ÖGAF/ASART
About
The
Austrian Society of Applied Research in Tourism (ASART)
As tourism has
been an important industry factor and a major contributor to Austria‘s foreign
exchange earnings for decades it is no surprise that this country has had a
long tradition of tourism research on the academic level. Research, however,
has not always been conducted for its own sake and, therefore, an organized way
of stimulating ‚knowledge transfer‘ is required.
By recognizing
the need for evaluating theories, collecting and analyzing data, and feeding
the newly generated information back into managerial channels, ASART has taken
the challenge and accomplished these tasks:
The mission of
ASART is the mutual transfer of research-related information from the academic
community to the practitioners and vice versa. Practitioners and managers raise
questions, not always in a very precise and ready-to-answer format. Academics
react to these inputs, not always in a managerially conducive manner. But a
platform is needed to keep the dialog going. ASART was founded in 1972 by the
tourism division of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce, the Institute for Tourism
and Leisure Studies at the Vienna University of Economics and Business
Administration, and a number of tourism companies.
According to
its bylaws ASART is a politically independent Vienna based non-profit
organization, exclusively financed by membership fees and donations.
Traditionally,
the head of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce Tourism Association holds the
function of the ASART president. The ASART board, responsible for the Society‘s
current affairs, is composed of the presidents and top managers from the
industry.
In fulfilling
its task, ASART provides a number of services to its members, most of which are
provided exclusively to members, some of them are at reduced prices:
ASART Members
The ASART
members receive a monthly
newsletter that includes reports on research projects and conferences, reviews
of the latest tourism-related journal contributions and books, Internet
material of common interest, and a calendar of conferences and congresses on
tourism subjects for three months in advance. More than
sixty volumes appeared in the ASART Publication Series, all of which can be
ordered directly at the Society‘s office. In cooperation
with the ‚Tourism Studies Austria‘ ASART offers members access to international
literature searches at reduced prices.
Another of
ASART´s goals is to promote contact between companies and students at the
Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration.
All graduate
students elaborate their theses for commercial companies on subjects they need
research on. Regular meetings organized in cooperation with the Institute for
Tourism and Leisure Studies assist students and ASART members to become
acquainted with company representatives and offer an opportunity to exchange
views about future prospects and job alternatives.
Members
The Austrian Award for Tourism Research is one of ASART´s activities with the
purpose of encouraging research initiatives. Annually the best submitted
research papers are awarded. The submitted papers will be subject to double
blind review. The authors of the best research papers are invited to present
their papers to the jury, which consists of both academics and top managers
from the industry, at a public hearing.
How to become a member?
Companies and
private persons with a stake in the tourism industry all over the world may
apply for membership. However, most of the publications, the newsletter,
and the round table talks are in German. Membership admission is decided by the
board. At present the ASART has about 40 company members (called ‚sponsors‘)
and 30 private members (called ‚ordinary members‘).
For further information please contact
Kerstin Freudenthaler,
A-1090 Vienna, Augasse 2-6,
Tel. +43-1-313 36 4581,
Fax. +43-1-317 12 05,
e-mail: oegaf@wu.ac.at
MEMBER OF
