December 2025

Volume 26, Issue 5

Newsletter of School of Hotel & Tourism Management
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

ACHIEVEMENTS AND RECOGNITION

Professor Catherine Cheung successfully obtained more than half a million in research funding from the Public Policy Research Funding Scheme for her project "Enhancing Hong Kong's Appeal as a Halal Tourism Hub: Strategic Insights and Policy Recommendations for Sustainable Growth".

A team of MSc students, Tung Yan Ko, Yinglin Li, Marisa Ma and Pei Yan, won First Prize (in the New Media Digital Marketing Track) at the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao University Students Cultural Tourism Technology Innovation Competition in Shenzhen, China on 11 December 2025.

The SHTM continues to remain in the upper echelons of international rankings for its outstanding reputation and commitment to global excellence in hospitality and tourism education and research.

No. 1 in the world in ShanghaiRanking's Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2025 for nine consecutive years
No. 1 in the world in the University Ranking by Academic Performance 2024/25 for eight years in a row
No. 1 in the world in the CWUR Rankings 2017
No. 2 in the world among university-based programmes in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025 for the ninth consecutive year

Dr Ray Wang, CEO and Board Member, Zhejiang Haozhu Network Technology Co., Ltd and Travel Ease International (Hong Kong) Ltd, a 2021 graduate of the Doctor of Hotel and Tourism Management programme and a 2007 graduate of the Master of Science in Hotel and Tourism Management programme, received the SHTM Outstanding Alumni Award (Professional Achievement) 2025 at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University's 31st Congregation (SHTM), held on 4 November 2025.

Four SHTM graduates received awards at this year's Congregation.

Dr Huicai Gao received the Best Ph.D. Thesis Award 2024/25 for her thesis "Forecasting Tourism Demand Using Big Data".

Dr Chenxi He received the Best D.HTM Thesis Award 2024/25 for her thesis "How Food Shapes Placeness in Tourism Destinations: A Rematerialisation Perspective".

Dongjie Zhang received the Best MSc Dissertation Award 2024/25 for her thesis "Interacting with Historical Character: How AI Avatars Enhance Tourists' Place Bonding with Cultural Heritage Sites".

Sze Lam Lee received the Best Undergraduate Honours Thesis Award 2024/25 for her thesis "Ethics Meets Experience: Exploring the Impact of Ethical Practices in Animal-Based Tourism".

Cindy Yu, an MSc student in the International Wine Management programme, and Erskine Sun, a BSc student in the Hotel and Tourism Management (Smart Tourism & Hospitality) programme, won Second Prize in the Future Hoteliers Challenge, held at the Future Hoteliers Summit 2025 in Beijing, China on 23 October.

Nigel Lee, a final-year student in the BSc (Hons) in Hotel and Tourism Management (Hotel Management) programme, won first place in the Young Waiter category at the Young Chef Young Waiter Young Mixologist Hong Kong Competition 2025 on 20 October.