New Tourism, New Directions Explored at IMPACT2021 Conference
Organised by the SHTM and its Hospitality and Tourism Research Centre together with STR and run by a group of talented SHTM undergraduate students from the Special Events Class, the IMPACT2021 Conference took place on 16 December at Hotel ICON in both online and offline forums.
As our resilient global industry re-emerged from the setbacks imposed by COVID-19, the SHTM assembled industry leaders and prominent scholars from Hong Kong and beyond at IMPACT2021 to discuss the latest industry trends and prospects and to propose solutions to problems faced by the entire sector. Themed "New Tourism, New Directions", the conference was a timely opportunity to bring industry executives, government officials and academics together to exchange insights, find new paths and reinvent tourism for a post-pandemic world.
IMPACT2021 was kicked off by Professor Jin-Guang Teng, PolyU President, and Ms Elizabeth Winkle, Chief Strategy Officer of STR, who delivered the opening addresses. Chaired by Professor Kaye Chon, SHTM Dean, Chair Professor and Walter and Wendy Kwok Family Foundation Professor in International Hospitality Management, the Opening General Session that followed was entitled "Tourism and Hospitality Industry Today: Where Do We Go from Here?". Insights were provided by Mr Dane Cheng, Executive Director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board; Mr Steve Hood, Senior Vice President, Research and Founding Director, SHARE Centre of the STR; Ms Liz Ortiguera, Chief Executive Officer of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA); Ms Stephanie Ricca, Editorial Director of Hotel News Now; and Ms Sarah Wang, Regional Director – Greater China of the World Travel and Tourism Council.
The Panel Discussion "Hospitality and Tourism 2030: Opportunities and Challenges", chaired by Professor Dimitrios Buhalis, SHTM Visiting Professor, and Dr Ada Lo, SHTM Associate Professor, featured two sessions. Joining the first session were panellists from the travel industry, including Mr Andrew Jones, Guardian of Sanctuary Resorts and Executive Board Member of PATA; Ms Monica Lee-Muller, Managing Director of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (Management) Ltd.; Ms Mandy Ng, CEO of Hong Kong Express Airways Ltd.; and Ms Gloria Slethaug, CEO of Connexus Travel. The second session featured panellists from the hospitality industry, namely Mr Richard Hatter, General Manager of Hotel ICON and SHTM Adjunct Associate Professor; Mr Tasos Kousloglou, CEO, Hotel Division of the Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd.; Mr Regan Taikitsadaporn, Chief Human Resources Officer, Asia Pacific of the Marriott International; and Mr Bill Taylor, Regional Vice President and General Manager of the Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong.
Attention then turned to research nurtured by the SHTM, with two parallel sessions devoted to Impact Presentations by SHTM faculty and Hotel ICON Projects.
The SHTM is very proud to have organised IMPACT2021, a unique and timely platform for discussing the future of the global hospitality and tourism industry. The School will continue its efforts to support the recovery of the industry and drive its future development.
About PolyU School of Hotel and Tourism Management
For 45 years, the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University has refined a distinctive vision of hospitality and tourism education and become a world-leading hotel and tourism school. Ranked No. 1 in the world in the "Hospitality and Tourism Management" category in ShanghaiRanking's Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2023 for the seventh consecutive year; placed No. 1 globally in the "Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services" category in the University Ranking by Academic Performance in 2022/2023 for six years in a row; rated No. 1 in the world in the "Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism" subject area by the CWUR Rankings by Subject 2017; and ranked No. 2 in the world among university based programmes in the "Hospitality and Leisure Management" subject area in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023 for the seventh consecutive year, the SHTM is a symbol of excellence in the field, exemplifying its motto of Leading Hospitality and Tourism.
The School is driven by the need to serve its industry and academic communities through the advancement of education and dissemination of knowledge. With a strong international team of 90 faculty members from 20 countries and regions around the world, the SHTM offers programmes at levels ranging from undergraduate to doctoral degrees. Through Hotel ICON, the School's groundbreaking teaching and research hotel and a vital aspect of its paradigm-shifting approach to hospitality and tourism education, the SHTM is advancing teaching, learning and research, and inspiring a new generation of passionate, pioneering professionals to take their positions as leaders in the hospitality and tourism industry.
Website: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/shtm/
