IFTM and China Tourism Academy in deal to boost cooperation

IFTM and the China Tourism Academy are strengthening ties, following the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation between the 2 parties. The deal was announced in early November, during the 4th Greater Bay Area Tourism Research Alliance Forum, held at IFTM.

The China Tourism Academy, also known by the initials CTA, is a research institute mainly responsible for policy and theory study regarding the tourism industry, and research on integrated development of culture and tourism, as well as tourism statistical work and data analysis, and is under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The think tank was established in Beijing in 2008 and publishes a number of reports and academic publications on tourism and related topics.

The Memorandum of Cooperation between IFTM and the China Tourism Academy aims to boost strategic cooperation between both parties, in order to promote the positioning and development of Macao as a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure. The deal also envisions enhancing IFTM’s role as the Tourism Education and Training Base for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, as well as advancing overall tourism development within the city cluster.

IFTM and the China Tourism Academy plan to work together on a number of new and existing projects. That encompasses joint tourism research, data interchange, and strengthening exchanges of personnel. Additional goals include jointly hosting conferences and seminars, and participation in such events hosted by either party.

The President of the China Tourism Academy, Dr. Dai Bin, says cooperation with IFTM will allow the CTA to strengthen its research on Macao’s tourism industry and within the Greater Bay Area. Through the partnership with the CTA, IFTM will be able to have access to China Tourism Academy’s policy research output, sets of market data and network of partners, says Dr. Dai. In return, the CTA can tap into IFTM’s international academic platform and its team of Macao-specialising researchers.

Dr. Dai highlights the particular importance of research amid the outbreak of COVID-19. He says the pandemic is influencing tourist behaviour and travel choices: research can play an essential part in leading the tourism industry to seek new opportunities amid the current crisis, in order to revitalise the sector.