Main Headline Postgraduate Studies

A welcome day for new PhD students in joining IFTM!

A welcome day for new PhD students in joining IFTM!
中文摘要 / Summary in Chinese

IFTM gave its warmest welcome to all the 3 newly enrolled PhD students by offering a welcoming event for them on 14 September, 2022.

The new PhD students, from a range of backgrounds and disciplines, with some progressed from Bachelor’s to Master’s without a break , or some after gaining a few years of working experiences, happen to be studying our IFTM doctoral degree programme in Hospitality and Tourism Management.

With today’s rising popularity of hospitality and tourism management, Mr. Zhang Zuoyao, who has been teaching hospitality in one of the colleges in Guizhou, decided to pursue a PhD in the field. IFTM ranks 1st in Macao, 3rd in Asia and 23rd in the world on the QS World University Rankings in the subject area of Hospitality and Leisure Management in 2022. This has aroused his biggest interest and was his prime reason in making the decision of choosing IFTM’s PhD programme.

In around two weeks’ time, Mr. Zhang has already got advice from his seniors about the know-hows and tips on how to better expand skills and knowledge throughout the programme. Besides, from the experience he has during his stay in the dormitory, including the staff and its management, he is fully satisfied and can surely affirm the QS World University Rankings recognition that IFTM gained.

‘What makes this PhD programme so rewarding is that it makes positive contributions and provides growth and enhancement of hospitality and tourism research and education, which will not only help me further deliver engaging and informative lessons, but it will also help to progress my teaching career. This best suits my professional development.’ he says.

At the current stage, he wants his research to focus on management of red tourist attractions and inheritance of red culture in which ‘red tourism’ is now one of the hottest travel trends in China. He believes he can explore more during the learning and the research preparation process so as to better advance his career and broaden his job aspect.

With top-tier and well-respected professors and the excellent learning environment provided, Mr. Zhang Si, also a newcomer of the PhD programme, chooses IFTM to study his PhD. He believes he can perform cutting-edge research and publish high-quality academic papers.

The language of instruction is much appreciated by Mr. Zhang. Since the enrolled PhD programme is assessed in English, he can enjoy the learning environment under the reflected omnipresent internationality.

‘The hands-on experience in doing research, analysing data and findings ensures my breadth of knowledge as well as academic skills building. Developing my skills as I progress my career is crucial. Through this PhD programme, I hope we can use the currently growing tourism in China as reference to show the upcoming trends and investment opportunities to the world.’ he says.

Another new PhD student, Mr. Yang Qi, from Guangdong, said studying at IFTM was his first choice at postgraduate level in three different aspects. First, he graduated with a Master of Tourism Management degree in which he couldn’t ask for a more suitable PhD programme than IFTM’s offered. Second, it is the 3-year curriculum design of the programme that attracted him. Compared to PhD programmes in Mainland, the programme duration in IFTM is a year shorter. Third, because he is working in Guangdong Dongguan, the travel distance and time between two places is the most preferable among all other choices.

His main consideration when studying PhD is the presence of rich research facilities and sources, whether he can get access to the study materials that he needs. At this point, IFTM provides robust momentum and an academic atmosphere which allows and motivates him in his pursuit of research excellence.

‘This is my first time visiting Macao, everything is new and unfamiliar to me. But I’m sure this will be an exciting yet challenging chapter in my career.’ he says. As Macao, being a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure, he believes it can provide him with substantial data and information to conduct his study. He wants to carry out a research topic on the conflicts that tourists and the local communities with the surrounding tourist attractions encountered. With the research, he hopes to provide some solutions to solve, or at least some suggestions to soothe the persistent issue.