At a special ceremony held on the University campus yesterday (22 December), the agreement was signed by Madame Wang Hong-ping, Director of Education and Training Department of SMTAC, and Prof. Kaye Chon, Head of SHTM, in the presence of Madame Connie Cheng, Director of International Tourism Promotion Department of SMTAC.

Speaking at the ceremony, Prof. Chon said, �The tourism industry in Shanghai is promising, not only due to the development of the national economy, but also the organization of forthcoming major international events such as 2010 Shanghai World Expo. Through the partnership, PolyU will help train tourism professionals to meet the anticipated demand for human resources in the industry in Shanghai.� 

Under the agreement, SHTM and SMTAC will support each other in the areas of training and research. SHTM will develop and execute custom-made programmes for the Shanghai tourism industry and organize executive development programmes in Shanghai and other cities on the mainland in collaboration with SMTAC. The two parties will also jointly conduct research projects related to the tourism market in China. Topics of mutual interest will also be reported in SHTM�s new journal China Tourism Research. 

Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administrative Commission is the official government body responsible for the promotion of tourism and advancement of tourism professionalism in Shanghai. It is also the regulatory body in the Shanghai Municipal Government for licensing tourism professionals and institutions. One of its primary objectives is to ensure adequate supply of well-trained human resources to support the rapid growth of tourism industry in Shanghai. SMTAC is dedicated to providing industry-based development programmes for practitioners in hotels, travel agents, tourism attractions, conference organizers and destination management companies.

PolyU�s School of Hotel and Tourism Management is a leading university-level provider of tourism and hospitality education in Asia. Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the School has nurtured more than 10,000 young talents for the hospitality industry in Hong Kong. With over 1,000 registered students, 40 academic staff from 16 countries, SHTM is one of the world�s top 15 academic institutions in tourism and hospitality based on research and scholarly activities. It is also designated by the World Tourism Organization as one of its Education and Training Network Centres around the world * the only one in Asia.