Prof. Richard Qiu received the prize on behalf of the project team in Brugge, Belgium on 1 March 2026. The Research Centre for Digital Transformation of Tourism (RCdTT) and the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, in long-standing partnership with the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), has won the 2026 International Institute of Forecasters (IIF) Forecasting Practice Competition, as well as the IIF Award for the Impact of Forecasting in Practice and a US$10,000 prize.
Led by Prof. Haiyan Song, Mr and Mrs Chan Chak Fu Professor in International Tourism and Director of RCdTT, the winning entry is the co-developed Asia Pacific Visitor Forecasts. The research outperformed global competitors to be named one of four finalists, with the team invited to present their work at the Foresight Practitioner Conference in Brugge, Belgium (Unilever took second place).
This industry-leading research provides 3-year quarterly travel demand forecasts for 39 Asia Pacific destinations (covering over 1,400 origin-destination pairs) via a scenario-based model that integrates geopolitical, economic and public health factors, and is refined by expert panels. It achieved a striking reduction in forecast error, from 40.2% in 2021 to just 2.1% in 2024, enabling regional tourism stakeholders to implement precise operational optimization. Its insights guided US$240 million in targeted tourism investment in China, generating an incremental US$1.4 billion in revenue in 2023.
We are immensely proud that this remarkable achievement testifies to the outstanding research contributions of SHTM PolyU and RCdTT, and stands as a wonderful recognition of our impactful collaboration with valued partner PATA. This prestigious award underscores the strength of our joint efforts in advancing world-class tourism forecasting research and boosting the Asia Pacific travel and tourism industry through data-driven insights.
Official IIF announcement: https://forecasters.org/blog/2026/03/03/2026-iif-forecasting-practice-competition-winner-announcement/
| Topics | Research |
|---|---|
| Research Units | Research Centre for Digital Transformation of Tourism |
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