilities/transport, social/cultural geography, cultural studies or similar. Candidates at all stages of their PhD process are welcome.
Abstract Submission
Please submit a research reflections paper of approx. 1000-2500 words to admin@atlas-euro.org by February 15th 2026.
Abstract specifications:
1000-2500 words (excluding references)
In English
Submit the document in MS WORD format and in PDF
Include a short (200 word) bio-sketch about yourself, which outlines where you are in the PhD process
Preliminary Programme
09.00 Registration and welcome
09.30 Workshop – Looking at papers in progress
11.00 Coffee break
11.30 Workshop – Developing a paper for publication: Part 1, understanding the publishing journey: stages, milestones and planning
13:00 Lunch
14:00 Workshop – Developing a paper for publication: Part 2, developing ideas, articulating contribution
15.30 Close
Practical Information
Seminar Chairs: Kate Dashper and Sandro Carnicelli.
Date: Tuesday 23rd June 2026
Place: Leeds Beckett University, United Kingdom
Maximum number of participants: 25
Certificate: PhD candidates will be issued with a certificate outlining the total amount of hours of the PhD seminar
Participation fee: Participation is free for student delegates of the ATLAS conference
Enquiries at adminatlas-euro.org