Recently, Dr. Jong Hyeong Kim and graduate student Gu Qiumeng from HNU-ASU International College,Hainan University (HAIC) attended the 24th Asia-Pacific Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (APacCHRIE) Conference in Osaka, Japan, from May 28 to 31, 2026.

APacCHRIE, established in 2002, is a leading academic organization in the Asia-Pacific region for tourism and hospitality management. This year's conference, themed "Futurizing Tourism and Hospitality: Embracing New Challenges and Innovation," was co-hosted by Ritsumeikan University's College of Business and the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. It marked the first time the event was held in Japan, providing a platform for scholars and industry leaders to discuss strategies for addressing global tourism's challenges, including environmental sustainability, responsible tourism, and digital transformation.

During the conference, Dr. Jong Hyeong Kim served as a session chair, overseeing an academic forum. He, along with Dr. Hyewon Youn and Gu Qiumeng, co-authored a paper titled "Remembering the Journey: Emotional Experiences in Skip-Gen Travel." Gu Qiumeng presented this study, which focuses on "skip-gen travel," a travel mode involving grandparents and grandchildren without the parents. The research, supported by emotional cognitive appraisal theory and the unforgettable tourism experience framework, surveyed 790 Chinese grandparents. It analyzed the emotional experiences and memory formation mechanisms in skip-gen travel scenarios, revealing that meaningful travel experiences can foster positive emotions and enhance travel memories, while travel stress and fatigue can induce negative emotions, inhibiting memory formation. The study also found that skip-gen travel memories significantly enhance the subjective well-being of the elderly, strengthen family cohesion, and stimulate future travel intentions, with cohabitation of grandparents and grandchildren moderating these effects. This research offers a novel theoretical perspective on elderly tourism's emotional dynamics and family interactions, providing practical insights for developing skip-gen travel-related products and improving cultural and tourism services.

The HAIC faculty and students look forward to further contributing to research innovation in tourism and hospitality management on the international stage.