Tides, University Institute for Tourism and Sustainable Economic Development

The University Institute of Tourism and Sustainable Economic Development (TIDES) was formalised by Decree 27/2010 of 11 March. The formal proposal for its creation was made in 2008 by a group of research teaching staff from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) who were aware of the priority role that tourism research should play in the progress and prosperity of our society, represented and led by the Professor of Applied Economics, Dr. D. Carmelo Javier León González, Director of the UNESCO Chair of Tourism and Sustainable Economic Development of the ULPGC and Director of the Economics, Environment, Sustainability and Tourism Research Group (ECOMAS).

This proposal was signed by a large group of professors from the ULPGC who were joined by a First PromoTides Meeting held in October 2009, which included researchers with extensive experience in tourism, representing different fields of knowledge, as well as prestigious foreign professors who participated as collaborating members.

The TIDES University Institute has the support of the main Public Administrations of the Canary Islands with authority over Tourism, Town Halls and Companies, as well as the support of different international centres of reference in tourism research at a worldwide level.

Mission
The TIDES University Institute was created with a commitment to international action, as a multidisciplinary entity of research, innovation and coordination, which provides opportunities for knowledge exchange in the tourism sector, the economy, the environment and sustainable development in general, generating benefits and solutions for socioeconomic progress at a local, regional and global level.

Vision
TIDES aims to establish itself as one of the main international university research institutes in tourism, with a multidisciplinary scope that promotes research, training and cooperation activities, with a strong focus on the different geographical areas in which the TIDES University Institute has a presence, mainly in Africa, Latin America and Europe.

Objectives
The Institute was created as an advanced research and teaching centre in the field of tourism innovation and sustainable economic development, with the general aim of training, research and cooperation in the field of tourism.

The functions of the TIDES University Institute are as follows:

• To promote, organise and plan research objectives in the different fields of tourism, economics, sustainable development and their applications.
• To carry out research activities and to collaborate with other public or private entities.
• To circulate and publicise research and studies, on its own initiative or in coordination with publishers, journals, and other media, or through conferences, seminars, congresses, colloquia and meetings, both national and international.
• To establish permanent links with other institutions and research centres that are active in the above-mentioned field.
• To transfer and exchange research results and information with other entities, both public and private.
• To establish relations with the private and public sector in order to promote technical advice and encourage the implementation of coordinated projects.
• To promote the training and improvement of specialised personnel for teaching and research in the aforementioned fields.
• To organise and promote study seminars, doctorate courses and other activities of a similar nature in the areas of its research activity, as well as joint curricular programmes with other universities and Spanish and foreign companies in the aforementioned areas.
• To provide adequate means to attract external resources to help finance research activity.
• To serve as a point of attraction for national and foreign scientists of recognised prestige in subjects related to tourism and sustainable development, who carry out placements at the Institute, providing the appropriate technological means to complete work in progress, initiate new projects and plan joint projects with institutions in other countries and with other university Institutes, Centres and Departments.

Institute Board

• President of the ULPGC or delegate
• Director
• Deputy Director or Manager
• Secretary
• 6 representatives of the Institute’s research professors
• 1 representative of the administrative staff assigned to the Institute
• 6 institutions co-sponsoring the Institute
• 1 representative of research scholars linked to the Institute

Executive Committee

• Director: Sergio Moreno Gil
• Manager: Arminda Almeida Santana
• Secretary: Javier de Leon Ledesma
• Unit or Division Directors

Management Team

• Director: Carmelo J. León González
• Manager: Arminda Almeida Santana
• Secretary: Javier de León Ledesma
• Assistant Quality Director: Víctor Padrón Robaina

Unit or Division Directors

• Business and Tourism Management: Víctor I. Padrón Robaina
• Cooperation for Sustainable Development: Matías M. González Hernández
• Education and Society: Javier de León Ledesma
• Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Tourism Digitization: Santiago Melián González
• Marketing and Tourist Experiences: Sergio Moreno Gil
• Laboratory for the Design of Tourist Products: Carmelo J. León González
• Quantitative Methods and Statistical Analysis: Francisco J. Vázquez Polo
• Territorial Tourism Strategy: Jin Javier Taira Alonso
• Transport and Tourism: Beatriz Erami Tovar de la Fe

Executive Committee Support

• Director Tides-Enterprise: Zoilo Alemán Falcón
• Director – Scientific Dissemination and Transference Teresa Aguiar Quintana
• Director – Training and Communication Daniel Celis Sosa
• Teaching Advisory Committee/Final Project
• President: Sergio Moreno Gil
• Secretary: Concepción Román García
• 4 representatives of the Institute’s research professors
• 4 students of the Master’s Degree in Tourism, Transport and Environmental Economics

Quality Assurance Committee

• Director: Sergio Moreno Gil
• Quality Coordinator: Víctor Padrón Robaina
• Degree Coordinator: Concepcion Román García
• 3 teaching representatives from the University Master’s Degree
• 1 student of the Master’s Degree in Tourism, Transport and Environmental Economics
• 1 representative of the administrative staff assigned to the Institute

In order to fulfil its objectives, the Institute is divided into units or divisions. Each division is the basic unit of organisation and development of the research staff training.

Division

• Business and Tourism Management (Person in charge: Víctor I. Padrón Robaina)
• Cooperation for Sustainable Development (Person in charge: Matías M. González Hernández)
• Education and Society (Person in charge: Javier de León Ledesma)
• Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Tourism Digitization (Person in charge: Santiago Melián González)
• Marketing and Tourist Experiences (Person in charge: Sergio Moreno Gil)
• Laboratory for the Design of Tourist Products (Person in charge: Carmelo J. León González)
• Quantitative Methods and Statistical Analysis (Person in charge: Francisco J. Vázquez Polo)
• Territorial Tourism Strategy (Person in charge: Jin Javier Taira Alonso)
• Transport and Tourism (Person in charge: Beatriz Erami Tovar de la Fe)