The World Tourism Forum Luzern held its first “Talent Boost” event in China. As one of the most active forum in the tourism industry, the Forum continues to expand its international network with leading universities in the field. In China, WTFL will collaborate with ECNU (East China Normal University), one of the leading universities in hospitality and tourism.

The program at ECNU featured keynotes from industry leaders such as Prof. Martin Barth, President World Tourism Forum Lucerne and Michael Henssler, President Kempinski Hotel S.A. – China, as well as a panel discussion moderated by Pascal Marmier. The panel focused on the talent shortage in the industry and some of the initiatives under way to solve it.

The first “Talent Boost” event in Shanghai aimed on raising awareness of the importance of young talents in the industry. In order to find, manage and foster young talents, it is of great importance to create an attractive environment for the “Future Generation” in the industry. The cooperation between industry and academia, and institutions will contribute to create this important platform, in order to help facilitate connecting the young talents to the key players of the industry.

In both countries, hospitality has a very long tradition, but over the past years, the “supply of talents” has become more difficult. By following trends, being innovative and by focusing on a praxis-oriented training and a solid education program, and by offering the possibility of internships, the search for the right talent could be facilitated and improved. With the partnership between WTFL and ECNU (East China Normal University), and the “Talent Boost” event, an important commitment has been set.

The next forum will be held in April 23 – 24, 2015 in Lucerne, Switzerland, and the first forum in China is planned to take place in 2016. Hopefully with many young talents coming from all over the world, who will share their passion for tourism and hospitality, and who are enthusiastic to share, and strive to gain experience in the industry in order to play a key role in the future.