Message from Treasurer

Gong Xi Fa Cai (Wishing You a Prosperous New Year)! This is indeed my best wish for all IAST Fellows at the beginning of the Chinese New Year - the Year of the Rat. In particular, as the new Treasurer of IAST, I would like to see the Academy having a steady and healthy income flow in the New Year.

It is my great honor to be elected as the new Treasurer of the Academy. I shall continue the good work of Geoff Crouch who has safely guarded the community chest over the past years. Although the chest is relatively small, it has been growing over time. I am sure all of us would like to see the resources of the Academy continue to grow with some new (or even entrepreneurial) initiatives in the future. With a healthy account it would be possible for us to set up some scholarships with a view to helping such activities as improving tourism research and education in developing countries, and disseminating tourism knowledge to a much wider audience. Therefore, any good suggestions on how to further improve our financial position would be highly appreciated.

I look forward to working with you all in making IAST a relevant and respected scholarly institution worldwide. In particular, it is my great privilege working with the new IAST Executive Committee members under the able leadership of Pauline!

Haiyan Song