A delegation from the IFTM Council met with the Chief Executive of the Macao SAR, Mr. Ho Iat Seng, on 4 June. The 18 representatives were led by IFTM Council Chair Mr. Chan Chak Mo. Macao SAR Government Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Ms. Ao Ieong U also took part in the meeting.
Delegation members gave presentations on the Institute’s current status and outlined the development plan for IFTM. Mr. Ho gave guidance on the sustainable development of the Institute, maintaining support for the Macao SAR Government in attaining its policy goals, and on increasing IFTM’s contributions to the tourism and hospitality industries.
The IFTM Council was established this year, after a revision to the IFTM Charter. The Council comprises representatives of IFTM, of the Macao SAR Government, of the IFTM student body, of IFTM alumni and of the community at large in Macao, including the tourism and hospitality industries. Among the duties of the Council is approving the IFTM development strategy.
During the exchange with Mr. Ho, Mr. Chan expressed gratitude for the support that the Chief Executive of the Macao SAR and the Macao SAR Government have offered IFTM. Mr. Chan highlighted the support given to the expansion of IFTM on Taipa, a development that enables the Institute to increase its contribution to the training of people qualified to work in tourism and hospitality.
IFTM President Dr. Fanny Vong was another of the IFTM Council members taking part in the meeting with Mr. Ho. Dr. Vong gave an overview of the outline development plan for IFTM. She also talked about the latest work by IFTM on the Tourism Education and Training Base for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, which was established at the Institute last year to deliver training to people in the Greater Bay Area. She additionally gave a presentation on the latest work by the IFTM Global Centre for Tourism Education and Training.
Chief Executive Mr. Ho stressed the contributions of IFTM to tourism education in Macao, in the Greater Bay Area and further afield. He emphasised IFTM’s role as a public institution of tertiary education meant its focus should remain on serving Macao and offering a high standard of education in tourism and hospitality, while helping to cultivate academics to carry out research.
Mr. Ho said IFTM should actively seek to integrate its activities with the development of the Greater Bay Area and endeavour to build on its international outlook. In this regard, he said IFTM should continue to partner with the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) to give training in tourism to people from other jurisdictions, and that IFTM should put effort into further expanding its global network.
The Chief Executive said IFTM had a duty to uphold the spirit of ‘Loving the Motherland and Loving Macao’ by arranging more activities to promote that spirit.
Mr. Ho also said he hoped IFTM could make good use of its new facilities on Taipa. He said the Institute should spur the adoption of new technologies and the development of a smart campus, offering a high-quality environment for learning that would make Macao even more prominent globally as a source of tourism education.
IFTM should keep training tour guides, Mr. Ho said, to enable visitors to Macao to enjoy the best possible travel experience in the city. He suggested the training of tour guides should include imparting a deep knowledge of the history of Macao, and of techniques used in public speaking.
Another directive given by the Chief Executive was for IFTM to keep on doing policy analysis and research, so the Macao SAR Government could use the findings in propelling Macao toward its goal of becoming a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure.
