PolyU Hosted International Forum on Tourism Trends and Outlook

o-organised by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) in collaboration with The Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) and the People’s Government of Guilin, the Fourth UNWTO/PATA Forum on Tourism Trends and Outlook was successfully held in Guilin, China, on 2-4 September 2010.

Already in its fourth year, the forum provided a platform for government officials, tourism authorities, industry practitioners and academics to share their perspectives, strategies and practices on domestic and regional tourism during and after the economic crisis.

This year’s forum focused on domestic and regional tourism as a mechanism in the resilience of destination and source market economies. Domestic tourism has been booming in many destinations, particularly in developing economies, and has served as an effective mechanism of economic resilience. Coupled with regional tourism collaboration, domestic tourism holds enormous promise and has implications for economic and social development as well as policy orientation for an array of destinations.

The forum was officially open by Mr Marcio Favilla, Executive Director of UNWTO. Mr John Kester, Director of Tourism Trends and Marketing Strategies Programme of UNWTO, Mr Kris Lim, Director of Strategic Intelligence Centre of PATA and Professor Haiyan Song, Chair Professor of SHTM updated the participants on the current trends and future prospects of both domestic and regional tourism. After the opening session, the country and regional representatives presented the domestic and regional tourism trends with a specific focus on the role played by domestic as well as regional tourism in the economic recovery process.

The second day featured a plenary session open to a broad audience and devoted to discussing the strategies, practices and growth trends of domestic and regional tourism as economic resilience. The keynote speakers included Professor Kaye Chon, Chair Professor and Director of SHTM and Professor Dai Bin, President of the China Tourism Academy.

PolyU’s School of Hotel and Tourism Management is one of the world-leading providers of hospitality and tourism education. It is ranked No. 2 in the world among hotel and tourism schools based on research and scholarship, according to a study published in the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research in November 2009.

With 60 academic staff drawing from 18 countries, the School offers programmes at levels ranging from PhD to Higher Diploma. It was awarded the 2003 International Society of Travel and Tourism Educators Institutional Achievement Award in recognition of its significant contribution to tourism education, and is designated by United Nations World Tourism Organisation as one of its global Education and Training Centres.