College of Business and Economics | Annual Report 2019 55 overview 2019 was no ordinary year for the school of tourism and hospitality (sth) as it coincided with the 50th anniversary of one of its legacy institutions – the hotel school tWR – or the “Wits” (Witwatersrand) hotel school as it was fondly known. the school’s celebration of this milestone, celebration of excellence in tourism and hospitality education, was among the many highlights of the 2019 academic year. master’s student and assistant lecturer won top prize at the young talents event at the world tourism forum in lucerne, switzerland (1). academic top achiever, master of tourism and hospitality student and assistant lecturer for tourism, ms Refiloe lekgau, won the prestigious Young talent award at the 6th World tourism forum (Wtfl) lucerne, switzerland. delegates from over 80 countries – including CEos, ambassadors, investors, academics and young professionals – deliberated on key themes such as innovation, talent and diversity management. of the 70 applications received for the wtfl young talent programme, ms lekgau’s research paper titled ‘perceived socioeconomic impacts of wildlife tourism’ was shortlisted into the top 12. she was ultimately selected one of three winners of the competition. dr diAne AbrAhAms Director: School of Tourism and Hospitality sth remAins number one in AFricA And progressed to eighteenth position in the world the sth remains a significant contributor to the College of Business and Economics research output, boasting more than 105 research output units in the 2019 academic year. in this year under review, the school continued its drive to grow its international research associates’ network – with more than 40 associates from 36 universities affiliated with the sth. the school further hosted an international research Associates Conference, which attracted top tourism and hospitality scholars. the conference was focused on progressive tourism and hospitality. (2) finally, the sth maintained the number one ranking in Africa – in the Qs Ranking for hospitality and leisure studies – and improved its shanghai global ranking from 34th in 2017, 20th in 2018 and 18th in 2019. Ferl tAlks 4ir And technology on 17 october 2019, the food Evolution Research laboratory (fERl) collaborated with the national society of south Africa (nssA) to host a joint symposium titled, the Evolution of diets: how will technology impact our eating habits? the symposium was held with a focus on the diet transition over the years and what was likely to come. Key topics covered included nutrition transition and the impact technology will have on diets, specifically linked to issues of obesity and non-communicable diseases (nCds) (3).
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