PolyU contributes to reviving tourism in Sichuan

In memorial of the 5/12 Wenchuan earthquake, the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), and the Sichuan Tourism Administration (STA) will jointly stage the Sixth China Tourism Forum in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, from May 12-13, 2009.

Soon after the devastating earthquake on May 12, 2008, the tourism experts from SHTM visited the quake-hit areas and offered advice to the tourism recovery and reconstruction efforts spearheaded by the China National Tourism Administration and Sichuan Tourism Administration.

Professor Kaye Chon, SHTM chair professor and director, said: “The Sixth China Tourism Forum will serve to review the school’s effort in rebuilding the tourism industry in Sichuan over the past year, and more importantly, explore the way ahead. This will help put the province back to the world map of tourist destination and win back visitor’s interest and confidence.”

Themed “Shaping the Future of Tourism,” the two-day Forum will include two keynote presentations and three panel discussions. The issues to be explored include the future development of China tourism, the underlying factors shaping the tourism trends, industry’s need for manpower, and post-crisis tourism recovery management.

The Forum has attracted a host of eminent academics, senior government officials, and industry practitioners. The list of distinguished speakers includes:

• Mr. Xu Jing, Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific, United Nations World Tourism Organization
• Mrs. Phornsiri Manoharn, Chairman of the Board, Pacific Asia Travel Association
• Prof. Kaye Chon, Chair Professor and Director, School of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
• Ms. Wang Yanrong, Vice Governor, Sichuan Province
• Mr. Zhang Gu, Director of Sichuan Tourism Administration
• Dr. Walter Jamieson, Professor, Service Innovation Programme, College of Innovation, Thammasat University
• Mr. Andrew Jones, Guardian, Sanctuary Resorts
• Mr. Dave Vermeulen, Vice President, Resort Operations, Hong Kong Disneyland
• Prof. Wei Xiao’an, former Director of China National Tourism Administration
• Prof. Tiger Wu, Peking University
• Prof. Li Yuen, Sichuan University
• Prof. Zheng Xiangmin, Dean of Tourism School, Overseas Chinese University
• Mr. Zhou Xiaoding, General Manager, Sichuan Comfort International Travel Service Co., Ltd.

For more details of the Forum, please visit www.polyu.edu.hk/htm/conference/6ctf .