Twenty-five faculty members and students of Beijing International Studies University (BISU) visited Taiwan from Oct 29 to Nov 1, attending the 12th Tourism & Sightseeing Symposium Across the Taiwan Strait held there.

At the symposium, they engaged in academic exchanges and shared research findings in cross-Strait tourism. 

The delegation visited Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism in Taiwan on Oct 30 and learned about its educational philosophy, curriculum design and research achievements. 

They also visited the laboratories, restaurants for training the students, and aviation service simulation classrooms at the university, and gained insights into its strengths in cultivating students' practical skills and professional qualities.

The two sides discussed the potential for collaboration in areas such as student exchanges, scientific research and cultural exchange, and they reached an initial consensus on complementing each other with their respective strong disciplines, laying solid foundations for future in-depth cooperation.

BISU faculty and students visit Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism in Taiwan. 

The delegation then attended the 12th Tourism & Sightseeing Forum Across the Taiwan Strait at Ilan University in Taiwan on Oct 31.

This year's symposium, themed "Jointly Building Sustainable Villages", attracted scholars, experts, and representatives from the tourism industry across the Taiwan Strait to discuss the latest issues related to rural revitalization and tourism development.

Ji Jinbiao, deputy secretary of the CPC BISU Committee and president of the university, expressed hope that the wisdom and strengths of experts and scholars in various fields on both sides of the Taiwan Strait would be pooled, and that the cross-Strait cooperation in the tourism industry, leisure agriculture and rural revitalization explored and the development of the cross-Strait tourism industry promoted.

Ji Jinbiao expresses the hope that the forum will pool the wisdom and strength of the experts.

Several renowned scholars from both sides of the Strait were invited to deliver keynote speeches.

Liu Xilin, professor from the Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism in Taiwan, delved into the pivotal role of responsible tourism in promoting sustainable development of rural areas. He emphasized that both tourists and employees in the tourism industry should uphold the concept of sustainability to promote rural revitalization.

Lyu Ning, dean of the School of Tourism Sciences at BISU, said in his speech that the economic and cultural prosperity of rural areas should be achieved through the integration and innovation of agricultural, cultural and tourism sectors.

Su Juan, dean of the School of Tourism of Jishou University based in Hunan province, analyzed how high-quality tourism can alleviate unequal regional development, offering new insights to both academia and industry.

Lyu Ning delivers her keynote speech.

Professor Zheng Tianming from Chiayi University in Taiwan delivered a research report on tourists’ interest in entertainment, providing an in-depth analysis of the consumption habits in Taiwan, the trends of regional tourism development and the changes in the travel market over the recent years. 

Data provided by Zhong Lina, executive dean of the Institute for Big Data Research in Tourism at BISU, gave insights into the characteristics of mainland homestay development and tourists' behavior patterns and consumption traits. She suggested optimizing the homestay market and strengthening cross-Strait cooperation.

Huang Yuzhi, professor at Chi Nan University in Taiwan, also proposed suggestions for promoting the common development of cross-Strait tourism through cooperation such as data sharing.

The conference had four parallel forums. Scholars from universities in the mainland and Taiwan engaged in in-depth academic exchanges on various topics such as tourism markets, industry policies, tourism education, smart tourism and rural tourism, further fostering collaboration and innovation across the Strait in the field of tourism research.

BISU graduate students deliver their presentations.

At a flag handover ceremony, Li Hongbo, director of the Research Office at BISU, received the conference flag from Chen Dunji, president of the Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism in Taiwan.

Next year, BISU, in collaboration with institutions including Mentougou district of Beijing, Xiamen University in Fujian province, Jishou University and Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism in Taiwan, will host the 13th Tourism & Sightseeing Symposium Across the Taiwan Strait in Mentougou district.

Li Hongbo (R) receives the conference flag from Chen Dunji.