The Macao Institute for Tourism Studies (IFTM) hosted on Friday (5 November) the 4th Greater Bay Area Tourism Research Alliance Forum. The event, with the main theme as “Effective Governance & Coordination for Post-COVID Greater Bay Area Tourism”, brought together scholars, government officials and professionals from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and further afield, to discuss the latest tourism research covering the city cluster.

During the event, IFTM and the China Tourism Academy announced the signing of a partnership to boost strategic cooperation and sharing of knowledge. The memorandum of cooperation envisions joint development of tourism research, collaboration in hosting conferences and seminars, and the promotion of personnel exchanges.

The 4th Greater Bay Area Tourism Research Alliance Forum took place at the Conference Room of IFTM’s recently refurbished Educational Hotel Pousada de Mong-Há. The event was held in hybrid format, with some speakers on site, while others made their presentations via live video streaming. Participants were able to attend the Forum either in person or online.

Keynote speakers at the Forum included the President of the China Tourism Academy Prof. Dai Bin, and Prof. Bob McKercher from the University of Queensland in Australia, who is also Chairman of the Board of the International Academy for the Study of Tourism. MGTO’s Deputy Director Mr. Ricky Hoi Io Meng gave a welcome speech while IFTM’s President Dr. Fanny Vong Chuk Kwan delivered a closing speech.

Several IFTM academics had their latest research featured at the 4th Greater Bay Area Tourism Research Alliance Forum. Scholars Dr. Penny Wan Yim King, Dr. Li Xiangping and Dr. Virginia Lau Meng Chan formed a partnership to produce 2 presentations for the event. One discussed the role of public-private cooperation in Macao’s post-COVID-19 tourism recovery; and the other proposed the development of a tourism-focused satisfaction index for the Greater Bay Area. In addition, IFTM’s Dr. Cindia Lam Ching Chi and Prof. Zhao Ying from Sun Yat-sen University in Guangdong Province presented their research project “Tourists’ decision making in movement behaviours within the Greater Bay Area – A time budget perspective”.

The 4th Greater Bay Area Tourism Research Alliance Forum was organised by IFTM, and supported by the School of Tourism Management at Sun Yat-sen University and the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The 3 higher education institutions established in November 2018 the Greater Bay Area Tourism Research Alliance with an aim to conduct joint research and contribute to the development of tourism in the region, providing support to local policymaking efforts.

IFTM is assuming a significant role in assisting the development of the Greater Bay Area, by helping the tourism and hospitality industry in the city cluster to thrive. A milestone for the Institute in that regard took place in 2019, when the national authorities approved IFTM – as the relying unit of the Macao SAR Government – as the Tourism Education and Training Base for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Since then, several extensions of the Tourism Education and Training Base have been set up in Guangdong Province, including in Zhuhai, Hengqin, Foshan and in Guangzhou.