UTM equips students with more than academic knowledge. It instils the confidence to enter the industry and the capability for continuous growth. Through rigorous teaching, diverse practical training, and broad industry exposure, the University empowers passionate students to identify their professional direction and advance steadily in their chosen fields.
Vanilla (Yang Ningna), originally from Fujian and a 2016 graduate of the Bachelor of Science in Tourism Event Management programme, reflects on her career journey. After graduation, she joined the Hyatt Hotels Corporation’s Leadership Development Programme. Upon completing the programme, she specialised in revenue management and, over six years, rose to become the head of the department’s team. Driven by her passion, she later transitioned into event planning, participating in projects such as Mango TV’s Macao concert and media production initiatives, successfully transforming her career from hotel management to event planning. After gaining experience across different stages, she leveraged her familiarity with the market, sales strategy expertise, and knowledge of OTAs (online travel agencies) developed during her revenue management career to join Trip.com Group as a Market Manager. In this role, she oversees direct hotel procurement partnerships in Macao, data operations, and marketing strategy formulation, completing her transition from the hotel operator side to the OTA platform side.
She noted that during her university years, she participated in an exchange programme in the Netherlands and secured an internship with the Revenue Management Department at Grand Hyatt Macao through the University’s internship arrangement, building a solid foundation of industry experience. This internship not only equipped her with core revenue management skills but also allowed her to establish strong professional connections with hotel management, facilitating her employment after graduation. She emphasised that the University’s English-medium instruction and systematic professional training significantly enhanced her professional competence, language proficiency, and adaptability in the workplace, enabling her to confidently navigate career transitions and role changes across different sectors.
Speaking about the University’s reputation, Vanilla believes its value lies in its strong professional foundation and industry recognition. With deep expertise in the cultural tourism sector, industry-aligned curriculum design, abundant internship resources, and an extensive alumni network across Macao and the Greater Bay Area, the University provides clear employment advantages. Students passionate about tourism and MICE benefit from its specialised training and acquire solid technical skills. Even when returning to Mainland China for development, graduates stand out thanks to core competencies such as data analysis, cross-cultural communication, and practical operational expertise.
Stanley (Cheang Chan Io), an alumnus of Bachelor of Science in Tourism Business Management programme, has dedicated nearly thirteen years to the hospitality and digital e-commerce sectors. After graduation, he joined the Sands team, beginning in hotel revenue management and later participating in the pre-opening preparations of The St. Regis Macao, focusing on revenue-related functions. He currently specialises in digital marketing and e-commerce, serving as Director of Digital Marketing & Ecommerce at Sands China Ltd., where he oversees online room sales and promotional strategies for the group.
He believes his university experience greatly contributed to his career development. During his studies, he was selected through a university internship arrangement to intern at Walt Disney World in the United States, working at the front desk of a hotel. This rare overseas experience broadened his horizons, clarified his career interests, and gave him a competitive advantage at the start of his job search. The alumni network he built during university has also been an invaluable professional asset. He recalls that his first hotel job was recommended by a classmate, and over the years, he and his peers have continued to support one another and collaborate professionally. Additionally, the University’s long-term emphasis on presentation and public speaking training has proven highly beneficial in his career, becoming a core competency for cross-departmental communication, reporting, and project execution.
For current students, Stanley advises making full use of university opportunities by actively participating in exchange programmes and internships and gaining exposure to different environments. The perspective and experiences accumulated at a young age not only enrich personal growth but also help build networks and strengthen communication skills, all of which contribute to long-term career development.
Together, these two alumni exemplify the high quality and wide-ranging career pathways of UTM graduates. Their journeys demonstrate that the University is not limited to cultivating service-oriented professionals in a single field. Instead, grounded in strong professional training, it equips students with the core competencies necessary for cross-disciplinary development, enabling graduates to thrive across cultural tourism, digital industries, commerce, management, and the internet-related industries.