BVI Premier visited UTM, to explore more collaboration in cultivating tourism professionals
Dr Natalio D. Wheatley, Premier and Minister of Finance for the British Virgin Islands (BVI), recently led a delegation to the Macao University of Tourism (UTM) and met with UTM members, including Rector Fanny Vong, Vice-Rector Connie Loi and Registrar Louisa Lam, to engage in extensive exchanges on strengthening collaboration in nurturing tourism professionals.
In each of the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 academic years, one student from the BVI has registered for undergraduate programmes at UTM, and the new academic year will also see the arrival of another new student in the undergraduate programme. Rector Fanny Vong remarked that the Macao SAR Government has been promoting the internationalisation of higher education, and that BVI students are welcome to pursue further studies in the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes at UTM. At the same time, she hoped that the students would take advantage of Macao as a platform to integrate into the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, which will definitely open up extraordinary opportunities for them.
Dr Natalio D. Wheatley, Premier and Minister of Finance for the BVI, expressed his gratitude to UTM for providing quality tourism education opportunities for BVI students. In order to foster bilateral exchanges, he planned to organise internship placements for UTM students in BVI’s tourism sector. With more international exchange and learning opportunities expected to create for students from both sides, it is envisaged to establish a long-term and mutually beneficial partnership and jointly nurture high-end tourism professionals.
During their stay in Macao, the delegation also visited the UTM Educational Hotel Pousada de Mong-Há and enjoyed Macanese cuisine at the UTM Educational Restaurant, where they experienced personally how students apply their theoretical knowledge to real-life situations and provide quality services to customers, thereby laying a solid foundation for them to become future managers in the tourism industry.
