By facilitating this exchange, the t-Forum helps destinations, businesses, and communities thrive responsibly and sustainably.
About
t-forum
Our Mission and Vision
MISSION
The mission of the t-Forum is to bring together industry leaders, researchers, and destinations to exchange insights and turn knowledge into practical solutions.
VISION
The vision of the t-Forum is a world where the gap between tourism research and practice no longer exists, driving a smarter, more sustainable, and more inclusive future for tourism worldwide.
The t-Forum will be the global hub that makes this future a reality.
Our Story
A significant gap exists between the tourism sector and academia. While industry professionals navigate rapidly changing markets, innovations, and evolving consumer expectations, scholars produce valuable research that too often remains confined to academic circles. The dialogue between these two worlds is still limited, leaving vast opportunities for collaboration, learning, and transformation unrealized.
But this divide cannot continue. The tourism world needs a shared space — a living bridge — where researchers and practitioners meet, exchange perspectives, and co-create new knowledge to guide the future of the industry.
In response, visionary academic institutions and forward-looking tourism organizations from around the world come together around a common purpose: to connect research and practice, foster collaboration across boundaries, and spark meaningful transformation in how tourism evolves and contributes to society.
To fulfill this mission, they create the t-Forum, a global platform where tourism thinkers and doers unite to shape the future of the field together.
Our Milestones
2012
Turkey
Preparatory organizational meetings.
2013
Spain
First preparatory meeting of the founding members.
2015
Naples, Italy
The t-Forum was formally registered in Italy hosted by the CNR Institute for Research on Innovation and Services, and the first international conference was held, bringing together scholars and industry leaders.
2018
Mallorca, Spain
2nd t-Forum conference.
2020
Algarve, Portugal
3rd t-Forum conference.
2025
Malta
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Malta Tourism Authority and the Malta Tourism Observatory, establishing Malta as the t-Forum’s base.
Who We Are
Executive Board
Jafar Jafari
President
Leslie Vella
Board Member
Geoffrey Lipman
Board Member
Marco Robledo
Board Member
Mary Rose Briffa
Board Member
Founding Institutions
Headquarters
Malta Base
MTA: Host & Headquarters of the t-Forum
The Malta Tourism Authority (MTA), Malta’s premier public tourism agency, serves as the host and headquarters of the t-Forum. As the national regulator, promoter, and strategic driver of Malta’s tourism sector, the MTA provides the institutional foundation and credibility that empower the t-Forum to act as a hub for research, innovation, and collaboration in transformational tourism.
From its head office in SmartCity Malta, the MTA and the t-Forum create a platform where industry stakeholders, scholars, and practitioners come together under a shared mission: to elevate the quality, sustainability, and transformation of tourism practices both locally and globally.