TOPIC INSIGHT • 專題探討 2022 UMAGAZINE 26 • 澳大新語 39 disciplines, emphasising not only the integration of theory and practice, but also the development of a forward-thinking mindset, in order to train professionals that can meet the needs of tourism enterprises and the market. The head of DRTM is Miao Li, University of Macau Development Foundation Professional Fellow, who taught at Purdue University and Oklahoma State University for over a decade before joining UM. She has extensive research experience in the field of dynamic interpersonal relationships and human-technology interaction in hospitality and travel experience. According to Prof Miao, to usher in the era of smart tourism, the department will draw on the strengths of academic disciplines at UM such as computer science and big data analytics for curriculum enhancement. For example, new topics such as the metaverse and ‘Tourism+’ will be added to existing programmes to enhance students’ interdisciplinary knowledge and skills. Prof Miao says that her department will revise programme curricula to keep up with future trends, adding that the acceleration of smart tourism development has led to a demand for personalised services and this will gradually change traditional tourist behaviour. She adds that the structure of human resources in Macao’s tourism sector will change from ‘labour-intensive’ to ‘experience-intensive’ as the local economy enters a new phase, moving from a service-based economy with a focus on service quality to an experience-based economy with an emphasis on customer experience. This means that the local industry will take advantage of innovative ideas and digital technology to offer visitors something new every time they visit the city. ‘We need to take our education of professionals to the next level by strengthening students’ understanding of the environment and their ability to empathise with visitors, so that they can anticipate the needs of the visitors and offer customer services or products that can evoke positive emotions,’ says Prof Miao. Creating Distinctive Tourism Characteristics The Smart Tourism Research Team leverages the strengths of UM as a comprehensive public Using real-time data generated by users, Prof Law seeks to identify the itineraries and behaviours of visitors and to analyse their personal experiences to understand their needs. APAEM regularly organises seminars to share its academic results with industry and the government to exchange ideas on the latest developments. This enables industry stakeholders to identify room for improvement, which contributes to enhancing Macao’s competitiveness as a tourist destination. Training Professionals for Tourism Transformation To promote smart tourism development, it is important to provide relevant training for university students. With a strong sense of responsibility to nurture tourism professionals for Macao, UM established the Department of Integrated Resort and Tourism Management (DRTM) in 2019 to respond to the demand for talent in integrated tourism in Macao, China, and beyond. The department is committed to equipping students with cutting-edge knowledge and skills in related 黃承發教授 Prof Wong Seng Fat
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