Local tourism officials recently traveled to Puerto Rico to present a unique partnership between Temple and the Philadelphia Gay Tourism Caucus, who together have been working to make the Philadelphia hospitality industry fully LGBT-welcoming. Debra Blair, assistant professor at Temple's School of Tourism and Hospitality Management, leads training sessions involving actors who portray LGBT individuals and depict the myriad obstacles and uncomfortable situations they could face when traveling. "From an academic perspective, the collaboration facilitates an opportunity to validate theories, conduct research that will add to the body of knowledge [about] LGBT-related diversity training and bring practical application of service strategies to our students," Blair said.