Bylaws of the International Association for China Tourism Studies

Article I: Name

1.1 The name of the organization shall be the International Association for China Tourism Studies (IACTS), hereafter the Association, which shall be its short name. IACTS is the acronym of the Association and shall be used among members.

Article II: Vision and Mission

2.1 The Association envisages itself as an international academic association that acknowledges the growing importance of China tourism research and the increasing knowledge contribution of China tourism scholars to the tourism scholarship worldwide.

2.2 The Association endeavours to:

promote ethical, rigorous, and quality research practices in China tourism research;
advance tourism knowledge with theoretical developments in the Chinese context;
encourage international collaborations and scholarly exchange activities among its members to publish quality research in international journals;
bridge the communication between the tourism research community in China and the international tourism research community;
provide cutting-edge methodological training, career guidance, and counselling to next-generation China tourism researchers; and,
provide knowledge-based consulting services to governments, industry, and international organisations.

Article III: Membership

3. 1 Founding Membership

The Association is co-founded by a group of academics devoted to China tourism research in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Australia, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (US). These founding members are also acknowledged as Co-Founders of the Association and are honoured to be the lifelong members of the Association, unless a founding member would like to forsake the membership herself or himself.

3.2 General Membership

3.2.1 All members of the Association are required to concur on the vision and mission of the Association and should be active researchers in China tourism.

3.2.2 General membership of the Association can only be gained through nomination of a current member and upon the approval of the Association’s Membership Committee.

3.2.3 Members are expected to maintain scholarly activities in relation to China tourism research. A member should have at least two (2) research papers with regard to China tourism published in high-impact English or Chinese journals in the past three (3) years. In consideration of different stages of a research career, members over 65 years old can apply for a Senior Membership to the Membership Committee, and once approved, can be exempted from the above publication requirement. The Association’s Membership Committee will review each membership and advise those who fail to meet the above publication requirement to relinquish membership or decide to terminate membership.

3.2.4 Members are expected to engage in the Association by attending the IACTS biennial conferences. A member on the Board of Directors will lose the Board Directorship after failing to attend two (2) consecutive IACTS biennial conferences. A member will normally lose membership after failing to attend three (3) consecutive IACTS biennial conferences. Members who are over 65 years old or officially retired can apply for a Senior Membership to the Membership Committee, and once approved, can be exempted from the requirement of attending IACTS conferences to maintain membership.

Article IV: Governance

4.1 The Association shall be incorporated as a non-profit academic organisation in a country (region) selected by the founding members.

4.2 The Association is collectively governed by a Board of Directors. All founding members are de facto directors of the first Board. The Board of Directors shall be elected every two years through voting of current members.

4.3 The officers of the Association are elected from the Directors of the Board every two years through voting of current members. The officers shall be Chair of the Board, President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, and Treasurer.

4.4 The office of the President shall normally be limited to no more than two (2) consecutive terms. The 1st Vice President will take over as the President when the incumbent President has fulfilled their term of office or cannot continue the role due to other reasons. The immediate past President will become the Chair of the Board.

4.5 A secretariat shall be set up, overseen by the Board of Directors, to manage daily operational matters of the Association. A Secretary General shall be appointed for a term of four (4) years to head the Secretariat.

4.6 The Association shall not operate at a deficit.

Article V: Operation Principles

5.1 The Association’s activities shall be closely aligned with its vision and mission. These activities include, but are not limited to, holding academic conferences, editing research books, organising research training workshops and seminars, visiting scholarships, joint publications among members, and so on.

5.2 The Association shall hold a Membership Meeting every two (2) years at such time and place as the Board of Directors shall designate.

5.3 The Association may undertake consulting or research grant projects entrusted by government or industry bodies. Under such circumstances, the project surplus after paying up the necessary dues will remain in the Association to support its operation.

5.4 The Association may establish such financial reserves as are considered appropriate by the Board of Directors, subject to the regulations and laws of the country in which the Association is incorporated.

5.5 Members are encouraged to offer voluntary personal services, provide personal donations, and introduce donations from the industry to the Association.

Article VI: Working Languages and Communications

6.1 The Association’s working languages are English and Chinese.

6.2 The Association shall provide Internet–based forums/platforms to encourage academic discussions, debates, exchange of ideas, and knowledge sharing among its members.

6.3 The Association operates regular newsletters (“China Tourism Research Updates”) as a communication tool to promote relevant news and events among its members and the international tourism research community.

Article VII: Changes to the Bylaws

7.1 Changes in the Bylaws shall be made by a two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of the current members voting either in person or by email, provided that the proposed changes have been communicated to all members two (2) months in advance of the proposed date for voting.

Article VIII: Dues

8.1 All members shall pay an annual membership fee as set by the Board of Directors and ratified by the membership.