The Macau Institute for Tourism Studies (IFTM) in conjunction with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) virtually held the 13^th training programme titled “Capacity Building for Sustainable Tourism through Festivals and Events” from May 24-26, the tertiary education institution said in a statement yesterday.

According to the statement, the training programme was designed for “decision makers in ministries and administrations of UNWTO Member States in Asia and the Pacific”, along with the Guangdong-Hong-Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA) participants. The statement noted that 41 participants from 16 member states took part in the programme, along with 13 participants from the GBA. The training also attracted observer audiences from Australia, Bangladesh, Spain, Thailand, the Chinese mainland, and Macau.

The statement pointed out that for the first time in the IFTM-UNWTO collaboration, the three-day webinar centred on themes such as events and communities, as well as tourist events and community celebrations. During the opening remarks, the director of the UNWTO’s Regional Department of Asia and the Pacific, Harry Hwang, and IFTM President Fanny Vong Chuk Kwan pointed out the importance of festivals and events in a destination’s tourism product offering as well as their “potential to be developed as tourism products and drivers for sustainable development”.

IFTM’s Global Centre for Tourism Education and Training Director Prof John Ap was also quoted in the statement as saying that the theme offered “an important angle of sustainable tourism development and its relevance in building human capital”, being an important purpose for the UNWTO-IFTM collaboration.

The centre was set up in 2016 following a memorandum of understanding signed between the Macau government and the UNWTO, with the agreement covering topics such as promotion of sustainable tourism. The statement pointed out that it has hosted over 37 programmes.

The discussions between speakers and participants over three days of activities created a learning platform that contained “insightful and thought-provoking comments and questions”, the statement said, adding that participants gave “very positive” feedback.  

This undated handout photo provided by the Macau Institute for Tourism Studies (IFTM) shows a group photo of the participants in the recent online training programme.