The SHTM organised the 3rd Global Tourism & Hospitality Conference (HONG KONG 2017) on 5-7 June 2017 at Hotel ICON in celebration of the University's 80th anniversary.
HONG KONG 2017 was officially opened by Professor Timothy W. Tong, President of PolyU; Miss Cathy Chu, Commissioner for Tourism, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government; Mr Michael Li, Executive Director of the Federation of Hong Kong Hotel Owners; and Ms
Cynthia Leung, General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Hong Kong Tourism Board. Also in attendance were seven recipients of the UNWTO's Ulysses Prize, widely considered the Nobel Prize for Tourism: Professor David Airey, Emeritus Professor, University of Surrey; Professor Richard Butler, Emeritus Professor, University of Strathclyde; Professor Eduardo Fayos-Solà, Professor, University of Valencia; Professor Donald Hawkins, Professor Emeritus of Tourism Studies, George Washington University;
Professor Jafar Jafari, Emeritus Professor, University of Wisconsin-Stout; Professor Pauline Sheldon, Professor Emerita, School of Travel Industry Management, University of Hawaii; and Professor Kaye Chon, SHTM Dean, Chair Professor and Walter Kwok Foundation Professor in International Hospitality Management.
With support from the SHTM's faculty members, 48 students from the final-year undergraduate Special Event Class formed the organising committee and managed the entire conference
from planning to staging. The students were provided a valuable opportunity to gain professional experience and show their abilities to create an experience unlike any other for conference delegates.
Under the theme "Innovation · Research · Education", HONG KONG 2017 attracted close to 400 participants from 31 countries and regions to exchange views, research findings and insights related to tourism and hospitality in Asia and around the world. The plenary sessions covered a wide range
of topics, with Sessions I and II operating as UNWTO Ulysses Prize Laureate Open Forums in which the seven distinguished scholars interacted with conference participants to share their profound knowledge and insights. Session III, featuring the topic "What is ON in Research in Hospitality and Tourism Today?", was chaired by Professor Kijoon Back, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, Eric Hilton Distinguished Chair, Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the
University of Houston. Dr Catherine Cheung, SHTM Associate Dean, chaired Session IV on the topic "Hospitality and Tourism Education and Research Around the Globe".
The conference also featured paper presentation, poster sessions, a panel session entitled "University and Industry Partnerships", and an Optional Dinner with Speakers for delegates to interact with prominent speakers.
At the Gala Dinner that rounded out the conference on 7 June, the Undergraduate Student Best Research
Paper Award Presentation was held. This unique award, established by the SHTM to foster high-quality research among undergraduate students, was open to all first-author undergraduate students with up to one co-author. The winners were:
- Champion - "Why Should Restaurants Source Local Food?" by Malia Bacig and Dr Cheri Young, University of Denver, USA
- First Runner-up - "Revenue Management and Customer Relationship Management: Conflicts or Integrated
Revenue Driver?" by Shi Xinchen and Dr Basak Denizci Guillet, PolyU SHTM, Hong Kong
- Second Runner-up - "Generation Y, Virtual Reality, and Tourism" by Juleigh Giberson, Ryerson University, Canada
The inaugural Community Impact Award, introduced by the SHTM to recognise undergraduate students whose research has demonstrated great potential for societal impact, went to Hong Ka Ling and Dr Pamela Ho of the Hong Kong Community College at PolyU for their paper entitled "An
Exploratory Study of Exhibitor Perspective of Green Exhibitions in Hong Kong".
The SHTM considers it vital to unite students, alumni, industry partners, educators and researchers to promote collaboration in hospitality and tourism education and research for the future innovative development of the industry. The School is very proud of its talented students who so diligently put together an enriching programme and created such a unique platform for the meaningful collaboration.
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