Division of Social Studies (DSS), Community College of City University (CCCU), showcased a total of 31 Associate of Social Science in Leisure and Tourism Management (ASSLTM)final-year student projects, from 22 to 23 April, which demonstrate their creativity and enthusiasm in promoting the leisure and tourism industry.

 

The exhibition "Leisure and Tourism in Motion 2005" was based on eight themes: Program Management in Leisure and Tourism; Fresh Experience in Travel and Tourism; Heritage and Chinese Customs Tour; A Day for Fun and Leisure; New Attractions in Hong Kong; Theme Park in New Perspectives; A New Way of Museum; as well as Repositioning Hotels and Resorts. Combining ancient and contemporary resources, the students came up with fresh concepts. Mrs Fanny Liu, DSS Senior Lecturer and the programme leader of the ASSLTM , said the standard this year is exceptionally high and she is impressed by the progress of the students.

 

At the opening ceremony of the exhibition, Ms Jennifer Ng, Principal, CCCU, thanked the partners of the tourism industry for the support and commended the rich content of the projects. “The project provided students with the opportunity to apply their knowledge and formulate innovative ideas. They can present their ideas through the exhibition to demonstrate their potentials and competence in engaging in the industry,” she said.

 

 

Ms Jojo Chan, Deputy General Manager of Wing On Travel and a member of the panel of judges, highly commended the versatility of the students and their ability to make use of the features of local culture and scenic spots in the projects. “The Hong Kong government has invested hefty resources in tourism and recognizes it as one of the four main economic pillars. With the opening of Disneyland in September, the number of tourists will rise sharply and professionals in our industry are therefore indispensable," She said. She encouraged students to equip themselves and join the industry.

 

Other judges included Mrs Rita Li, Deputy General Manager of SINO Estates Management Limited; Ms Nicole Arnoux, Senior Manager-Club and Recreation of SINO Estates Services Limited; and Dr P Y Wong, Acting Head of the Division of Social Studies. Dr Wong encouraged the students to reach beyond what is required of them. “To meet the employers’ expectation, you should have professional knowledge, as well as creativity, and skills in analysis and communication,” she said.

The championship this year went to the project "Samba Summer", jointly produced by Chan Ka-shun, Wong Ming-ka, Ng Shan-wu, Kung Yui-yan and Siu Ching-man. The main concept of the project is to design a two-month Samba fiesta in a hotel which includes a Brazilian buffet, a Samba carnival with spicy girls performing Samba, a Brazilian wedding party and Samba fitness courses. Tourists sampling the buffet will be given a recipe as souvenir and the proceeds raised from the buffet will be donated to the World Vision. Chan Ka Shun said, “We take Samba as the theme because, after the outburst of the SARS in Hong Kong, the social environment was adversely affected. So we came up with the idea of the energetic Samba fiesta. We are sure it will cheer up the tourists.” Kung Yui Yan and Siu Ching Man demonstrated the Samba on the spot, winning a tide of applause from the audience.

 

The first runner up went to the project “X-Scream Tactics: A crossover between indoor war-game and ghost house adventure”, designed by Anna Liang, Panda Ng, Donald Mak, Iris Lau and Yan Chan. Integrating the thrill of ghost house

adventure with popular online and war-games, the concept is to design a two-storey haunted house, in which the participants, instead of being scared to death by ghosts, can use paintball air guns to kill them to gain satisfaction. Tourists can choose different play mode and level of difficulty to enjoy a story-based adventure in about two hours. “We design this game to enable tourists to participate by using their wit and strength,” said team member Iris Lau.

 

The project “Europe Expert” produced by Mandy Lo, Lillian Chan, Gladys Mok and Ibby Chan won the second runner up prize. The project aims to set up a simulated travel agency for business development and customer service management. Team members conducted a survey on the Hong Kong Island and ran an analysis after 250 questionnaires were collected. They then set up the agency specializing in European tours and targeting middle-class customers. They packaged a seven-day tour to Germany and Switzerland.

 

Two merit awards went to "Epitome of Lively Culture-Hong Kong’s Way" (by students Kong Chi-ting, Lee Ka-ho, Chu Kai-ling and Wan Hoi-ying), which introduced Hong Kong in the 50s, and "More than a Wedding" (by students Chan Ka-yee, Wong Nga Chuk, So Yuet-yi, Lee Siu-pik and Ng Ying-ying), which showcased the traditional Chinese wedding.

 

Last year, some concepts of the students’ projects had been adopted and put into use by commercial firms such as the MTR Corporation Limited and Cathay Pacific Airways Limited. Once again, the final-year projects demonstrate the success of CityU’s application-oriented teaching and high quality professional education.

 

 

The Division of Social Studies has always made use of innovative approaches in teaching and learning, and emphasized practical and relevant skills to meet the changing needs of society.