Prof Kaye Chon, head of Polytechnic University’s School of Hotel & Tourism Management, says increasing numbers of international students are studying at the Hong Kong institute, highly regarded for its research

The high-ranking School of Hotel & Tourism Management (HTM) at Hong Kong Polytechnic University is exporting its expertise to the Chinese mainland and other parts of the world. 

HTM recently earned kudos for its research by being named as one of the top 15 hotel and tourism schools in the world. The rankings, resulting from a survey by the US-based Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education, are based on a comprehensive analysis of authorship among a total of 61 research and scholarly journals in the field of hospitality and tourism. The university is the only Asian institution to be named on the list.

Much of the research generated by HTM is related to the mainland, reflecting China's growing importance as a tourism destination.

"The World Tourism Organisation is projecting that China will be the world's top tourist destination by 2020," explained Prof Kaye Chon, head of school.

In 1998 HTM set up a master's degree programme in hotel and tourism management in the mainland, run jointly with Zhejiang University. This is the first master's programme in the subject to be officially recognised by mainland authorities, and is designed for students already working in the industry. It is conducted in English, with HTM academic staff travelling regularly to Zhejiang to conduct lectures and workshops, while the students visit Hong Kong twice a year. The first batch of students graduated last year.

Increasing numbers of international students are studying at HTM in Hong Kong, including those from the mainland. "We are developing future leaders of the industry in China," Prof Chon said. "We also work very closely with the hotel and tourism industry, in the Chinese mainland too."

HTM runs a number of executive training programmes geared towards industry practitioners, covering a variety of topics such as convention management, human resources, and marketing. In addition, academic staff are involved in a number of consultancy projects in the mainland. Two recently completed assignments involved the development of tourism master plans for the provinces of Heilongjiang and Yunan on behalf of the World Tourism Organisation.

"The new honour is another recognition of the quality of our research and efforts in grooming talents for the hospitality industry in Hong Kong and the region," said Prof Chon, adding that the school's long-term vision is to secure a place in the top five.

Related link:
Hong Kong Polytechnic University www.polyu.edu.hk