Co-hosted by the SHTM and the Nanjing Institute of Tourism and Hospitality, the 10th China Tourism Forum was successfully held in Nanjing, China on 8-10 October 2016.
Although a late starter in international tourism, China has risen in recent years to become one of the leading international tourist destinations. With such an unprecedented growth of tourism, many issues, challenges
and opportunities have emerged, most of which have global implications. The forum provided a platform for tourism policy makers, industry leaders, academics, researchers and students to discuss current issues and trends as well as explore new strategies related to tourism development in the country.
Held on 9 October, the forum's opening ceremony was officiated at by Professor Kaye Chon, SHTM Dean and Chair Professor and Professor Zhou Chunlin, President of the Nanjing Institute of Tourism and Hospitality. This was followed by Plenary Session 1 featuring Professor Dr Wolfgang Georg Arlt, Director of the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute, who spoke on "China Outbound Tourism from European Perspective" and Ms Christine Liu, STR's Country Manager for China, who delivered a "China Hotel Industry Overview". Dr Tony Tse, Professor of Practice at the SHTM, chaired Plenary Session II, "Careers in Hospitality and Tourism: Perspectives from Young Professions", presented by graduates of both the SHTM and the Nanjing Institute of Tourism and Hospitality, including Ms Adriane Li, Development Executive, Artyzen Hospitality Group Limited; Mr Lu Le, Chief Concierge, Crowne Plaza Nanjing Jiangning; Ms Kate Yang, China Research Manager, Prologis; and Ms Yang Minghui, Culinary Instructor, Shanghai Jinjiang Les Roches International Hotel Management School.
Professor Cathy Hsu, SHTM Chair Professor, chaired Plenary Session III, "Roundtable with Students in Hospitality and Tourism", on the following day. This was presented by Mr Matthew Au Yeung, Year 2 SHTM student; Ms Ren Jingya, Year 3 and Ms Tu Menghan, Year 2 Nanjing Institute of Tourism and Hospitality students; and Ms Joanna Wu, final-year MSc SHTM student. Plenary Session IV, "General Issues and Future Trends of China's Tourism and Hospitality Industry", was moderated by Dr Qu Xiao, Associate Professor at the SHTM, and featured Professor Levent Altinay from the Oxford School of Hospitality Management at Oxford Brookes University; Professor Billy Bai, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies at the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration, University of Nevada at Las Vegas; Mr Wolfgang Chen, President of Jinling Hotels and Resorts; and Dr Nicholas Thomas, Assistant Professor and Director of the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation Center for Student Development and Engagement at the School of Hospitality Leadership, DePaul University.
The forum also featured four concurrent paper sessions.
The SHTM is
delighted to have organised this forum, considering it a vital part of our ongoing efforts to support the sustainable development of tourism in China, the region and beyond.
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