School of Hospitality Steps into Kuching for the QS Subject Focus Summit
In December 2018, the QS Subject Focus Summit – Hospitality & Tourism was held in Kuching, Malaysia. The Summit was attended by 200 delegates from 40 countries, providing an opportunity for networking and keeping up-to-date on the latest trends in the field. QS Asia partnered with UCSI University and collaborated with the Malaysia Centre for Tourism & Hospitality Education to host this inaugural event at the UCSI Hotel. The School of Hospitality (Sunway University) attended this conference and was represented by Professor Marcus Stephenson, Dr Daisy Gayathri, Dr Daniel Chong and Dr Teh Pek Yen.
The conference theme was “The Way Forward: Hospitality and Tourism Education Convergence with Industry 4.0” and began with keynote speeches by the Malaysia’s Department of Higher Education Director General, Datin Paduka Ir Dr Siti Hamisah Binti Tapsir and Professor Dr Stanislav Ivanov. There were also keynote presentations by Professor Cihan Cobanoglu, Professor Jafar Jafari and Professor Perry Hobson. During this conference, the academicians were able to share about the challenges faced and the arising opportunities related to the field. There were presentations of diverse topics throughout the conference. Nevertheless, some of the highlights of the discussions include the importance of automation technology, the role of social media and customer insights and “over-tourism”.
Dr Teh Pek Yen, Senior Lecturer at the School of Hospitality, commented: “It was a mesmerising experience to meet the world class experts. The event has provided an insightful perspective about the future trends in the tourism industry, good for both academicians and industry people.”
Dean of the School of Hospitality, Professor Marcus Stephenson, emphasised: “Sunway University had a great presence at this event and future research advancement within Sunway’s School of Hospitality is bright. We have already established a clear strategy and roadmap for the future. These events help to keep us up-to-date on educational developments within the region, as well as inform us of emerging trends in the world of hospitality and tourism”.
