More than 200 participants from 17 countries and regions around the world gathered in Hong Kong and online to attend the 18th Asia-Pacific Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education Conference (APacCHRIE 2020) organised by the SHTM on 27–28 October.
APacCHRIE 2020 was officially opened with a welcome address from Professor Jin-Guang Teng, PolyU President, with opening remarks from Ms Margaret Heng, President, APacCHRIE
and Professor Kaye Chon, SHTM Dean, Chair Professor and Walter and Wendy Kwok Family Foundation Professor in International Hospitality Management.
Taking the theme "Still Connected, Undivided", the Conference provided an excellent platform for delegates to discuss crisis management and address important issues such as how educational institutions will help the industry move forward. Together with the 11th APacCHRIE Youth Conference, it stood as an iconic academic milestone of the
industry during these challenging times.
The first plenary session was chaired by Professor Brian King, SHTM Associate Dean, and featured Dr Kwon-ping Ho, Founder and Executive Chairman, Banyan Tree Holdings, Dean Kaye Chon spoke on the topic "The Crystal Ball: Seeing through 2020 and beyond", and Mr Steve Hood, Senior Vice President, Research and Founding Director, STR SHARE Center, wrapped up the session with a speech entitled "The Hotel Industry Outlook".
The second plenary
session was chaired by Professor Cathy Hsu, SHTM Chair Professor, and featured Mr Stephen Ho, President-Growth and Operations, Asia Pacific, Hyatt Hotels Corporation; Mr Tasos Kosloglou, Chief Executive Officer, Hotel Division, Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited; Mr Jun Lai, Vice President, International Markets and Global Key Accounts, Ctrip.com; and Ms Shelley Perkins, Chief Talent and Culture Officer, Rosewood Hotel Group, who shared their views on "Post COVID-19: The Future of the Hospitality
and Tourism Industries".
On the second day, Dean Chon chaired the third plenary session entitled "Future of Professional and Continuing Education" featuring Professor Peter Yuen, Dean, College of Professional and Continuing Education, PolyU. The following discussion on "Online Teaching: Opportunities and Challenges", moderated by Dr Daniel Leung, SHTM Assistant Professor, included Dr George Liu, Associate Professor and Coordinator of Case Method, Community of Practice, Hospitality
Business Programme, Singapore Institute of Technology; Mr Simon Lloyd, Dean, Faculty of International Hospitality Industry, Dusit Thani College; Professor Eve Ren, Academic Coordinator for Tourism Retail and Marketing Management Programme, School of Tourism Management, Macau Institute of Tourism Studies; and Professor Bruce Tracey, Professor of Management, School of Hotel Administration, SC Johnson College of Business, Cornell University.
At the closing ceremony, the Best Paper Award
was presented to Mr Emmanuel Gamor and his SHTM co-authors, Associate Professor Dr Alice Hon and Professor Bob McKercher, for their paper entitled "The Influence of Cultural Distance on Tourism Demand in Hong Kong: A Study of Key Source Markets". The runner-up award was presented to Dr Sangwon Park, SHTM Associate Professor, and Mr Ren Ridge Zhong, SHTM Research Assistant.
APacCHRIE 2020 was managed entirely by a group of 32 talented SHTM undergraduate students from the Special Events
Class, who put together an enriching programme for international delegates and ensured the conference's success.
Founded in Hong Kong in 2002 by Dean Kaye Chon, APacCHRIE is the regional advocate for hospitality and tourism education for schools, colleges and universities that offer programmes in hotel and restaurant management, foodservice management and culinary arts. It has played an instrumental role in promoting academic and research exchanges in the Asia-Pacific region over the
years.
The next APacCHRIE Conference will be held in Singapore in 2021.
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