CityU students earn gold award at Idea-cation 2023 – Tourism Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition

The Macao Institute for Tourism Studies (IFTM) concluded the Idea-cation 2023 – Tourism Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition with the Awards Ceremony yesterday. Master’s students Qiu Yichen and Zhang Lifan from the Faculty of International Tourism and Management excelled in the competition and earned gold award in the open category with their innovative tourism solutions: Time Treasures: A Journey through the Hengmei Village Community Museum.

The Idea-cation – Tourism Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition has been held since 2021 and this is the third edition. The competition aims to stimulate students' innovative and creative thinking in solving real-world problems and to bring their attention to social development. It also provides valuable suggestions for issues such as tourism experience and rural revitalization, and promotes the development of innovation and entrepreneurship.

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This year’s competition had two main themes: innovating the Macao’s “1+4” diversification strategy; as well as revitalizing rural tourism in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Zhongshan Heng Mei Village). It attracted 79 participants, including six High School Category teams and 16 University (Open) Category teams. The teams were required to come up with innovative proposals that align with government strategies with the aim to boost regional economy. The competition started in October and 22 participating teams were arranged to visit Zhongshan to learn about the local cultural heritage, resources, and rural revitalization efforts. They visited the entrepreneurship incubation bases and centers and attended seminars to gather information for their proposals. Before the competition, teaching members from universities and industry professionals acted as mentors to provide guidance to the participants to perfect their final proposals.

CityU’s team proposed the idea of building a museum without walls, which would encapsulate the natural scenery and historical features of Hengmei Village, to promote cultural dialogue and revitalize rural tourism development by combining tradition and modernity. After the final presentations on the day of the competition, CityU’s team stood out and won the gold award in the open category.

Source: Faculty of International Tourism and Management, Government Information Bureau