Participants having the lecture.
IFT organises training and education programmes in collaboration with UNWTO via the newly established Global Centre for Tourism Education and Training of IFT. These courses would seek to enhance the human capital of the Asia Pacific tourism sector and promote sustainable tourism in the region. The Centre would also provide training to officials and industry representatives from the local industry as well as Portuguese-speaking countries, contributing to the Government’s goal of building Macao into a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure, and a Commercial and Trade Cooperation Service Platform between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries (“One Centre, One Platform” initiative). Representatives of tourism-related bodies from Asia-Pacific countries and regions attend the course – “Tourism Capacity Building for Government and Public Officials” – organised by the Institute, in partnership with UNWTO from 14-21 November. Participants in the course include: 2 representatives from the Macao Government Tourism Office, 2 representatives from the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao), including the Representative of East-Timor in Forum Macao, and 17 participants come from Afghanistan, Bhutan, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Iran, Mongolia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea and Mainland China. This is the second time IFT partnered with UNWTO to offer such type of professional training course. Overseas participants attending professional training courses at IFT would be able to learn new, tourism-related, management strategies and practices, as well as gain valuable insights from observing Macao’s tourism industry. It is hoped the knowledge acquired during the courses could be useful for overseas participants in the development of the tourism and hospitality industries in their respective countries and regions. In addition, representatives from Macao – and from elsewhere – could benefit from the experience-sharing process when meeting the other participants on this particular course, and on future courses. The Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao (IFT) was established in 1995, and offers the most extensive range of tourism and hospitality-related bachelor degree programmes in Macao. Annually, approximately 20,000 participants attend its vocational and professional training courses. IFT collaborates with 101 universities and tourism organisations around the world, and has strong links with 500 leading tourism and hospitality corporations worldwide that provide internship opportunities to IFT students. IFT was the first institution to be accredited by the UNWTO.TedQual Certification System for tourism education, and now has 8 bachelor degree programmes with this certification. Currently, the Institute has the greatest number of bachelor degree programmes certified under that system of any tertiary education establishment worldwide. IFT has received the Medal of Merit in Tourism from the Macao SAR Government, and has twice won the Gold Award in ‘Education and Training’ from PATA.
