What strategies is your department implementing to strengthen collaboration between the university, the private sector and public institutions, with the goal of improving student employability and fostering joint projects in tourism innovation?

Our department actively cultivates partnerships with private companies, municipalities, destination management organisations and cultural institutions. We implement joint project-based courses, collaborative research activities, fieldwork assignments and internship programmes that directly connect students with professional environments. Through initiatives such as Interreg projects, regional product development and digital innovation collaborations, we aim to strengthen employability and generate shared value for all partners.

From your academic position, how do you assess the ability of Hungarian tourism to adapt to new traveler profiles seeking more personalized, authentic and culturally enriching experiences in regional destinations such as Győr and its surroundings?

Hungarian destinations—including Győr and the surrounding region—have demonstrated increasing capacity to offer cultural, gastronomic and heritage-based experiences that meet the expectations of today’s travellers. Local producers, short supply chains and cultural heritage sites allow us to integrate authenticity into visitor experiences. However, enhancing interpretation quality, digital engagement and responsible communication remains essential to fully address these evolving traveller preferences.

Considering current trends in tourism research, which areas do you regard as priorities for promoting advanced studies that provide practical solutions for European destinations and contribute to more sustainable management of natural and cultural heritage?

Key priorities include:

• AI-supported heritage interpretation and digital ethics

• Sustainable destination strategies and green communication

• Identification and regulation of greenwashing practices

• Tourism law, platform regulation and consumer protection

• Local food systems and the role of short supply chains in regional tourism

• Visitor experience analytics and smart tourism solutions

These areas provide evidence-based insights that support resilience, innovation and sustainable resource management across European destinations.

In the context of university internationalization, which initiatives are you leading to strengthen academic exchanges, Erasmus+ projects and strategic partnerships that allow students and faculty to actively participate in international tourism research networks?

We actively participate in mobility programmes, CEEPUS networks, Interreg collaborations and the UN Tourism Affiliate Member ecosystem. I currently lead international research on AI in cultural tourism with Brazilian and European partners, and we are developing a multi-institutional research network. In addition, our department is engaged in a Spanish–Hungarian research collaboration focusing on the identification of greenwashing practices in the hotel sector, combining legal, communication and sustainability perspectives. These initiatives support joint publications, visiting lectureships and meaningful student involvement in international research activities. In addition, we cooperate with several Hungarian institutions and a Taiwanese university on joint research exploring the economic impacts of festivals and cultural events. These initiatives support co-authored publications and meaningful student involvement in international research activities, strengthening our global academic presence.

The city of Győr is known for its cultural and economic dynamism; in what ways does the university collaborate with local stakeholders to promote responsible urban tourism that generates economic benefits without compromising community identity?

Our region’s cultural and economic dynamism provides an excellent environment for collaborative projects. Our university works with the city and regional stakeholders on sustainable urban tourism development, visitor-flow management strategies, cultural route planning and responsible communication. Supported by the local ecclesiastical asset management organisation, our department has also completed a comprehensive book on the theory and practice of religious tourism, featuring numerous best-practice examples drawn from the city’s cultural and spiritual heritage. In addition, we take an active role in shaping development strategies across the wider area, contributing to the work of local professional associations and tourism organisations. Through student field projects and applied research, we help design tourism solutions that respect local identity while supporting economic growth.

What role does practical training play within tourism and hospitality programs, and how do you ensure that experiences in companies, institutions and destinations contribute meaningfully to students’ professional development?

Practical training is a cornerstone of our programmes. Students participate in:

• internships at hotels, DMOs and cultural institutions

• live case studies with regional partners

• field research in heritage sites

• project-based learning with municipalities and tourism enterprises

In every project-based course, we involve external corporate and institutional partners who provide real challenges and real datasets. This allows students to work on authentic professional problems—such as digital marketing development, visitor-flow analysis, product design, heritage interpretation or sustainability audits—while contributing to the innovation needs of the organisations involved.

We also offer a wide range of micro-credit programmes, designed not only for university students but equally for professionals already working in tourism and hospitality. These short, practice-oriented modules focus on current industry needs—digital hotel operations, content creation with AI, event management, gastronomy and local products, or tourism communication—and help participants rapidly acquire applicable, up-to-date skills.

These experiences provide meaningful professional development and align perfectly with the university’s strong applied-learning strategy, while strengthening collaboration between academia and the tourism industry.

In your opinion, what challenges European universities face when trying to balance theoretical research with practical application in tourism, and how can greater integration between both dimensions be achieved to generate useful and socially relevant knowledge?

The main challenge is ensuring that academic research translates into actionable, industry-relevant solutions. To bridge this gap, universities must adopt project-based learning, embed researchers in industry collaborations, and engage students in real-life problem-solving. Stronger university–industry–government partnerships are essential to produce knowledge that is socially relevant and practically applicable. In this regard, Széchenyi István University plays a leading role, as our institution has built a long-standing tradition of applied research, co-creation with regional and national partners, and the integration of real industry challenges into the curriculum. Our ecosystem actively supports collaboration between academics, practitioners and public stakeholders, ensuring that research outcomes directly inform professional practice and contribute to evidence-based regional development.

What initiatives are you promoting to foster greater awareness of sustainability among future professionals, and which pedagogical methodologies do you find most effective for achieving real change in the way tourism is planned and managed?

We integrate sustainability across all subjects and apply experiential learning, field visits, stakeholder interviews and critical case analysis (including greenwashing scenarios). Students participate in live sustainability audits and develop responsible communication strategies. AI-based tools also support simulations that help students evaluate environmental impacts in a realistic, data-driven way.

On a more personal level, which experiences or moments influenced your decision to dedicate yourself to tourism and university teaching, and how do they shape your professional vision and daily motivation as you lead the Department of Tourism and Hospitality?

My professional journey began more than two decades ago as a licensed tour guide, which allowed me to experience cultural heritage, visitor behaviour and service quality firsthand. Combining this with academic curiosity naturally led me toward tourism research and university teaching. Today, leading the department allows me to integrate practice with research—particularly in areas such as AI-driven heritage interpretation, sustainability and tourism law—which continuously motivates me to support both students and international partners in shaping the future of tourism.

By way of conclusion, we wish to express our deep and fully academic recognition for the work carried out by Széchenyi István University and, in particular, by the Department of Tourism and Hospitality under your leadership. The dialogue we have held not only reveals a strategic and rigorous vision of the contemporary challenges facing tourism, but also an exemplary commitment to training professionals who are able to think critically, innovate responsibly and contribute to the well-being of the communities in which they will work. At a time when European higher education is confronting structural challenges — such as technological adaptation, genuine sustainability and the need to bridge research and practice — it is especially significant to find institutions that assume this challenge with competence, intellectual integrity and a true vocation for transformation.

From the Tourism and Society Think Tank (TSTT), we acknowledge the academic value of this vision, as well as the quality of the work being developed through international networks, collaborative projects and pedagogical approaches that place students at the centre of the learning process. For this reason, we express our sincere desire to move towards a stable collaboration that will make it possible to design joint research, academic exchanges, innovative training programmes and shared spaces for reflection on the future of European and global tourism.

For TSTT, it would be an honour to contribute to the strengthening of this academic community and, together with Széchenyi István University, to promote new opportunities to generate useful, sustainable and socially meaningful knowledge. We are deeply grateful for the openness, excellence and inspiration that this conversation has offered us.