The School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and China Outbound Tourism Research Institute Ltd. (COTRI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) today (4 September 2018) to promote collaboration in tourism education and research.

COTRI is a research institute headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, which provides support for strategic and sustainable developments of varied segments of the Chinese outbound market. Established in 2004, it offers organisations and institutions with customised services in research and consulting, quantitative and qualitative data and analysis, training and certification.

The MOU was signed by Professor Kaye Chon, SHTM Dean and Chair Professor and Walter Kwok Foundation Professor in International Hospitality Management, and Prof Dr Wolfgang Georg Arlt, Director of COTRI on the SHTM campus.

Under the agreement of five years, both parties will pursue strategic collaboration in promoting online executive education, participating jointly in nationally and internationally funded projects, as well as organising international conferences and research. The scopes of collaboration between both institutions will focus on Chinese outbound tourism and international tourism development.

“We see this as an innovative international collaboration,” said Dean Kaye Chon. “Together, we will make greater contributions to the development of China tourism and indeed the entire global industry in the years ahead.”