On 21 May 2021, the SHTM organised the Smart Tourism in the Greater Bay Area Forum, which was delivered both online and offline. The Forum was organised in collaboration between the SHTM's Hospitality and Tourism Research Centre, the School of Tourism Management at Sun Yat-Sen University and the Macao Institute for Tourism Studies. It was run by a group of talented undergraduate students from the SHTM's Special Events Class.
Themed
"Big Data, AI and Ecosystem", the Forum provided a unique platform for researchers and key stakeholders in the region to share experiences of and development strategies relating to smart tourism, thereby promoting technology and knowledge spillovers across borders in the Greater Bay Area (GBA).
The Forum's opening address was delivered by Professor Jin-Guang Teng, President of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Professor Kaye Chon, SHTM Dean and Chair Professor and Walter and
Wendy Kwok Family Foundation Professor in International Hospitality Management. The following session, entitled "Knowledge Sharing Keynotes – Academic Perspectives", was chaired by Professor Haiyan Song, SHTM Associate Dean, Chair Professor and Mr and Mrs Chan Chak Fu Professor in International Tourism. Professor Song was joined by two featured speakers: Professor Dimitrios Buhalis, Director of the eTourism Research Lab at the International Centre for Tourism and Hospitality Research,
Bournemouth University, and Professor Sangwon Park of the College of Hotel and Tourism Management, Kyung Hee University.
The next session, entitled "Knowledge Sharing Keynotes – Industry Insights", was chaired by Dr Fanny Vong, President of the Macao Institute for Tourism Studies. The session's featured speakers comprised Dr Jason Ni, Executive Director, Wynn Palace, Macao; Dr Yuzhou Huang, General Manager, Strategy and Development Department, Fliggy Travel; and Mr Joseph Wang, Chief
Commercial Officer, TravelDaily China.
Two panel discussions were held on knowledge co-creation. The first, entitled "Smart GBA Tourism – Big Data Application in the GBA", was chaired by Dr Dan Wang, SHTM Associate Professor. Insights were offered by Dr Yi Liu, Associate Professor, School of Tourism Management, Sun Yat-Sen University; Dr Shanshan Qi, Invited Assistant Professor, Macao Institute for Tourism Studies; Dr Yang Xu, Assistant Professor, Department of Land Surveying and
Geo-Informatics, PolyU; and Mr Vallois Choi, Director of Digital Marketing Strategy, Hotel ICON.
The second panel discussion on knowledge co-creation, entitled "Smart GBA Tourism – Developing Smart Ecosystem", was chaired by Professor Honggang Xu, Dean of the School of Tourism Management at Sun Yat-Sen University. Invaluable insights were provided by Professor Leonardo Anthony Najarro Dioko, Director, Tourism Research Centre, Macao Institute for Tourism Studies; Ms Haena Kim, Director
of Education, WildChina; Professor Anthony Wong of the School of Tourism Management, Sun Yat-Sen University; and Mr Steve Hood, STR's Senior Vice President of Research and Founding Director of the SHARE Centre.
As part of the Forum, the GBA Smart Tourism Strategies Youth Challenge 2021 was held on 22 May to promote collaboration and knowledge exchange between young people in the GBA. It provided a platform for undergraduate students in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau to present their ideas on smart tourism strategies in the region. Six teams entered the competition. The winning place went to Team 5, of the Macao Institute for Tourism Studies; the first runner-up was Team 2, of Sun Yat-Sen University; and the second runner-up was Team 3, of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
The SHTM is very proud to have organised the Smart Tourism in the Greater Bay Area Forum, which provided an excellent platform for the discussion and
advancement of smart tourism. The School will continue to support and drive the sustainable development of the industry both regionally and worldwide.
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