Focusing on the frontiers of aviation and tourism industries, a specialized lecture was given at the Mission Hills campus of Hainan University, by professor Andreas Papatheodorou, a member of the school board of University of the Aegean in Greece and director of the TTIDD Laboratory and MATBA.

He first talked about derived demand, a core concept often overlooked by the public, and pointed out that the demand for aviation transport is largely derived from end-consumer activities like tourism. Conversely, improvements in air connectivity can stimulate new consumption demands. The bidirectional interaction logic was a central theme throughout the lecture, serving as a key entry point for understanding the relationship between aviation and tourism.

On a micro-analytical level, he deconstructed the aviation transport industry and evaluated the degree of connection between different aviation services and various types of tourism, such as business and leisure. Shifting to a macro perspective, he demonstrated the interdependent relationship between aviation transport and tourism destinations, using islands as an example.

The perspective was then elevated to regional economic growth, with his systematical interpretation of direct, indirect, induced, and catalytic effects brought by the aviation industry. Utilizing the latest statistical data from the Asia-Pacific aviation market, he outlined the aviation capacity of China and analyzed the competitiveness of tourism markets in Southeast Asia.

During the interactive session, students posed questions regarding how Hainan could learn from Dubai's experience in aviation, with the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port. Based on the distinct differences in geographical advantages between Hainan and Dubai, he suggested that leveraging its large domestic customer base, Hainan should gradually expand its international route networks to Southeast Asia and focus on high-end, unique tourism products to avoid the pitfalls of low-cost, homogeneous competition.

Throughout the lecture, Papatheodorou fully showcased a scholar's value of knowledge dissemination and academic guidance. The students and faculty in attendance not only gained frameworks of theoretical analysis, but also honed their critical thinking through thoughtful questioning and discussion.