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IFT students shine in Macao MICE competition

中文摘要 / Summary in Chinese

IFT was the big winner in the Macao Tertiary Institution Students Conference Challenge 2017/2018, a competition held on 17 March. One team of IFT students won the contest and another finished third in the field of 11 competing teams.

Both IFT teams were made up of students pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Tourism Event Management. The winning team’s proposal established what they called the International Gastronomy Tourism Co-creation Forum. The students argued that the food a place such as Macao offers will attract tourists and should be regarded as more than just a side attraction. Their proposal envisaged the promotion of gastronomic tourism – a growing tourism segment worldwide – as a type of travel experience that would draw tourists to Macao and keep them coming back again and again.

The students said the Macao SAR Government had repeatedly stressed the importance of the unique gastronomic culture of Macao as a sustainable tourism attraction that should be developed as the city endeavours to attract leisure-seekers from around the world. The students also pointed out that last November Macao became a member of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Creative Cities Network in the field of gastronomy.

The winning team comprised Giselle Wong, Rocky Cheong, Selina Xie and Shirlene Xian. All are in Year 4 of the IFT programme leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Tourism Event Management. The team was supported by IFT Lecturer Ms. Sherry Tan.

The third-placed IFT team comprised Year 2 and Year 3 students in the same programme: Ericsson Ao, Janice Wong, Kelly Wong and Sharon Sou. They were supported by IFT Visiting Professor Dr. John Ap. The team’s proposal was to institute what they called the International Tourism Education Conference.

Ms. Tan and Dr. Ap say IFT programmes endeavour to balance theory and practice, and thus encourage students to interact and cooperate with people in the industry by taking part in exercises such as the Macao Tertiary Institution Students Conference Challenge.

The students describe the contest as a good learning experience and a way to apply what they have learned in the classroom in a practical exercise. They say joining this competition improved their understanding of how to put together an event.

President’s Corner

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