The Provincial and ministerial Cooperative Innovation Center for Modern Tourism Development of Nankai University was originally named "Collaborative Innovation Center for Modern Tourism Development". On July 15, 2015, it was led by Nankai University, jointly built by Sun Yat-sen University and the State Information Center, and supported by the former National Tourism Administration. In May 2019, approved by the Ministry of Education, according to the identification requirements, the name was changed to " Modern Tourism Development Co-construction Collaborative Innovation Centre ", which is the first and only nationally recognized collaborative innovation Centre in the field of tourism in China, and has become the second recognized collaborative innovation Centre led by Nankai University. The Ministry of Education cooperates with Tianjin government to support the Centre development. In December 2020, it entered the China Think Tank Index (CTTI) source think tank.
The center is chaired by Professor Gong Ke, former President of Nankai University, Chairman of Academic Committee of Nankai University and President ofWorld Federation of Engineering Organizations. Professor Ma Jun, President of Beijing Normal University, is the vice chairman; Deputy Director of the National Tourism Management Graduate Education Steering Committee, Professor Shi Peihua of Nankai University is the director of the center; Professor Bai Changhong, Dean of Business School of Nankai University and editor-in-chief of Nankai Management Review, Vice President of China Tourism Association, Professor Bao Jigang of Sun Yat-sen University are co-directors. More than 30 well-known experts, including Wei Jianguo, former Vice Minister of Commerce, Professor Li Wenhua, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and Professor Liu Renhuai, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, serve as academic members.
In accordance with the overall requirements of "national urgent need, world-class, advanced system and outstanding contribution", the center aims to build China's tourism think tank highland, tourism academic innovation highland, cultural and tourism integration innovation development leading highland, and modern tourism industry common technology research and development transformation platform. Focusing on the three goals of "strategic pillar industry of the national economy, modern service industry that the people are more satisfied with, and world tourism power", focusing on the major strategy of tourism development in China, guided by major collaborative innovation tasks and guaranteed by institutional and mechanism reform, gathering excellent innovation teams, gathering innovative resources of all types and levels, and innovating tourism talent training modes.The centre aims to deepen international cooperation and exchanges, optimize the innovation environment, enhance the "trinity" innovation ability of talents, disciplines and scientific research, jointly tackle major practical and theoretical issues, and form landmark achievements of tourism industry think tanks. The centre will adhere to the guidance of major collaborative innovation tasks, improve innovation capacity through institutional innovation, and build a series of important collaborative innovation sub-platforms to serve the major needs of national development.
The centre jointly builds a smart cultural tourism collaborative network with the State Information Center, Tencent Cultural Tourism, Ctrip, Tongcheng Travel, China Digital Culture Group, and China New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Strategy Research Institute. The National Red Tourism Coordination Group Office supports the establishment of a national red tourism innovation and development research base. The Silk Road Tourism Research Center was established to serve the Belt and Road Initiative. In cooperation with the Propaganda and Education Center of the State Oceanic Administration, the "China Marine Tourism Research Center" and the "Marine Tourism Professional Committee of the China Pacific Society" were established. In collaboration with the School of Tourism Management, Sun Yat-sen University and the United Nations World Tourism Organization, the "UNWTO Tourism Sustainable Development Observation Point Management and Monitoring Center" was established. The Industrial Culture Research Center of Nankai University was established in cooperation with the Industrial Culture Development Center of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to build a collaborative innovation platform for industrial culture and industrial tourism. In cooperation with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and China Agricultural University, we will promote innovation platforms for rural tourism and agricultural tourism integration that serve rural revitalization. In cooperation with local cultural and tourism groups, governments of famous tourist destinations, universities, etc., a number of sub-centers and bases of collaborative innovation centers have been established in Shenzhen and Haikou, etc., to build a strong and dynamic collaborative innovation network.
