HOST-EG Project – Malabo, 23–24 March 2026

Call for papers:

The HOST-EG Project, co-financed by the European Union, invites researchers, industry professionals, public policy officials, and stakeholders involved in tourism and sustainability to submit paper proposals for the International Conference for the Promotion of Employability in Sustainable Tourism in Equatorial Guinea, to be held in Malabo on 23 and 24 March 2026. The conference is organized by the four universities participating in the project: National University of Equatorial Guinea (UNGE), Afro-American University of Central Africa (AAUCA), University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), and University of Madeira (UMA).

In a global context marked by social, economic, and environmental transformation, the tourism and hospitality industry faces the challenge of reconciling growth, inclusion, and sustainability. This conference is conceived as an interdisciplinary space for the analysis and discussion of strategies that strengthen employability and human talent development within the tourism sector, with a special focus on ecotourism and the adoption of responsible practices that contribute to the resilience and competitiveness of destinations. Employability and entrepreneurship will also be discussed.

The Conference seeks to promote the exchange of international perspectives and local experiences aimed at building tourism models capable of generating quality employment, respecting natural and cultural heritage, and fostering balanced and sustainable development. The scientific committee of the conference will evaluate the quality and relevance of the proposals.

Conference Topics:

Candidates are invited to submit academic work related to:

• General and/or tourism entrepreneurship.
• Economic analysis of sustainable tourism.
• Social, cultural, and community approaches to tourism employability.
• Environmental management and sustainability applied to the hospitality and tourism industry.
• Training, capacity building, and talent development strategies in the tourism sector.
• Innovation, digitalization, and new competencies for sustainable tourism.
• Ecotourism and tourism in natural/national parks.
• Entrepreneurship, employability, or tourism in Africa.

Presentation Formats:

• In-person presentation in the conference room.
• Video presentation (instructions for preparing and submitting the video will be provided after acceptance of the paper). A discussant will be assigned to the work and will provide comments after the video is shown.
• Poster presentation (only for works in progress; instructions for preparing and submitting the poster will be provided after acceptance).

Submission Guidelines:

• Length between 4,000 and 6,000 words (including references).
• Accepted languages: Spanish, Portuguese, and English.
• Each paper must include an abstract in Spanish and English (maximum 400 words).
• Accepted abstracts will be published on the conference website.

Deadlines:

• Paper submission: 10 February 2026
• Notification of acceptance or rejection: 20 February 2026
• Submission of revised paper (if changes are requested): 9 March 2026
• Submission of video in Spanish (if not attending in person), and poster if applicable: 9 March 2026

Submission of papers and videos, and additional information: host.eg@ulpgc.es