Dr. Amir Shani of the Department of Hotel and Tourism Management, the Guilford Glazer Faculty of Business and Management 
GGFBM, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, is among the recipients of the Toronto Prize for Excellence in Research 2018.
Dr. Shani is an expert researcher of hotel management, occupational wellbeing of hospitality employees, hospitality ethics, tourism and the environment, sustainable tourism, ecotourism, animal use in tourism and entertainment, quality-of-life of local residents in tourism destinations, food ethics, issues in tourism marketing and the management of tourist attractions. Dr. Shani's articles have appeared in a variety of leading tourism and hospitality journals worldwide and he has contributed chapters for edited books focusing on destination marketing, zoos and tourism, and quality-of-life and tourism. Dr. Shani has won a number of academic awards, including Best Paper Award of the Conference of The International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education (ICHRIE), Outstanding Paper Award from the Journal Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, the Annual Dean's Award of Excellence. Dr. Shani has a PhD from the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, University of Central Florida. He earned his BA (Summa cum laude) in Management and MBA both from Guilford Glazer Faculty of Business and Management, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
Prof. Miki Malul, GGFBM Dean, remarks, “recognition of Dr. Shani's research in the specific fields of hotel management illustrates the important connection of such research to social responsibility, which the GGFBM advocates as essential in research and academic instruction. It is what makes our Faculty excel in ways beyond any business school in Israel."
This is the third time that the GGFBM Department of Hotel and Tourism Management researchers have been awarded the Toronto Prize. Previous recipients were Prof. Yaniv Poria in 2008, and Dr. Yaniv Belhassen in 2014.
The Toronto Prize for Excellence in Research was created by the Toronto Chapter of the Canadian Associates of BGU in 1998, to support promising young researchers at BGU and encourage them to excel. Every year, BGU Faculties submit their best candidates. A committee headed by the BGU Vice President and Dean of Research and Development then selects the researchers they feel are most worthy of this honor. This years' recipients included 2 researchers from the Faculty of Health Sciences, 2 from the Faculty of Natural Sciences, 2 from the Faculty of Engineering Sciences, and 2 from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.
The Department of Hotel and Tourism Management is a core part of the Guilford Glazer Faculty of Business and Management since its establishment at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. The vanguard of hotel and tourism research and studies in Israel, the Department is the only one offering BA, MA and PhD degrees in this field. The unique curriculum imparts relevant acumen for the leaders in the industries of hotel, tourism, aviation, beverage and catering and more. The studies sharpen analytical-business thinking, providing students with experience that prepare them for management, innovation and entrepreneurship in the industries, underscored with leadership, sustainability and social responsibility. The Department has an international reputation for quality research achievements and is ranked among the top 50 in the world by the Shanghai ARWU Global Ranking.
