Keynote speakers
Brian King

Brian King is Professor and Associate Dean in the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Prior to relocating to Hong Kong in 2012, he was at Victoria University, Australia including as Pro Vice-Chancellor (Industry & Community) and Head of the School of Hospitality & Tourism. Originally from Scotland, he specializes in hospitality leadership and cultural tourism in Asia and holds a PhD from Monash University, Australia. He has published books and articles on integrated resorts, marketing, VFR travel and Asia-Pacific tourism. He is Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Tourism, Culture & Communication and accreditation chair for the International Centre of Excellence for Tourism & Hospitality Education (THE-ICE). His industry experience includes manager and/or director roles in airlines, tour operations, destination management, cruise operations and hotels. He has held visiting professorships in Europe, USA and the Pacific and is a Fellow of the International Academy for the Study of Tourism and of the International Association for China Tourism Studies.
Topics to be addressed by Brian:
- The world’s most visited city? – hosting 56 million in 2019
- A lethal cocktail and hangover – protests and pestilence
- Resilience, Recovery and Relaunch – progress and prospects
- Impacts on hospitality and tourism education in the Hong Kong context
John Ap

Professor John Ap. (Ph.D. Texas A&M) is an internationally known tourism academic who is a Visiting Professor with expertise in Tourism Management at the Macao Institute for Tourism Studies. He is also Director of the Global Centre for Tourism Education & Training, which collaborates with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) in offering tourism education and training for UNWTO member states. His previous academic appointments have been with The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Stenden University Qatar (now Stenden University of Applied Sciences Qatar). His areas of expertise include: impacts of tourism; tourist behaviour; theme parks; and tourism planning.
Topics to be discussed by John:
Taming the Corona Beast by the Little Enclave - The Macao Story
- In the Beginning...
- Preparedness
- The "C" Factor (i.e. C = cultural)
- Stepping into Action
- "Happy Zeros"
- Recovery Macao Style
Eliver Lin

Dr Eliver Lin is an Associate Professor in Singapore Institute of Technology. She is now taking the role of Deputy Cluster Director (Applied Learning) in the Cluster of Design and Specialised Businesses and is the founding programme Director of Air Transport Management. She was also the Programme Director of Hospitality Business Programme. Her teaching and research focus areas include airlines management, airport management and tourism management. Currently, she is collaborating with industry partners, such as airlines and attractions, in Singapore on projects about travel confidence after circuit breaker is lifted in Singapore. Before spending her working life in academia, she has also obtained solid experiences from the tourism industry which included airport, airlines and travel agency.
Topics to be addressed by Eliver:
- Situation of Covid-19 and tourism in Singapore
- Measures taken by Singapore Government
- Resilience and Recovery Strategies
- Collaborations between SIT (Singapore Institute of Technology) and the tourism industry during this tough period
Moderator: Tara Duncan (ATLAS coordinator)

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