Montreal, May 30, 2025 — The World Centre of Excellence for Destinations (CED) will take an active part in the 10th edition of the international symposium Rendez-vous Champlain, to be held from June 2 to 5, 2025 at the School of Management Sciences of UQAM. Under the theme “Tourism and Resistance to Change: Can We Transform the Way We Travel?”, the event will bring together researchers, experts, field actors, and students to discuss contemporary tourism challenges.
Three CED representatives will present scientific communications, reflecting the organization’s commitment to innovation, sustainability, and supporting destinations in adapting to global changes.
Prof. François Bédard, Director of CED, will open the international discussions during the opening panel entitled “Resistance to Change: From Montreal to the World” (Tuesday, June 3, 9:45 AM). His talk will address major adaptation challenges for destinations in a constantly changing global context.
He will also contribute to two other sessions:
A thematic workshop on “Excellence of the Djerba Tourist Destination: From Resistance to Resilience” in collaboration with researchers from the University of Gabès (Tuesday, June 3, 2:00 PM).
A presentation on the reconfiguration of destination governance at the regional level, through the case of Abitibi-Témiscamingue (Tuesday, June 3, 2:00 PM), alongside Prof. Benoît Duguay and Dr. Bertrand Dongmo Temgoua.
Prof. Benoît Duguay, Head of Research at CED, will speak in the same scientific session (AXIS 3) on the tools available to tourism stakeholders, highlighting issues of innovation and mobilization in tourism governance.
Dr. Bertrand Dongmo Temgoua, CED’s Director for Central Africa (ECCAS), will make two contributions:
A talk on destination governance dynamics, co-presented with Prof. Bédard and Prof. Duguay (Tuesday, June 3).
A session titled “A Universal Tool for Developing Local Tourism Destinations: The Adaptability of SMED in the Context of Decentralized Cameroonian Municipalities” (Wednesday, June 4, 2:00 PM), emphasizing the value of the System of Measures for Excellence in Destinations (SMED) as a strategic planning tool in the Global South.
CED at the Core of Territorial Innovation
The presence of these three experts reflects CED’s mission to place science and expertise at the service of territories. Through their contributions, they will enrich discussions on governance models, destination adaptability, and sustainable transformation tools such as SMED, already implemented in several regions worldwide.
Rendez-vous Champlain 2025 thus serves as a strategic platform for promoting North-South comparative approaches and strengthening international collaborations around a more resilient, inclusive, and responsible tourism.
Dr Dongmo Temgoua Bertrand
