To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the founding of the University of Macau, the Faculty of Business Administration and Melco Resorts & Entertainment Limited jointly organized the first business case study competition themed on the sustainable development of integrated resorts. A total of 74 teams participated in the competition. The 330 elite contestants from 25 higher education institutions and secondary schools in the Greater Bay Area were divided into the university group and the secondary school group. On December 12, 2021, the finals were successfully held amid an enthusiastic response! After several fierce rounds of competition, the winners of the university group and the secondary school group finally emerged. The award ceremony was also successfully held on the afternoon of the same day. Ms. Maria Helena, director of the Macao Government Tourism Office, and Division Chief Cheang Sek Kit, representative for the Education and Youth Development Bureau of the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region, were invited as award presenters to witness the hard work of the participating teams. The champion, first runner-up and second runner-up of the university group were the University of Macau, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the Macau University of Science and Technology, while the champion, first runner-up and second runner-up of the secondary school group were the Premier School Affiliated to Hou Kong Middle School, Our Lady of Fatima Girls’ School and Yuet Wah College.
Integrated resorts are an essential characteristic of Macao’s tourism development. They occupy a large area, operate for a long time, and consume a great number of resources. As a result, sustainable development has become an attitude and thinking that the industry must uphold over the long term. The competition was intended to help students gain an in-depth understanding of the actual operations of Macao’s characteristic integrated resorts, as well as the importance of sustainable development in future development. The contestants came up with optimization plans for specific business cases based on field visits and explanations by professionals about the “Above and Beyond” sustainability strategy of the co-organizer. In doing so, the concept of sustainable business was promoted among the young communities in the Greater Bay Area, encouraging them to apply what they have learned in the future and continue to make suggestions for the development of the Greater Bay Area. During the competition, in accordance with the anti-pandemic measures, the study tour activities were divided into on-site and online ones. 22 rounds of field visits and two rounds of online seminars and green tours on the theme of sustainable development were organized in total.
