HELP University recently celebrate World Tourism Day at its Subang2 campus with 120 participants, consisting of VIP guests, guest speakers, lecturers and students from the School of Hospitality and Tourism (SHOT). World Tourism Day is an international event held annually by the tourism industry all over the world. For 2019, it was celebrated on 27 September. Its purpose is to foster awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic value.
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Dr. Khong Kim Hoong, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) of HELP University, gave his opening remarks to “launch” HELP University’s World Tourism Day 2019. In his speech, Dr. Khong remarked about how the demand for tourism and travel have sparked myriad of interests from all over the world. Whether one is living in a booming metropolis of a city to a small remote island, the demand for tourism will continue to grow because everyone now thinks about leisure, pleasure and travel. “The hospitality industry will continue to grow as the infrastructure to support this industry will also continue to grow as well.” Said Dr. Khong.
Ms. Christina Toh, the Area General Manager of Dorsett Grand Subang, took to the podium next to address the students. Ms. Toh is also the Honorary Secretary general of Malaysia Association of Hotels (MAH) Malaysia. In her speech, Ms. Toh read a message on behalf of the Secretary General of UNWTO for this year’s 2019 World Tourism Day. “Tourism can help us build a better future for everyone. Around the world, the tourism sector is a leading source of employment, supporting many millions of jobs and driving economies forward, both at the local, international and even the national level.
At the same time, it is a catalyst for equality and inclusivity. In many places, tourisms employment gives women, young people, men and those living in the rural communities, a chance to support themselves and their families and to integrate fully into a wider society.”
Ms. Toh continued by saying,“The true potential of tourism, both as a creator of jobs and as a driver of equality and sustainable development is only just being realized. Providing decent work opportunities and contributing to professional development skills are at the heart of this. Well managed, the continued growth of our sector will allow tourism to live up to its global and social responsibility.”
The event continued with a slew of dance performances from Vietnam as well as a traditional Malay dance. Next on the agenda was a presentation by Mr. Abdul Jalil Mani, a Hospitality student, on World Tourism Day. In his presentation, Mr. Mani highlighted that the main purpose of the event was to increase awareness of tourism and he also shared how tourism is now an important element in any country to help sustain economic and social growth.
VIP Guests & Speakers at the panel talk, “TOURISM & JOBS: A BETTER FUTURE FOR ALL” for World Tourism Day 2019@Subang2 campus: Encik Azis Abdul Majid (Senior Lecturer, School of Hospitality & Tourism), Mr. John Chan (Deputy President Asia Pacific, the OXFORD Centre for Leadership), Mr. Steven Wu (Dean, Faculty of Business, Economics and Accounting), Ms. Christina Toh (Area General Manager of Dorsett Grand Subang), Encik Mohd. Hasrol Hamis (Founder, Radak Adventure) , Mr, Jai Kishan (Executive Director, U2 Travels & Tours) and Ms. Alice Lim (Head of Department, School of Hospitality and Tourism).
Next on the agenda was a panel talk by invited industry leaders in the tourism and hospitality management sector. The topic of the panel was “TOURISM & JOBS: A BETTER FUTURE FOR ALL”. In the panel talk, Mr. John Chan, Deputy President Asia Pacific, the OXFORD Centre for Leadership talked about the misconceptions that anyone who studies Tourism and Hospitality will end up as just tourist guides. Some people, said Mr. Chan, can even assume that the term “Hospitality” means working in a hospital, which is not the case as tourism involves travel, tour and hospitality coming all together in support of one another.
Ms. Toh reiterated the fact that Hospitality and Tourism is all about engagement and networking and without the people involved and those studying to be part of this industry, tourism would go nowhere. Bottom line, shared Ms. Toh, is that anyone must have passion if they want to pursue and stay in this industry for a long time. The third Guest Speaker on the panel was Mr. Mohd Hasrol bin Kamis, the founder of RADAK Adventure, an outdoor activities site. Mr. Hasrol talked about how tourism and hospitality need not be limited to just the stereotypical tourist guide or hotel management jobs. The new trends in tourism, explained Mr. Hasrol, is no longer focused on just hotels the F&B industry or travel agencies but more so on outdoor and nature activities now. There a lot of things and opportunities that a Tourism & Hospitality Management graduate can diversify to and not just follow the usual beaten path, he stressed.
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HELP University’s School of Hospitality & Tourism (SHOT) students wearing traditional costumes from around the world.
The World Tourism Day 2019 event ended with a fashion show featuring HELP University’s School of Hospitality and Tourism (SHOT) students parading international costumes from around the world. Both the Bachelor of Business (Hospitality Management) (Hons) and the Bachelor of Tourism Management (Hons) programmes are designed to produce graduates with an in-depth grasp of concepts in the tourism industry.
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