The “Tianjin Exchange Programme for Macao Undergraduate Students” 2017 organised by Committee for Liaison with Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Overseas Chinese of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Tianjin Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao S.A.R., as well as Macao Foundation inaugurated at the Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao (IFT) on 6 June. The Programme was co-organised by IFT and College of Tourism and Service Management of Nankai University. The attending guests included Edmund Ho Hau Wah, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Hua Jian, Deputy Director of Committee for Liaison with Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Overseas Chinese of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Zang Xianfu, Chairman of Tianjin Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Chen Sixi, Deputy Director of Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao S.A.R., Wu Zhiliang, President of the Administrative Committee of Macao Foundation, members of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC, members of the National Committee of CPPCC and its Standing Committee, members of Tianjin Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and its Standing Committee, representatives from IFT, Nankai University and other four Macao higher education institutions.

During the ceremony, Chairman Zang Xianfu, President Wu Zhiliang, IFT President Fanny Vong and Vice Dean Li Zhong, College of Tourism and Service Management, Nankai University gave their remarks respectively. President Wu stated in his remark that Macao Foundation has always been attaching a lot of importance to nurturing talent in Macao. Every year, Macao Foundation organises various exchange and training activities to promote the development of Macao’s talent. This exchange programme is one of the important events for talent cultivation. It is hoped that more talent can be nurtured for tourism and cultural industries of Macao through this programme, as well as discover and promote the culture of Macao in order to make it as the precious treasure and development momentum of the city.

“Tianjin Exchange Programme for Macao Undergraduate Students” was organised since 2015 under the initiative of Edmund Ho Hau Wah, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). The aim of this programme is to allow Macao’s undergraduate students to get to know the cultural heritage conservation and tourism development of Tianjin, in order to better understand the history and culture of their mother country, and further contributes to the development of Macao as the World Centre of Tourism and Leisure. IFT has been appointed as the co-organiser of the programme in Macao for 3 consecutive years. Through this progamme, IFT collaborates with various parties to bring the students from IFT and other four higher education institutions to Tianjin for learning and exchanging ideas.

Starting from the mid of June, thirty Macao’s undergraduate students will go to Nankai University in Tianjin for the 15-day exchange programme. They will learn from the city’s experience in cultural heritage conversation. Before departure, the students will have a preparatory class at IFT, taught by the Vice Dean of the College of Tourism and Service Management of Nankai University, Dr. Li Zhong, and Assistant Professor of IFT, Dr. Cora Wong, to get well prepared for the exchange programme.