CUHK’s SHTM hosts the NextGen Tourism Summit 2025, uniting global scholars and industry leaders to shape the future of tourism, innovation and the experience economy
The School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) successfully hosted the NextGen Tourism Summit: Leading the Experience Economy on 22 November 2025, drawing influential academics and industry decision-makers to explore the future of tourism and the global shift toward the experience-driven economy.
Held on the CUHK campus, the event marked a significant milestone in advancing thought leadership across hospitality, tourism, and experience-design disciplines.
Setting the Stage: Leadership Remarks & Opening Perspectives
The summit opened with welcoming speeches from CUHK and Hong Kong leaders, including:
- Professor Liwen Jiang, CUHK Pro-Vice-Chancellor (External Affairs)
- Mrs. Angelina Cheung, JP, Commissioner for Tourism, Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau
- Professor Lin Zhou, Dean of CUHK Business School
- Professor Robert Li, Director of SHTM
Their remarks highlighted Hong Kong’s strategic ambition to strengthen global competitiveness and leadership in tourism, hospitality, and experience innovation.
Exploring the Experience Economy: Academic & Industry Insights
Under the theme “Leading the Experience Economy,” the summit convened nearly 40 deans, department heads, and senior professors from top mainland Chinese universities specialising in tourism studies.
Panel Discussions on the Future of Tourism Research & Education
Experts engaged in in-depth discussions on:
- The evolving visions and opportunities within tourism scholarship
- Strategic pathways for advancing research excellence
- Challenges facing talent development in a rapidly changing economy
- Strengthening collaboration between academia and industry stakeholders
In addition, distinguished scholars from disciplines beyond tourism—whose work intersects with human experience, design, and behavioural science—shared perspectives on emerging global trends shaping the next phase of economic growth.
Why the Experience Economy Matters More Than Ever
The summit underscored that the rise of the experience economy is fuelled by shifting customer expectations, technological breakthroughs, and transformative business models. Today’s consumers seek:
- Personalisation
- Emotional resonance
- Meaningful, memorable experiences
Experts agreed that experience creation is now a measurable driver of customer loyalty, brand differentiation, and employee engagement across sectors—from hospitality to retail, entertainment, wellness, and finance.
SHTM’s Leadership: Advancing Education for the Experience Age
Founded in 1998 and part of CUHK Business School, SHTM has long championed innovation in tourism research, teaching, and industry collaboration. Recognising early the power of the experience economy, SHTM has been at the forefront of redefining how hospitality and tourism studies evolve.
Launching Asia Pacific’s First MSc in Leadership for the Experience Economy
Building on its pioneering vision, SHTM will introduce the MSc in Leadership for Experience Economy (LEE) in the 2026–2027 academic year—the first dedicated postgraduate programme of its kind in the Asia Pacific.
The programme aims to cultivate multi-skilled leaders with:
- Inspirational leadership capability
- Change management expertise
- Investment and business foresight
- Competence in technology-driven experience innovation
This new programme signals CUHK’s commitment to shaping future-ready talent equipped to lead in an increasingly experience-centric marketplace.
Industry Keynotes: Insights from Global Leaders
The summit was supported by key tourism and hospitality partners, including the Hong Kong Tourism Board, AsiaWorld-Expo, Hong Kong Hotels Association, Hyatt Regency Shatin, and The Federation of Hong Kong Hotel Owners.
Three prominent industry leaders delivered compelling keynote speeches:
Mrs. Vivian Cheung
CEO, Airport Authority Hong Kong
She highlighted how the experience economy aligns with Hong Kong’s broader tourism development strategy, noting that forward-thinking collaborations are essential for elevating the city’s global appeal.
Mr. Benjamin Vuchot
Executive Director and CEO, The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels
He underscored that luxury hospitality is defined by “intangible moments of genuine connection,” positioning experience design as the heart of premium service.
Mr. Dennis Chang
Executive Vice President and Division President, Greater China, Mastercard
He shared data-driven insights from Mastercard’s Travel Trends 2025 report, noting that consumer spending is shifting decisively from “shopping” to “experiences,” with major events and cultural activities becoming powerful tourism catalysts.
Driving Hong Kong & Mainland Collaboration Forward
Through keynote sessions and academic panels, the event provided a robust knowledge-sharing platform connecting leading scholars from mainland China and Hong Kong.
Participants widely agreed that this is an ideal moment to accelerate development of the experience economy—particularly to:
- Enhance human-centred applications of emerging technologies such as AI
- Strengthen the Tourism is Everywhere initiative in Hong Kong
- Support the growth of cultural tourism across mainland China
The event reinforced the shared vision of creating a more dynamic, technology-integrated, and experience-driven tourism landscape.
Looking Ahead: CUHK SHTM’s Vision for the Future
With the success of the NextGen Tourism Summit, CUHK SHTM aims to continue expanding its leadership in research, education, and industry partnerships, driving forward the transformation of the global experience economy.
CONTACT:
CUHK MSc in Leadership for Experience Economy Programme
[email protected]
+852 3943 8799
At a Glance: NextGen Tourism Summit 2025
- Event: NextGen Tourism Summit – Leading the Experience Economy
- Date: 22 November 2025
- Venue: The Chinese University of Hong Kong
- Organiser: School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM), CUHK
- Participants: Nearly 40 top scholars from leading mainland Chinese universities
- Focus: Future of tourism research, education & experience economy
- Keynotes: Airport Authority Hong Kong, The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Mastercard
- New Programme: MSc in Leadership for Experience Economy (LEE), launching 2026–2027
- Themes: Innovation, AI, customer experience, human-centred design
- Goal: Strengthening Hong Kong–Mainland collaboration & advancing experience-driven tourism
Also read Trip.com Group 2025 Summit in Istanbul: Travel Innovation
