International Centre for Tourism and Hospitality Research
Our mission: To inform and enlighten our constituents about the most relevant issues and challenges concerning tourism in Macao, by investigating, advancing, and sharing our knowledge thereof.
The International Centre for Tourism and Hospitality Research (ICTHR) is the policy research and industry development unit of the Macao University of Tourism (UTM). The Centre serves as a management and public policy think tank and a knowledge provider for tourism and hospitality-related research. Funding for our activities comes solely from UTM and the Macao SAR Government.
We identify and initiate research projects critical to the Centre’s mission, conduct theoretical and applied research grounded on practical relevance, and communicate effective tourism planning, development and management practices based on sound theories and principles.
Our activities include conducting policy and policy-review studies (commissioned or otherwise), monitoring and evaluation studies, polling and opinion surveys, support for academic research; communication via organizing seminars, workshops and conferences, publication, communication and dissemination of research findings, as well as research design and administration.
Our team
Leonardo (Don) A.N. Dioko, Phd.
Don is the Director of the Centre and is a Professor at UTM. As Director, he initiates, leads and oversees the Centre’s principal research activities, especially those that influence and shape policy, particularly policy research commissioned by the Macao Government. He has been lead investigator on research regarding Macao’s destination carrying capacity and tourism sustainability as well as the Macao Tourism Satisfaction Index (MTSI).
Patrick Lo
Patrick lectures at UTM in the area of quantitative methods and statistics. He leads and manages all major data collection design and field implementation efforts that are critical to all the Centre’s studies, ensuring the quality and accuracy of data collected. His previous experience working for major polling and research units in Hong Kong has proved valuable for the Centre and to the outcome of its important studies.
Wendy Tang
Wendy received her master and bachelor degrees in social sciences, with focus on economics. The valuable assistance she provides in all the Centre’s research projects has been very instrumental to the effectiveness of the Centre and its mission. Her contribution to the design, data collection and efficient administration of all our research projects - including the preparation of our reports to the highest quality - has been and continues to be immense.
Janice Leong
Janice received her Master’s degree in Statistics and Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics & Economics (MORSE). She assists in database management, statistical analysis and data visualization for the Centre’s research projects, and contributes to publication of high quality reports. She also provides administrative support to the Centre and assists with event organisation.