In 1997, the Network of Asia-Pacific Education and Training Institutes in Tourism (APETIT), a body fully supported by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) selected IFT as the “training the trainer centre” offering training and advisory services for APETIT members in the Asia Pacific region. In the same year, IFT received from the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) the Gold Award in “Education and Training”, which acknowledged the content and quality of IFT’s programmes. In 2002, IFT was presented, again, with the same award for having set up the “Macao Occupational skills Recognition System” (MORS) for the local tourism and hospitality industry in collaboration with the European Union (EU).
In 1999, in cooperation with EU, the Macao-Europe Centre for Advanced Tourism Studies (ME-CATS) was established in the Institute, incorporating new European concepts of tourism and hospitality management into the tourism development of the Asia Pacific region. This centre aims at becoming a base for tourism education and training in the Asia Pacific region. It promotes exchange of knowledge and experience between institutes of higher education in Europe and in the region.
In 2000, IFT became the first World Tourism Organization UNWTO.TedQual certified institution in tourism education by UNWTO.Themis Foundation. This confirmed the international standard and quality achieved by IFT in education and training. In 2004, IFT successfully obtained renewal of the “UNWTO.TedQual Certification” till 2008 for another renewal audit.
In 2003, IFT was invited by the UNESCO and the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) to be a founding member of the Asian Academy for Heritage Management (AAHM). This consortium networks institutes of higher learning throughout the Asia Pacific region that are engaged in the research and teaching of heritage conservation and cultural institution management. Sustainable tourism calls for a new breed of responsible, well-informed and well-read tourists. In response to this need, the UNESCO-ICCROM AAHM launched the Cultural Heritage Specialist Guide Training and Certification Programme in 2005. This rigorous, practical and internationally-recognised training and certification programme is being implemented through active partnership of members of the AAHM, training institutions from the UNESCAP APETIT and National Tourism Organizations (NTOs), with IFT serving as the focal point and UNESCO providing technical advisory.
In 2004, The Association for Tourism and Leisure Education (ATLAS) appointed the Institute as an Executive Member. It helps to develop the transnational educational initiatives in tourism and leisure of Macao, encourage exchanges between lecturers and students in academic researches, and enhance quality of the programmes provided by the Institute.
IFT will continue to strive ahead in its quest of learning and educational innovation, fostering professionals and making contributions to the tourism development of Macao and of the Asia Pacific region.
