October 26, 2006 - Following the success of the first two China Tourism Forums, The School of Hotel and Tourism Management of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University will hold the Third China Tourism Forum in Hong Kong on 15-16 December 2006.  The Forum is co-organized by the School of Hotel and Tourism Management of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).  

The Forum should be of great interest to those who are interested in tourism policy, research and education issues related to the development of tourism in China including tourism policy makers and government officials, government officials in tourism administration, tourism boards and marketing organizations, academics and educators in the tourism and hospitality fields, hotel, restaurant and hospitality industry executives and employers, researchers and consultants, graduate and undergraduate students pursuing tourism and hospitality studies, and others with an interest in the tourism field.

The Forum will feature keynote speakers from the industry, education institutions and international organizations.  The Forum will include six keynote presentations and two panel discussions. The themes of the panel discussions are Tourism Development in the Pearl River Delta and Hotel Development in China.  The two-day Forum will foster an open dialogue between researchers and practitioners on emerging issues related to China�s tourism.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Dr. Taleb Rifai, Deputy Secretary-General, UNWTO; 
• Professor Wang Zhong-ming, Executive Dean, School of Management, Zhejiang University; 
• Professor Zhang Guang-rui, Tourism Research Centre, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences;
• Professor Tian Li, Dean, Business and Tourism Administration School, Yunnan University;
• Professor Kaye Chon, Director, School of Hotel and Tourism Management, HKPolyU; 
• Mr. Feng Hou, CEO, Jinling Hotels & Resorts;
• Dr. Tim Gao, CEO, TEDA Hotels Management Ltd.; 
• Mr. John Girard, General Manager & Area Director, Marco Polo HK Hotel and Gateway Hotel; 
• Mr. Larry Tchou, Senior Vice President, Hyatt International Asia Pacific Ltd.; 
• Mr. Symon Bridle, Chief Operating Officer, Shangri-la Hotels and Resorts; 
• Mr. Elton Wu Sun, Deputy General Manager, CTS HK Metropark Hotels Management Co. Ltd.

The Co-Chairs of the Forum are Professor Kaye Chon from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Mr. XU Jing, Regional Representative of the UNWTO Asia Pacific Office. 

For more details of the Forum, please visit the website: www.polyu.edu.hk/htm/conference/ctf2006 or contact Ms Venus Leung of School of Hotel and Tourism Management at telephone: 2766 4091 or through email: [email protected].