IFT signs collaboration with Myanmar on tourism training

The Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Myanmar’s Ministry of Hotels and Tourism to jointly promote sustainable tourism development, fostering collaboration in tourism education and training between both regions.

IFT said in a statement that Fanny Vong, president of IFT, and Aung Thu, director of the Training and Education Department of the Directorate of Hotels and Tourism, Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, signed the MoU in Nay Pyi Taw last week.

The signing is part of the Macau delegation’s itinerary for its visit to Myanmar. The delegation comprises representatives of industrial and commercial sectors, including Edmund Ho, vice-chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

Following the collaboration, ten tourism officials and professionals from Myanmar will attend a professional training program at IFT between May 24 and 31 on the topic of capacity- building for destination marketing and tourism development.

Back in 2015, the SAR and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) signed an agreement in Macau to enhance cooperation between both parties in improving the quality of human capital and increasing the competitiveness of tourism destinations, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region.

Since the establishment of the Global Centre for Tourism Education and Training by IFT in 2016, it has organized four training programs in partnership with UNWTO and six training workshops for Portuguese-speaking countries.

In May 2017, 17 tourism officials and professionals from Myanmar attended a training program at IFT on “Strategic Tourism Planning and Management for a Sustainable Future”, which the center held in collaboration with UNWTO.