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The School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has been ranked fourth among the world's top hotel and tourism schools based on research and scholarship, testifying to the capability of the School to achieve world-class excellence.

According to a study "An Analysis of Hospitality and Tourism Research: Institutional Contributions" published in the August issue of the Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, PolyU was ranked fourth in the world in terms of research contributions published in leading hospitality and tourism research journals. Ranking only after Cornell University, Michigan State University and Virginia Tech, PolyU, the only one from Asia on the list, is specifically acknowledged as "the only non-US based institution in the top five".

Among the top 20 universities are 14 universities in the US, three in the UK, and one each in Hong Kong, Canada and Australia. Conducted by a team of international researchers, the study was based on a meta-analysis of authorship of articles published in 11 major hospitality and tourism journals over the 10-year period from 1992 to 2001.

Chair Professor and Head of School Prof. Kaye Chon said: "The centre for excellence in hotel and tourism industry has moved to Asia in recent years, as evidenced by the fact that some of the finest hotels, airlines and attractions can be found in Asia. Our School will continue to strive to lead the world's hospitality and tourism education in the years to come.

"Cornell University's Hotel School, founded in 1922, is the oldest hospitality school in the States. Highly ranked North American tourism institutes such as Michigan State, Virginia Tech and Penn State University are all long established with more than 50 years of history. Our 26 year-old School of Hotel and Tourism Management is relatively young," Prof. Chon added.

The Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research is a highly reputable referred journal published by SAGE Publications in California, US, for the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education (I-CHRIE) which is the world's largest organization of hospitality and tourism educators.

According to an estimate by the World Tourism Organization (WTO) and I-CHRIE, there are over 3,000 universities in the world today that offer degree programmes in hospitality and tourism.

Recent achievements of the SHTM include:

• Institutional Achievement Award from International Society of Travel & Tourism Educators (ISTTE) for innovation and contribution to the field of tourism education.
• TedQual (Tourism Education Quality) Certification from World Tourism Organization (WTO).
• Designation as Asia’s only university among the 16-member WTO Education and Training Network.
• Designation as World Headquarters and Secretariat for the International Academy for the Study of Tourism (IAST).

Since 1979, more than 10,000 students have graduated from SHTM. The School has a faculty of more than 40 academic staff drawn from 17 countries. It now offers programmes at levels ranging from Higher Diploma and Bachelor's through to Master's degree and PhD by research.

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