Global Centre for Tourism Education and Training of IFT

IFT has once again partnered with UNWTO to offer training courses to overseas participants (Photo provided by IFT)

A training programme titled Tourism Capacity Building for Government and Public Officials was held at the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) from 14th to 21st November, 2016. The training and education programme was organized by IFT in collaboration with UNWTO via the Global Centre for Tourism Education and Training of IFT. The Centre provides training for officials and industry representatives from local industry as well as Portuguese-speaking countries, dovetailing into the government's goal of building Macao into a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure, and a Commercial and Trade Co-operation Service Platform for China and the Portuguese-speaking Countries, part of the One Centre, One Platform initiative.

This is the second time IFT has partnered UNWTO to offer this type of professional training course. Course participants included two representatives from Macao Government Tourism Office, two representatives from the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao), including the Representative of East-Timor for Forum Macao, and 17 participants from Afghanistan, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Iran, Mongolia, Nepal, Bhutan, Papua New Guinea and Mainland China.

Overseas participants attending professional training courses at IFT can learn new, tourism-related, management strategies and practices, in addition to gaining valuable insights from observing Macao's tourism industry. It is hoped that the knowledge acquired during the courses is useful to overseas participants in the development of the tourism and hospitality industries in their respective countries and regions. Meanwhile, representatives from Macao and elsewhere can benefit from the experience sharing process when meeting other course participants.