From October 17th to 19th, Prof. Yao Yanbo, Associate Dean of the College of Tourism and Service Management of Nankai University, Sun Xian, director of the Innovation Education Center, and Hou Pingping, a doctoral student, were invited to participate in the 37th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Travel and Tourism Educators with the theme of “Gain Knowledge, Tourism Education Innovation”. The annual meeting was organized by the Tourism and Hotel College of Niagara University and co-organized by the Catering College of Niagara University.

Prof. Yao Yanbo, Associate Dean of our college, gave a keynote speech on “Innovative Research on Tourism Education Based on nano degree: About Nankai University”. During the speech, the problems and challenges faced by current tourism education were analyzed, and it was considered that MOOC, as a new learning mode in the Internet era, provided learners with new knowledge acquisition channels and learning modes, and provided a boost and opportunity for the innovation and curriculum reform of higher education model in tourism management specialty. Taking Nankai University as a case, Prof. Yao Yanbo analyzed the current opportunities and challenges of tourism education, and proposed the nano degree program of tourism management with the MOOC as the core, and introduced the nano degree program of tourism management of Nankai University to the participants in the respects of innovation points, education model, course content, learning style, etc.. She also pointed out that the tourism management nano degree program had good development prospects and it would bring faster, more convenient and more efficient learning services and development opportunities to the development of tourism higher education, fully embodying the sharing of educational resources, and achieving educational equity, and it was also the entry points for Chinese education advancing toward the world.

The International Society of Travel and Tourism Educators (ISTTE) is an international organization representing all levels of educators of travel, tourism and related fields around the world, and it is composed of professionals in tourism, travel and related fields, represented by educational institutions at all levels. Its members include universities in many countries and regions, such as the United States, Australia, Canada, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, South Korea, China, Taiwan, etc. Themed with “Gain Knowledge, Tourism Education Innovation”, the annual meeting was attended by teachers and students from Purdue University, University of Central Florida, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Niagara College, Macao Institute for Tourism Studies, and University of Kentucky, etc.