Department of Smart Tourism

The Department of Smart Tourism adheres to its mission of “innovating teaching and research, cultivating high-quality smart tourism management talent, and promoting social harmony and prosperity.” With the vision of establishing a distinctive and innovative educational institution in Macao and the Greater Bay Area, the Department is dedicated to cultivating tourism management professionals with a global perspective and digital-intelligence capabilities. In alignment with the development context of the management industry in Macao and the Greater Bay Area, the Department provides progressive educational programs that actively respond to job market demands. Through a systematic curriculum, students will comprehensively master industry knowledge, laying a solid foundation for their future careers and personal growth.

Emphasizing the integration of teaching and scientific research, the Department is committed to providing an academically valuable research environment and diverse research opportunities. Currently, the Department is equipped with research facilities such as the Digital Culture and Tourism Laboratory and the Virtual Simulation Laboratory. These laboratory resources have been applied to research fields including smart tourism, sustainable tourism development, and tourist psychology and behavior, with relevant findings published in international academic journals. To further drive academic advancement in tourism management, the Department founded the Journal of Tourism Management Studies (JTMS). As the first Chinese-language academic journal specializing in tourism management to be published outside of Mainland China, JTMS is based in Macao, connects the Greater Bay Area, and embraces a global perspective. It focuses on both theoretical developments and practical applications in fields such as smart tourism, digital management, entertainment management, and tourism management trends and industry development, aiming to build a research and exchange platform for both academia and industry while focusing on theoretical innovation and industry dynamics.

To promote the deep convergence of academia, teaching, and industry practice, the Department hosts the annual “Tourism+” Exchange Conference. This event invites domestic and international tourism research experts, industry leaders from the Guangdong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and related professionals to deliver keynote speeches and engage in exchanges centered around the “Tourism+” theme. The conference bridges academia, industry, and education: academically, it facilitates the exchange and discussion of cutting-edge research achievements; industrially, it drives the optimization of tourism products and service workflows, alongside the application of emerging technologies to enhance tourist experiences and raise Macao’s international profile in tourism; educationally, it leverages insights from academia and industry to update curriculum content, ensuring teaching aligns with market needs while offering students opportunities to network with industry professionals, broaden their career horizons, and secure internships and project collaborations.

Furthermore, the Department continuously strengthens its cooperation with domestic and international enterprises, establishing a collaborative platform that provides students with pathways linking internships to employment. The Department is also dedicated to nurturing local talent, partnering with industry professionals to formulate a series of industry-academia interactive and talent growth programs aimed at advancing students’ professional development and practical skill enhancement.

In response to the strategic demands of Macao’s economic diversification, the Department has been approved by the Macao SAR Government since its inception to offer degree programs across multiple levels, including Associate, Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees. Currently, it offers the Associate of Smart Tourism and Entertainment Management and the Bachelor of Smart Tourism and Entertainment Management programs, with curriculum designs focusing on the cultivation of intelligent management capabilities to adapt to industry transformations. The Department maintains a periodic curriculum review mechanism to adjust programs in accordance with industry trends. For the 2026/2027 academic year, the Department implemented a curriculum reform on its former Tourism and Entertainment Management Associate and Bachelor programs, officially launching the revamped Associate and Bachelor of Smart Tourism and Entertainment Management programs. Concurrently, it is planning the launch of a Master of Smart Tourism and Entertainment Management program to meet the challenges and opportunities brought by rapid technological advancements and evolving market demands, further reinforcing the Department’s talent cultivation and academic influence in related fields.