June 26, 2013?- The School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has recently launched the innovative Doctor of Hotel and Tourism Management (D.HTM) Distinguished Lecture Series in which leading academics and industry executives from across the globe have been invited to share their perspectives and insights on a wide range of interesting topics for the benefit of education, research and industry advancement.
The inaugural D.HTM Distinguished Lecture was conducted on 10 May 2013 by Professor Susanne Becken, Professor of Sustainable Tourism, Griffith University, on the topic of “Water and Oil Shortage: What Does This Mean to Hospitality Industry?”
Second in the series, the D.HTM Distinguished Lecture entitled “China’s Outbound Tourism: Policy and Practice” was delivered by Professor Zhang Guangrui, Director of Tourism Research Centre of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, on 15 May.
The third lecture was offered by Mr Chanin Donavanik, Chief Executive Officer of Dusit International, on the topic of “Opportunities and Challenges in Transferring Asian Hotel Brands in Non-Asian Countries” on 18 June.
Professor John Bowen, Dean and Barron Hilton Distinguished Chair, Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management, University of Houston, gave the fourth lecture entitled “Current Trends and Future Opportunities in Hospitality Education and Research” today (19 June).
“Our School is innovative in its education offerings,” said Professor Kaye Chon, Dean and Chair Professor of SHTM. “We strive to connect academics and industry professionals in an effort to promote a closer tie in collaboration, not only for the benefit of education and research, but also for the advancement of the entire industry.”
As the world’s first professional doctoral programme in hotel and tourism management, the D.HTM prepares graduates to excel in the dynamic global environment by developing their innovation, creativity and advanced research skills within an Asian context. Now in its sixth year, the programme attracts a range of professionals from experienced practitioners and government representatives to academics who are interested in augmenting their careers.
The programme’s truly global and diverse student base has been hailed as far and wide as Ghana, Japan, Macau, China, Korea, Taiwan and the United States. Recently, Mr James Mabey, a student of the D.HTM programme, received the “PATA Face of the Future 2013” award in Bangkok, Thailand recognizing him as an exceptional young leader in travel and tourism who has exhibited initiative and leadership and demonstrated commitment to the sustainable development of the industry in the Asia-Pacific region.
With the success of the D.HTM programme in Hong Kong and as part of its commitment to furthering hospitality and tourism education on the Chinese mainland, the SHTM sought to introduce the D.HTM’s advanced teaching philosophy and model to the mainland. It was announced earlier in the year that the D.HTM programme has been approved by the Ministry of Education of the Chinese mainland and will be offered in the country for the first time by the SHTM in cooperation with Zhejiang University. The first cohort of students will commence their studies in September 2013.