The vibrant multicultural exchanges in Macao facilitate the integrated development of leisure tourism, education, as well as health and well-being. This integration brings travellers enriching and immersive experiential journeys, reinforcing Macao’s role as a “World Centre of Tourism and Leisure” and the development of eco-tourism. MPU consistently hosted a series of educational and research events in the field of cultural tourism. The events include international academic conferences, seminars, and MICE projects, bringing together experts and scholars from around the world to provide insights in leisure technology, sports science, smart wellness, and cultural tourism education.
Discussion of Hot Topics in Tourism
One notable event was the “Hospitality and Tourism Education Symposium: Forward Looking into Hospitality and Tourism Education – Prospects and Challenges” on 23 and 24 November 2023. The symposium covered current issues in tourism and education, such as educational reforms, technology’s impact on travel, how ageing populations influence tourism demands, and ways to sustain tourism education. This significant symposium was co-organised with the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR government and supported by the Macao Government Tourism Office of the Macao SAR government and the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Education.
The grand opening ceremony at MPU was officiated by Cheang Kai Meng, Deputy Director of the Cultural Affairs Bureau; Hoi Io Meng, Deputy Director of the Macao Government Tourism Office; Dr. Lei Ngan Lin, Vice Rector of MPU; Associate Professor Cora Un In Wong, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of MPU; and leading scholars, including Professor Chris Ryan from the University of Waikato, New Zealand; Professor Bob McKercher from the University of Queensland, Australia; and Professor Po-Ju Chen from the Texas A&M University, United States, who shared their insights and research.
In line with the economic diversification strategy and the Sino-Lusophone positioning of Macao, MPU launched degree programmes at all levels to cultivate professionals in social sciences and tourism education, Vice Rector Lei remarked. The international symposium explored the academic frontiers of tourism and built a platform for exchanges and collaboration in global tourism by leveraging Macao’s advantageous positioning.
Professor Chris Ryan from the University of Waikato, New Zealand, delivered a keynote address
Professor Chris Ryan, a keynote speaker at the symposium, is known for his significant contributions to tourism academia. He was the founding editor and executive editor of the renowned academic journals Tourism Management and Tourism Management Perspectives and is currently the editor of Tourism Critiques: Practice and Theory. He discussed the new challenges of the tourism industry in the next decade and the impact of changing consumer demands on product services. He suggested that tourism education should train students’ soft skills, particularly in terms of providing quality services in tourism and hospitality in the era of technology.
Academic Insights into Wellness Tourism
Wellness tourism is a strategic direction for Macao’s economic diversification and sustainable tourism. The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at MPU invited Professor Carson Jenkins, an international expert in tourism management, to deliver a seminar on “The Concept of Wellness Tourism and its Contribution to Sustainable Development.” During the seminar, Professor Jenkins shared his insights and experiences from international research in the field of wellness tourism.
Professor Jenkins discussed how wellness tourism could contribute to sustainable development at the national, corporate, and individual levels from three perspectives: concept, classification, and wellness strategy. In his view, the core value of “wellness,” a relatively new concept, lies in reshaping healthy lifestyles through travel. The concept of wellness is a fast-growing market trend in both domestic and international tourism models, with similarities to the components of the general tourism industry as well as unique motivational elements. He had an in-depth discussion with participants on wellness tourism, eco-tourism, rehabilitation tourism, sustainable tourism, and other topics during the interactive session.
Professor Carson Jenkins was formerly Dean of the Faculty of Hospitality Management and Emeritus Professor at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland, and is currently Chair Professor at the International School of Cultural Tourism, Hangzhou City University. He is known for his research on tourism policy and planning and the role of tourism in developing countries, providing the academic community with strong theoretical and empirical evidence on the various types of tourism development.
The Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) is a three-year programme launched in the 2024/2025 academic year. Designed with an action-research based curriculum and evidence-based decision-making research geared towards business innovation and corporate strategy, the programme inspires business leaders to think strategically and to gain insights into global opportunities. Students will be engaged in opportunities for intensive studies on business topics such as managerial economics, financial and human resources management, artificial intelligence and technology application, leisure tourism, convention and exhibition trade, and more. Students are able to keep abreast of emerging enterprise management models, becoming top-notch professionals and outstanding entrepreneurs with an international outlook and social responsibility in the era of the digital economy.
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