Dr. Taufik Abdullah, Head of the Tourism Marketing Management Study Program at the Faculty of Social Sciences Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (UPI), is undertaking a Visiting Scholar program at the Department of Tourism, University of Otago, from 1–30 November 2025. This academic visit is supported by the World Class University (WCU) Program of UPI 2025, under the Educational Leaders: Visiting Scholars scheme.
As part of this program, Dr. Taufik will deliver a Tourism Research Seminar titled “Social Empowerment through Protest in a Tourism Destination,” attended by faculty members, doctoral candidates, and master’s students. The seminar draws on his recent study examining a tourism-related protest in a city near a national park in Asia. His research identifies how individual agency evolves into a collective consciousness, followed by consolidation and reinforcement that eventually lead to collective action. The study also highlights the role of power relations in shaping how individuals and groups participate in this process. Through this presentation, Dr. Taufik will analyze how collective power emerges among local people in tourist destinations through protest, offering insights aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 16—promoting peaceful and inclusive societies, ensuring access to justice for all, and strengthening effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions.
In connection with this work, Dr. Taufik and his research team will engage in a collaborative publication project with Professor Neil Carr from the Department of Tourism, University of Otago, extending the study’s scholarly contributions and strengthening institutional academic cooperation.
During the visit, Dr. Taufik is also meeting with Dr. Anna Carr, Head of the Department of Tourism, alongside staff from the Otago Business School to discuss a potential Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between UPI and the University of Otago. These discussions aim to identify long-term collaboration opportunities that enhance student mobility, faculty engagement, and the internationalization strategies of both institutions.