RC50 (International Tourism) at World Congress in Gwangju, Korea, from 4–10 July 2027

Finding Inspiration in Every Turn

Dear friends and colleagues,

The International Sociological Association (ISA) will host its next World Congress in Gwangju, Korea, from 4–10 July 2027. The overall Congress theme is Global Sociology in Turbulent Times.

The Research Committee 50 (RC50): International Tourism is pleased to invite session proposals for the World Congress programme.

RC50 Theme: Tourism, Travels and (Im)mobilities: Connections and Fragmentation in Turbulent Times.

We are living in a moment shaped by profound contradictions. Information is abundant, yet misinformation and distrust proliferate. Technological innovation accelerates, even as power and wealth become increasingly concentrated. Climate change is ever more visible, while denial and strategic downplaying persist. Global interconnectedness deepens, yet nationalist politics, racism, and conflict continue to intensify.

Amid these tensions, people continue to be mobile. Travel persists. Communities host visitors, and local encounters forge relationships across difference. Curiosity, care, empathy and hospitality remain enduring aspects of travel, reflecting the hopeful possibilities of human connection. At the same time, tourism, travel and mobility face intensifying challenges: disinformation and political polarisation shape perceptions of risk; distrust in science undermines global travel health advice; flight disruptions and infrastructural vulnerabilities expose systemic fragilities; social media platforms exacerbate overtourism; entrenched stereotypes shape host–guest relations; grassroots anti-tourism movements emerge; awareness of commodification and the social and environmental costs of the visitor economy has grown; and the benefits of global tourism remain unevenly and inequitably distributed. New technologies, social movements and armed conflicts are reconfiguring (im)mobilities, disrupting tourism systems and generating new forms of precarity, exploitation and also resilience and possibilities.

This RC50 programme invites session proposals that critically engage with these complexities. We welcome contributions that explore how tourism, travel and (im)mobilities are being reshaped, governed and re‑cast in turbulent times, and how, in turn, they shape experiences of connection and fragmentation across scales, communities and contexts.

Session formats and guidelines.

We invite colleagues to organise and coordinate sessions under this theme. Sessions may take one of the following formats:

Paper presentations (four or five)
Poster sessions
Roundtable discussions

Each session will be either 90 or 105 minutes in duration. Session proposals should include:

A session title and description (maximum 250 words)
A brief indication of potential presenters or participants (where possible)

Submission and deadline

Please submit your session proposal via the ISA submission platform (account creation is required if you do not already have one): https://isaconf.confex.com/isaconf/wc2027/cfs.cgi

The submission deadline is 25 June 2026. Please note that this deadline will be adhered to strictly.

For enquiries, please contact Prof. Can‑Seng Ooi (canseng.ooi@utas.edu.au) or Prof. Marxiano Melotti (marxiano.melotti@unicusano.it).

We look forward to your proposals and hope to welcome you to Gwangju, Korea, in 2027.

Warm regards,

RC50 (International Tourism)