Dr. Fanny Vong Chuk Kwan (front row, 4th right), President of IFTM, and Mr. Leo Chong Chi Kuan (front row, 3rd right), Chairman and General Manager of Senge Data Technology Macao Ltd, signed a strategic cooperation agreement
With the purpose of facilitating the development of smart tourism characterised by digitalisation, networking and intelligence, and exploring the application of information science in the formation of Macao as a “World Centre of Tourism and Leisure”, the Macao Institute for Tourism Studies (IFTM) and Senge Data Technology Macao Ltd. (Senge) have signed a strategic cooperation agreement that both parties will establish and operate a “Joint Laboratory on Culture and Tourism Metaverse”, and that key innovative cooperation will be implemented in the areas of industry-education integration, talent cultivation, and commercial application, promotion and generalisation.
The signing ceremony was held on the 20th of this month during the 28th Macao International Trade and Investment Fair (MIF), and the agreement was signed by Dr. Fanny Vong Chuk Kwan, President of IFTM, and Mr. Leo Chong Chi Kuan, Chairman and General Manager of Senge Data Technology Macao Ltd.
The cooperation between the two parties aims at building a demonstration base of metaverse-based culture and tourism in Macao and an economic infrastructure of digital tourism, by means of the study and application of metaverse technology, popularisation and market development of smart tourism, creation of smart campus and optimisation of smart education. With the experience and strength of IFTM in tourism education and studies, and the cutting-edge technology provided by the data enterprise Senge, it paves the way to connect with higher education institutions, achieve mutual benefits with enterprises and articulate with the market. The two sides will also work together to cultivate outstanding professionals for “Internet + Culture and Tourism” through school-enterprise collaboration and industry-education integration. By leveraging Senge’s strength of resources in the field of information technology, IFTM will be able to move forward in establishing a digital campus with metaverse technology and develop the project of “Smart IFTM”, which includes the iterative updates of digital education resources, introduction of digital education methods, and the utilisation of metaverse technology to conduct innovative applied practice in education. The project will enhance the learning experience and skills of students, and foster innovative professionals with versatile skillsets and multifaceted expertise in the realms of smart tourism information service, smart tourism management, smart product development and e-commerce marketing. The “Joint Laboratory on Culture and Tourism Metaverse” will also initiate exchanges and cooperation with tourist destinations, education institutions and enterprises in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area and across the country, and provide students with internship opportunities in the industry.
According to Dr. Fanny Vong Chuk Kwan, IFTM attaches great importance to the talent cultivation for the “Internet + Culture and Tourism” initiative. In the former curriculum reform, the Institute focused on increasing new technology application and innovative development, for which it has added new postgraduate programmes such as the “Smart Technologies in Hospitality and Tourism” and the “Digital Marketing and Analytics”. By entering into a strategic cooperation agreement with an enterprise, it is expected that the study of metaverse technology in smart tourism and other areas will be further developed and the transformation of achievements will thus be realised.
Shenzhen Senge Data Technology Co., Ltd., the parent company of Senge Data Technology Macao Ltd., owns the most advanced ground-borne and space-borne remote sensing platforms in China and abroad. Specifically, it is to use ground-borne and space-borne remote sensing, combined with the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and real-scene 3D modelling, to construct a metaverse view of the city. By doing so, the aggregation, analysis and calculation of urban big data can be achieved, leading to accurate prediction of urban planning and urban safety level, and thus grasping the opportunities for the development of digital city to carry out precise management.
