The Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili, presented today (14 October) a Letter of Appreciation to the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government, Dr. Alexis Tam Chon Weng, for the latter’s contribution to development of human capital in tourism worldwide. The Letter made particular reference to the training programmes offered to participants from UNWTO member states by Macao Institute for Tourism Studies’ Global Centre for Tourism Education and Training, in collaboration with UNWTO.
The “Ceremony of Appreciation for Macao SAR’s Contribution to Human Capital Development in Tourism – UNWTO and Macao SAR Joint Initiatives Report and Letter of Appreciation Presentation” followed the official opening of the 2019 edition of the Global Tourism Economy Forum, an event which runs until tomorrow in Macao. The forum is hosted by the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government in collaboration with UNWTO.
As part of the presentation ceremony, Dr. Tam delivered a report on the activities and achievements so far of the IFT Global Centre for Tourism Education and Training, to UNWTO Secretary-General Mr Pololikashvili.
The memorandum of understanding leading to the establishment of the IFT Global Centre for Tourism Education and Training was signed in October 2015 by Mr. Tam Chon Weng and the then-UNWTO Secretary-General Dr. Taleb Rifai, in a ceremony witnessed by the Chief Executive of the Macao SAR, Mr. Chui Sai On. The memorandum of understanding called for the enhancement of human capital for the tourism industry and the promotion of sustainable tourism in the Asia-Pacific region. In 2018, the Macao SAR Government and UNWTO extended the duration of the memorandum for an additional year. Work is in place to arrange a new extension, which would be valid until end-2021.
The Global Centre for Tourism Education and Training is part of IFT’s efforts to strengthen its position as an international hub for tourism education and training. The Centre provides training and education courses in cooperation with UNWTO, to help participating tourism officials and professionals to enhance their knowledge and skills. The Centre additionally provides training workshops to civil servants of tourism-related bodies from Portuguese-speaking countries. The Centre also regularly collaborates with some of the leading tourism schools around the globe to hold short executive development programmes for executives in Macao’s hospitality industry.
Since its inception in 2016, the Centre has hosted a total of 30 programmes. A total of 335 participants from 24 countries and regions has been involved in such training. An aggregate of 152 participants from 23 countries and regions was involved in courses held in collaboration with UNWTO. A total of 7 such programmes has been hosted so far, with a new intake of trainees scheduled for a period between late November and early December.