October 2023
Volume 24, Issue 4
Newsletter of School of Hotel & Tourism Management
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
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ACHIEVEMENTS AND RECOGNITION
Recently released research by Stanford University recognised Professor Haiyan Song and Professor Cathy Hsu of the SHTM as being among the world's top 2% of scientists throughout their career in the field of Sport, Leisure and Tourism.

In 2022, a total of 12 SHTM faculty members were recognised among the world's top 2% of scientists: Dean Kaye Chon, Prof Haiyan Song, Prof Cathy Hsu, Prof Kam Hung, Prof Sam Kim, Prof Jinsoo Lee, Prof Mimi Li, Dr Sebastian Filep, Dr Alice Hon, Dr Ada Lo, Dr Vincent Tung and Dr Eric Chan.

The recognition is based on the number of citations of research papers published by faculty members.
Professor Haiyan Song won the Best Paper Award in the Competitiveness Track for his paper entitled "Has COVID-19 Changed Tourists' Behaviour? A Critical Evaluation of Published Studies" at the Surrey 2023 Conference in Guildford on 5-7 July.
Dr Norman Au and Dr Nguyen Bao Le, D.HTM student and Provost of Duy Tan University, received the Best Paper Award and the Emerald-IJCHT23 Most Provocative Research Award for their paper entitled "Potential of Facial Recognition Technology Adoption in the Hotel Industry – The Perspectives of Managers" at the International Joint Conference on Hospitality and Tourism 2023 on 18-20 July.
Professor Haiyan Song received the Lifetime Research Achievement Award from the International Council of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (ICHRIE), recognising his lifetime contributions to outstanding scholarship and research in hospitality and tourism. The award was presented at the 2023 I-CHRIE Annual Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, USA on 19-21 July.
Ms Casey Ho, a final year BSc (Hons) student in the Tourism and Events Management programme, alongside her team, won the Global Management Programme 2023 Championship organised by Fast Retailing, the parent company of Uniqlo. The invaluable insights she gained into the global retailing industry through this experience will stand her in good stead as her career advances.
SHTM faculty members were rewarded for their excellent performance in their fields.
  • Dr Dan Wang received an SHTM Teaching Excellence Award for her dedicated efforts to inspire students in their learning and professional development in a stimulating environment.
  • Professor Mimi Li, who has authored and co-authored 71 refereed articles in leading journals, received an SHTM Research Excellence Award in recognition of her contribution to research excellence at the School.
Dr Junchuan Wang and Dr Yitong Yu have obtained support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China. The titles of the respective research projects are "The Cultural Buzz of Scenescapes: The Perspective of Interaction In Space Experience", and "The Gig Worker's Dynamic Well-Being: A Multilevel Examination Through the Lens of Social Identity Theory".
Dr Antony Wong and Dr Bella Vongvisitsin won the Best Paper Award for their paper entitled "In Pursuit of Gender Affirmation and Social Acceptance: Medical Tourism from Transgender Perspectives" at the 3rd International Congress of Health-Oriented Tourism and Hospitality Conference in Bangkok, Thailand on 8-10 September 2023.
Dr Lisa Gao was honoured as the Emerging Graduate Professional of the Year by her alma mater, the Penn State School of Hospitality Management, and by the Penn State Hotel & Restaurant Society at the 2023 Alumni Awards Reception on 11 October.
D.HTM student Mr Xiaohai Zhan received The Padma and Hari Harilela Scholarship 2022/23. The scholarship was established in 2011 by Dr Hari N. Harilela, head of the Harilela Group, which plays a significant role in the professional development of the hotel industry.
D.HTM student Mr Katsuto Sandifer received the Prof Bob McKercher Scholarship. The scholarship assists students pursuing the D.HTM programme offered by the SHTM in Hong Kong.
Dr Bella Vongvisitsin, Dr Antony Wong and Dr Fanny Manner-Baldeon received the Best Paper Presentation Award for their paper entitled "Sexuality and Gender Inclusive Servicescape in Asian Hospitality: Perspectives of LGBTIQ+ Customers" at the ATLAS Annual Conference 2023 in Bad Gleichenberg, Austria on 10-13 October.
The SHTM received an award from the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) for its 30 years of contributions as an Affiliate Member. The School is one of the earliest UNWTO TedQual certified institutions and has contributed in many research and educational support activities by organising conferences in collaboration with UNWTO. The award was presented to Dean Kaye Chon at the 25th session of the UNWTO General Assembly in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on 16-20 October 2023.
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This e-newsletter is issued by the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
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