The Frontier in Hospitality and Tourism Annual Research Symposium took place on October 14-15, 2023 at the College of Tourism and Service Management, Nankai University, Tianjin. The theme of the symposium was “Changes and Challenges: The Innovative Development in Culture and Tourism”. Over 200 teachers and students from 45 institutions worldwide registered and participated in the symposium sessions, which included Keynote Speeches, Undergraduate Innovation Research Forums, Thematic Sub-forums, etc. Professors and students from the Department of Integrated Resort and Tourism Management of the Faculty of Business Administration at the University of Macau also actively participated in the symposium.
The symposium began with welcoming speeches from Prof. Li MIAO, Head of the Department of Integrated Resort and Tourism Management at the Faculty of Business Administration, University of Macau, and other professors from different universities. Following that, Prof. Davis Ka Chio FONG, Director of the Institute for the Study of Commercial Gaming at the University of Macau and Professor of the Department of Integrated Resort and Tourism Management, delivered a keynote speech. He reviewed the progress of Macau’s tourism and gaming industry and discussed opportunities in the post-epidemic era of Macau’s tourism industry.
Secondly, Prof. Faye Feier CHEN, Prof. Huiling HUANG, and Prof. Shannon Xiao YI from the Department of Integrated Resort and Tourism Management of the University of Macau gave presentations respectively on current hot topics in tourism research. Three undergraduate students Ziqing JIN, Yuqian LIN and Tiancheng WANG, and the postgraduate student Chufeng Wang from the Department of Integrated Resort and Tourism Management also presented at the Undergraduate Innovation Research Forum and the Sub-forum respectively. Meanwhile, the posters of Prof. Lawrence Hoc Nang FONG and Prof. Stella Xing LIU from the Department of Integrated Resort and Tourism Management were also displayed in the corresponding poster area, attracting the attention of many teachers and students. Prof. Yuansi HOU, Associate Professor in the Department of Integrated Resort and Tourism Management, also served as a reviewer in a sub-forum. The symposium provided a valuable platform for students and professors from various institutions to present and discuss their research projects.
In addition, Prof. Li MIAO also attended the panel of the Sino-foreign Journals Editors-in-Chief Exchange Meeting. As the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, Prof. Li MIAO introduced the features of the journal and answered the questions from teachers and students on the spot about the submission of manuscripts.
At the end of the symposium, the “Excellent Undergraduate Papers, Excellent Advisor and Excellent Reviewers” award c eremony was held, in which Prof. Huiling HUANG, Assistant Professor of the Department of Integrated Resort and Tourism Management, Faculty of Business Administration of the University of Macau, received the “Excellent Reviewers” award.
Professors and students from the Department of Integrated Resort and Tourism Management of the Faculty of Business Administration of the University of Macau have conducted diversified exchanges and reflections in the 2023 Frontier in Hospitality and Tourism Annual Research Symposium, exploring the opportunities and potentials for the future development of the tourism industry with the academics from various universities. The symposium has played a significant role in strengthening academic exchanges and cooperation among institutions and in promoting innovation in tourism education.
