Dr. Max Zhao Weibing says that, following the name shift to UTM, expectations have risen regarding Macao’s premier tourism education institution. The scholar, Dean of the Faculty of Creative Tourism and Intelligent Technologies, highlights new programmes and curriculum revisions, all aimed at equipping students with cutting-edge skills in fields such as smart tourism and digital marketing
Dr. Max Zhao Weibing proudly foresees that his first job – at what is now known as UTM – could form a path that will see him at the institution for the whole of his career. As a scholar in the field of tourism management, he is passionate about creativity and integrating technology concepts into education, to help students navigate an ever-evolving world.
The Dean of the Faculty of Creative Tourism and Intelligent Technologies says that since April, when the Macao Institute for Tourism Studies (IFTM) became the Macao University of Tourism (UTM), society’s expectations for the institution have increased. That in turn is fuelling the desire of the University’s management and team of scholars for ever-greater achievements.
“We can now do more, we can explore new possibilities,” Dr. Zhao says. “This belief is a source of pride for all UTM staff and students.”
The scholar explains that a higher education institute differs from a university in a number of ways; one being that a university can provide greater diversity in its academic portfolio. “As a university, we should offer a wider range of programmes,” he says. As an example, he cites UTM’s Faculty of Creative Tourism and Intelligent Technologies’ focus on business and management courses.
The Faculty is launching in the upcoming 2024/2025 academic year a Bachelor of Science in International Business and Innovative Communication. In addition, the Tourism Retail and Marketing Management Bachelor’s Degree Programme will be rebranded in the upcoming academic year as the Marketing and Brand Management Bachelor’s Degree Programme. The revised curriculum will focus on marketing and branding theory and practice, aiming to equip students with essential skills for careers in these fields.
“Another area UTM can explore further is the cultural stream, as culture and heritage studies are among our strengths,” Dr. Zhao says. The Faculty’s Bachelor of Science in Cultural and Heritage Management will adopt a revised curriculum in academic year 2024/2025.
In addition, UTM will launch a version of the Cultural and Heritage Management programme using Chinese as the medium of instruction. The Bachelor of Science in Tourism Business Management programme will also be available in Chinese. They will follow the same respective curriculum as the existing English-language versions, comply with the same standards, and provide students with the same level of higher education.
The renaming of the institution as UTM also led to the renaming of its academic units. The Faculty of Creative Tourism and Intelligent Technologies now carries the mission of advancing education and research in these fields.
“We aim to be innovative in providing tourism management education, rather than relying on traditional methods,” Dr. Zhao says. He emphasises the importance of integrating technology into course design to prepare students for likely industry trends.
Dr. Zhao highlights smart tourism and digital marketing as prime examples of technology-related topics being incorporated in UTM course offerings. Students also need to understand the basic concepts of new technologies, so that they can apply them once they graduate, he says.
From Scholar to Dean
Dr. Zhao has built his entire academic career at UTM and its predecessor. “This is my 17th year here, I am proud to say.”
When joining the academic team in 2008, he had only modest knowledge of Macao, Dr. Zhao now recounts. After receiving a PhD in management from the World Tourism Education and Research Centre at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, his next target was an academic post at an institution with an open and international academic outlook. “I searched within the Greater China area and found that UTM, then known as IFT, fulfilled my needs.”
Dr. Zhao has long been involved in management studies – initially in management engineering before transitioning to tourism management. He says there are similar management principles applied to both fields.
His research interests span destination marketing and management, educational tourism, pro-poor tourism, entrepreneurship, the socioeconomic impacts of gambling, and regional tourism collaboration in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Dr. Zhao has also been engaged in the production of past editions of the ‘Green Book of Macao – Annual Report on Development of Travel and Leisure in Macao’. It is a digest of issues identified by outstanding scholars, with proposed solutions, and trend predictions. “It was an achievement because its content contributes to the industry,” Dr. Zhao says.
The UTM scholar is active in conducting policy research and research on industry practice. He has assisted a range of government agencies, non-governmental organisations, and corporations in improving their practices and strategic planning.
Dr. Zhao believes research must be useful not only in the academic sphere, but in practical terms, so that it is “meaningful” for the community at large. “When policymakers use the research as a reference, it provides a real sense of achievement” for academics, he says.
Editor: UTM Public Relations Team
