{"id":10365,"date":"2023-11-16T17:14:15","date_gmt":"2023-11-16T09:14:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.iftm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/?p=10365"},"modified":"2023-11-16T17:25:51","modified_gmt":"2023-11-16T09:25:51","slug":"iftm-inspires-entrepreneurship-among-youth-with-idea-cation-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/iftm-inspires-entrepreneurship-among-youth-with-idea-cation-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"<strong>IFTM inspires entrepreneurship among youth with Idea-cation 2023<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-10365 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-herald-lay-a-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"herald-popup\" href='https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/idea_2.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"990\" height=\"660\" src=\"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/idea_2.jpg\" class=\"attachment-herald-lay-a-full size-herald-lay-a-full\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-10368\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/idea_2.jpg 990w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/idea_2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/idea_2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/idea_2-414x276.jpg 414w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/idea_2-470x313.jpg 470w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/idea_2-640x426.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/idea_2-130x86.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/idea_2-187x124.jpg 187w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 990px) 100vw, 990px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-10368'>\n\t\t\t\tIFTM President Dr Fanny Vong Chuk Kwan said she was impressed by the performance of this year&#8217;s participants in Idea-cation\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"herald-popup\" href='https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Idea_1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"990\" height=\"660\" src=\"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Idea_1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-herald-lay-a-full size-herald-lay-a-full\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-10367\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Idea_1.jpg 990w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Idea_1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Idea_1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Idea_1-414x276.jpg 414w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Idea_1-470x313.jpg 470w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Idea_1-640x426.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Idea_1-130x86.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Idea_1-187x124.jpg 187w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 990px) 100vw, 990px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-10367'>\n\t\t\t\tAward ceremony\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"herald-popup\" href='https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Idea_3.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"990\" height=\"660\" src=\"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Idea_3.jpg\" class=\"attachment-herald-lay-a-full size-herald-lay-a-full\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-10369\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Idea_3.jpg 990w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Idea_3-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Idea_3-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Idea_3-414x276.jpg 414w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Idea_3-470x313.jpg 470w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Idea_3-640x426.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Idea_3-130x86.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Idea_3-187x124.jpg 187w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 990px) 100vw, 990px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-10369'>\n\t\t\t\tIdea-cation 2023 aimed to promote entrepreneurship and innovative thinking among young people\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\n<span class='pum-trigger  popmake-10371  text-center font-blue' data-do-default=''>\u4e2d\u6587\u6458\u8981 \/ Summary in Chinese<\/span>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><em><em><em><em><em><em><em>The third edition of Idea-cation, aiming to promote entrepreneurship and innovative thinking among young people, concluded on 12 November. The event, organised by IFTM, challenged participants to devise strategies to contribute to the sustainable development of the tourism industry<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>A rural-revitalisation strategy to transform a traditional Chinese village through tourism earned 2 teams first place at the Idea-cation 2023 \u2013 Tourism Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, organised by IFTM. This year\u2019s event was held under the theme \u2018Regional Development via Innovative Tourism Strategy\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All participating teams were given the choice of 2 themes: how to make the most of Macao\u2019s \u20181+4\u2019 economic diversification strategy to drive an engaging tourism experience; or to devise the team\u2019s own strategy for revitalising Hengmei village in Zhongshan, within Guangdong, the Mainland province next door to Macao.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe crucial thing about Idea-cation is that it\u2019s very fluid: the theme can change according to the social situation,\u201d said one of the organisers, IFTM Entrepreneurship course leader Dr Fernando Louren\u00e7o.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Idea-cation 2023 was divided into 2 categories in terms of contestant: one for high school students from Form 4 to 6; and one for university students. A total of 22 teams \u2013 including 6 teams in the high school category \u2013 took part, involving in aggregate 79 individuals. Each team had to have a minimum of 2 members; the maximum per team were 5 students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The competition began on 21 October, with all participants going on a one-day trip to Hengmei that included a visit to a business-incubation centre in Zhongshan. The trip sought to give teams firsthand understanding of the village\u2019s tourism development potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was after this trip that the University (Open) Category winners decided to choose that theme for their competition entry. \u201cTourism development can be very meaningful because it can promote the economy of a place and, at the same time, better protect its culture,\u201d the 2 students from the winning City University of Macau (CityU) team said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After all the contestant teams had been on the Hengmei trip, they worked with 16 mentors from the industry and from IFTM to develop innovative business proposals according to the theme of their choice. The overall aim of the proposals was to enhance a destination\u2019s regional economy through tourism, while incorporating hospitality, events, retail, and culinary aspects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Contestant teams presented their proposals on 12 November to a judging panel consisting of 8 industry experts and 4 IFTM faculty members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The winning team in the open category put forward a proposal to turn the whole of Hengmei village into a \u2018community museum\u2019. \u201cThere are no walls or ceilings. Just walk around and see things directly with your own eyes instead of seeing things kept behind glass at a conventional museum,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also in the open category, a team of Macau University of Science and Technology students took the silver prize, while an IFTM team took bronze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the high school category, a team from Col\u00e9gio Diocesano de S\u00e3o Jos\u00e9 6 (CDSJ 6) won the gold prize. Silver went to Santa Rosa de Lima English Secondary School, while a group of students from Santa Rosa de Lima Secondary School (Chinese Section) got bronze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The students from CDSJ 6 proposed to \u201crenew some of the buildings, and create street food souvenirs that are unique\u201d to Hengmei village. \u201cWe all thought this topic is quite interesting: giving tourists a reason to go there,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Idea-cation competition was launched in 2021 by IFTM, to \u201cdevelop an entrepreneurial and innovative mindset among people,\u201d said Dr Louren\u00e7o.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Idea-cation aims to position itself as a platform for creativity among young people, with the aim of helping the tourism industry seek new business opportunities and find innovative and viable solutions. It encourages young people to engage in entrepreneurial approaches, to identify key contextual elements of a destination \u2013 such as heritage and culture \u2013 and transform them into value-added components.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe ask participants to think about things that can matter to them,\u201d said Dr Louren\u00e7o. At the same time, the students know they themselves \u201ccan have an impact\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Idea-cation 2023 also included a series of seminars conducted by industry professionals concerning topics such as government policies on entrepreneurship, rural tourism development, doing business in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and in the city of Zhongshan, and key tourism resources. The seminars were in order better to prepare the teams for the competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>IFTM President Dr Fanny Vong Chuk Kwan presented the awards to the winning teams. Dr Vong said she was impressed by the performance of this year&#8217;s participants. She also took the opportunity to thank the mentors and judges for their valuable support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTheir proposals offered thoughtful and creative solutions to improve tourism experiences and rural revitalisation. IFTM is always looking to nurture the next generation of tourism leaders, problem-solvers and future entrepreneurs,\u201d she said. \u201cCompetitions like Idea-cation provide real-world learning opportunities for students to develop practical solutions that support local communities and economies.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The third edition of Idea-cation, aiming to promote entrepreneurship and innovative thinking among young people, concluded on 12 November. The event, organised by IFTM, challenged participants to devise strategies to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":10369,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[136,1704],"tags":[2288,20,2747,2170,2073,2746,989,2727],"class_list":["post-10365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-gallery","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-main_headline","category-university-news","tag-economic-diversification","tag-entrepreneurship","tag-hengmei","tag-idea-cation","tag-iftm","tag-innovative-thinking","tag-institute-for-tourism-studies","tag-macao-institute-for-tourism-studies","post_format-post-format-gallery"],"views":658,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10365"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10365\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10376,"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10365\/revisions\/10376"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10369"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}