June 21, 2017 marks the fourth Tourism Education Student Summit event (TEd Summit-Spring 2017), hosted by the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT). Having now completed two years of its revised curriculum, in which daytime Bachelor of Science (BSc) students are required to complete an individual research thesis or project before graduation, IFT is proud to once again showcase a sampling of its top graduates.

Starting from the 2015/16 academic year, IFT’s Bachelor of Science daytime degree programmes have incorporated this capstone graduation requirement to ensure that its senior students have capacity, not only in practical operations but in analysing and understanding how to utilise currents trends in the industry. To date, 651 undergraduate students have successfully completed the graduation thesis, 103 of which have been invited to present and publish in the IFT Tourism Education Student Summit e-Proceedings. As well, since the beginning of 2017 an additional 11 students have attended international conferences held in Austria and the US, and two have returned to Macao with outstanding paper awards.

IFT is the only higher education institution in Macao that includes this individual research component as a requirement for all its Bachelor of Science undergraduate candidates. Industry professionals and IFT faculty comprised the panel members for each of the five simultaneous sessions which were open to the public. The event ended with five students, representing the different programme cohorts showcased at this Summit, being awarded best paper scholarships. This event was an opportunity for companies to view some of IFT’s best candidates and learn what they have been able to discover through their investigation.

The TEd Summit events are an opportunity for the public to preview the next generation of future hospitality and tourism leaders, who have their finger on the pulse of the current state of affairs within the Macao tourism industry. As a public higher education institution of Macao, IFT considers this element of its curriculum a flagship endeavour designed to develop future managers by guiding students through a scientific process of investigation and equipping them with essential managerial tools in the process.

Best paper scholarship awardees: