PolyU Research Centre for Digital Transformation of Tourism

13/05/2026

Research Centre for Digital Transformation of Tourism (RCDTT) proudly sponsored and led a highly engaging panel discussion titled “AI and the Future of Tourism: From Insights to Impacts” at the PATA Annual Summit 2026 in Gyeongju.

Moderated by our Director, Professor. Haiyan Song, Associate Dean and Chair Professor of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management, and Mr and Mrs Chan Chak Fu Professor in International Tourism. The session brought together a stellar lineup of academic pioneers and industry leaders. We were especially proud to have Professor Dan Wang and Professor Bela Stantic representing RCDTT and the PolyU School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM).

They shared cutting-edge academic perspectives on digital transformation, engaging in a dynamic dialogue with top-tier industry practitioners:
• Huang Yuzhou, Founder and CEO, WDtrip
• Bernard A. Metzger, Founder & Chairman, Travelindex Group & TOP25 World
• Nadia Omer, CEO, AirAsia MOVE

The thought-provoking discussion revolved around four critical themes shaping the industry:
1. AI and its impact on travel business operations;
2. Creating data-driven travel experiences;
3. AI and sustainability; and
4. Bridging the gap between research and practice in the era of digital transformation in tourism.

The session successfully captivated a large and diverse audience, sparking significant interest among industry practitioners, fellow academics, and students alike. RCDTT remains committed to driving forward-thinking research that translates into real-world impacts for the global tourism ecosystem.

11/05/2026

May 8th, Research Centre for Digital Transformation of Tourism (RCdTT), and Open Sky Travel Technology Limited (Open Sky) have officially entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). This strategic partnership aims to drive AI-powered digital transformation within the aviation and tourism sectors.

Key Collaboration Highlights:

AI Research: Integration of Open Sky’s proprietary SkyLLM/SkyLAM technology with PolyU’s research expertise to develop vertical Large Language Models (LLMs) for the tourism industry.

Strategic Advisory: Appointment of Prof. SONG Haiyan and Prof. WANG Dan as Chief Strategic Advisors to Open Sky.

Talent Cultivation: Providing PhD students and researchers with internship opportunities and access to real-world aviation big data.
Industrial Application: Jointly applying for the RAISe+ Scheme and other grants to accelerate the commercialization of AI research outcomes.

This collaboration reinforces Hong Kong's position as a global hub for travel-tech innovation and marks a significant step toward a more technologically advanced future for the international tourism community.

29/04/2026

Professor Mimi Li, Associate Director of the RCdTT, at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, recently delivered a keynote presentation titled “New Frontiers in Neuro-Management: From Organizational Decision-Making to Experience Management.”

The presentation highlighted a significant paradigm shift in the field. While traditional neuro-management has focused on pre-consumption decision-making and advertising, Professor Li emphasized the need to explore the "during" and "after" stages of consumption. Tourism and hospitality, characterized by intangibility and dynamic service encounters, provide an ideal context for this research.

Key takeaways from the address include:

📍From Decision to Experience: Moving beyond "how consumers choose" to understanding how experiences are formed, regulated, and remembered.
📍Methodological Integration: The importance of combining neuroscience tools (EEG, eye-tracking, AI) with real-world, field-based research designs.
📍Future Directions: Utilizing cognitive neuroscience to reveal dimensions of perception and emotion that traditional self-reported methods cannot capture.
This shift opens new possibilities for experience design, service optimization, and digital transformation in the tourism industry.

14/04/2026

We were thrilled to host the RCDTT Research Seminar featuring Prof. Liu Yu from Peking University today. Huge thanks to our Associate Director, Prof. Mimi Li, for chairing such a dynamic session! With over 60 participants—including our Director, RAPs, and a large number of PhD and master’s students—the room was full of energy and academic enthusiasm! 🔥

In his captivating presentation, "Social Sensing for Urban Studies," Prof. Liu introduced a cutting-edge framework that utilizes geospatial big data—like social media footprints and taxi trajectories—as "social sensors" to decode complex urban dynamics. 🚕📍

His research offers a transformative approach to sensing places through sentiment mapping and temporal activity rhythms, revealing the hidden structures of our cities. As a pioneer in Geospatial AI (GeoAI) and the President-elect of CPGIS (2026), Prof. Liu’s insights provided invaluable perspectives on connecting human behavior with urban informatics. 📊💡

It was a fantastic academic exchange! Thanks to everyone who joined us for this high-level academic exchange. 🤝✨

09/04/2026

We are thrilled to announce that RCDTT is heading to South Korea as an official Breakout Session Sponsor for the PATA Annual Summit (PAS) 2026! 🌏

Bridging Gyeongju’s rich heritage with Pohang’s maritime innovation, RCDTT is honored to support the pivotal discussions addressing the evolving challenges and future directions of global tourism.

Join our distinguished delegation:
🎓 Prof. Haiyan Song – Director of RCDTT; Chair Professor & Associate Dean of SHTM; Mr. and Mrs. Chan Chak Fu Professor in International Tourism.
🎓 Prof. Dan Wang – Associate Director of RCDTT & Professor of SHTM.
🎓 Prof. Bela Stantic – Professor of SHTM.

Alongside global industry leaders, as we dive deep into the challenges and opportunities shaping the Asia-Pacific travel sector. ✈️💡

See you in Gyeongsangbuk-do! 🇰🇷
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28/03/2026

Tripartite collaboration officially launched at China’s premier technology innovation summit
— the Beijing Zhongguancun Forum (ZGC Forum) — uniting academic research, service
robotics, and AI data intelligence; Greater Bay Area pilot hotels targeted to achieve 100%
uplift in guest satisfaction and 200% gain in operational efficiency.

BEIJING, 27 March 2026 — At a formal signing ceremony held today at the Zhongguancun Forum
(ZGC Forum) — one of China‘s most prestigious science and technology innovation platforms —
the Research Centre for Digital Transformation of Tourism (RCdTT) of the School of Hotel and
Tourism Management (PolyU SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Prof. Haiyan Song, Mr and Mrs Chan Chak Fu Professor in International Tourism, Associate Dean of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) and Director of RCDTT, attended the signing ceremony, Yunji Technology Co., Ltd. (HKEX: 2670), a globally recognized leader in service robotics and intelligent hospitality solutions and Blue Pin (HK) Limited (”Blue Pin“), an established Hong Kong-based AI-powered authentication and automation company specializing in hotel digital transformation — today
announced the signing of a strategic tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The
collaboration will combine world-class academic research, proven robotic hardware and cloud-
based operating systems, and a proprietary AI guest-intelligence platform to pioneer a new paradigm in global hospitality: Predictive Hospitality.

27/03/2026

Research Centre for Digital Transformation of Tourism (RCDTT) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University met with Zhike Tong, a hotel digital services company in China, for an exchange on AI-driven innovation and internationalisation in the hospitality industry.

The RCDTT delegation was led by Prof. Haiyan Song, Mr and Mrs Chan Chak Fu Professor in International Tourism, Associate Dean of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) and Director of RCDTT, accompanied by Prof. Dan Wang, Associate Director of RCDTT, and Dr May Yang, Postdoctoral Fellow. Zhike Tong was represented by Mr Tong Jun, Co-founder and COO, Mr Yu Yongyang, CTO, and Mr Jiang Hao, Product Partner.

Both sides presented their respective work in AI and hotel digitalisation, and engaged in a productive exchange on shared industry topics. Zhike Tong shared its experience in deploying AI applications across China’s hospitality market, while RCDTT introduced the Centre’s interdisciplinary research capabilities and international collaboration network. Both parties expressed interest in furthering dialogue and exploring collaboration opportunities in areas including AI applications in hospitality, digital transformation, and international expansion.

RCDTT is committed to advancing frontier research in the digital transformation of tourism through deep collaboration with industry leaders, nurturing interdisciplinary talent, and fostering industry-academia integration.

09/03/2026

Prof. Richard Qiu received the prize on behalf of the project team in Brugge, Belgium on 1 March 2026. The Research Centre for Digital Transformation of Tourism (RCdTT) and the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, in long-standing partnership with the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), has won the 2026 International Institute of Forecasters (IIF) Forecasting Practice Competition, as well as the IIF Award for the Impact of Forecasting in Practice and a US$10,000 prize.

Led by Prof. Haiyan Song, Mr and Mrs Chan Chak Fu Professor in International Tourism and Director of RCdTT, the winning entry is the co-developed Asia Pacific Visitor Forecasts. The research outperformed global competitors to be named one of four finalists, with the team invited to present their work at the Foresight Practitioner Conference in Brugge, Belgium (Unilever took second place).


This industry-leading research provides 3-year quarterly travel demand forecasts for 39 Asia Pacific destinations (covering over 1,400 origin-destination pairs) via a scenario-based model that integrates geopolitical, economic and public health factors, and is refined by expert panels. It achieved a striking reduction in forecast error, from 40.2% in 2021 to just 2.1% in 2024, enabling regional tourism stakeholders to implement precise operational optimization. Its insights guided US$240 million in targeted tourism investment in China, generating an incremental US$1.4 billion in revenue in 2023.

We are immensely proud that this remarkable achievement testifies to the outstanding research contributions of SHTM PolyU and RCdTT, and stands as a wonderful recognition of our impactful collaboration with valued partner PATA. This prestigious award underscores the strength of our joint efforts in advancing world-class tourism forecasting research and boosting the Asia Pacific travel and tourism industry through data-driven insights.

Official IIF announcement: https://forecasters.org/blog/2026/03/03/2026-iif-forecasting-practice-competition-winner-announcement/

04/03/2026

12/01/2026

The 4th PATA India Tourism PowerHouse was successfully held in New Delhi on 8-9 January 2026. Professor Haiyan Song, Mr and Mrs Chak Fu Professor in International Tourism and Director of the Research Centre for Digital Transformation and Tourism (RCdTT), delivered a keynote address on “Analyzing the Growing India Opportunities” under the forum’s theme, “Accelerating Tourism for Tomorrow Powered by Data and Knowledge.” Professor Song’s analysis provided a critical empirical foundation for mapping the future of India’s tourism sector.

Drawing on his expertise in global travel dynamics, Professor Song presented a compelling forecast for India’s resilient outbound tourism market, identifying Thailand, the United States, and Singapore as the top three preferred destinations for Indian travelers. His research highlighted the unique stage-based growth model of the Indian market, driven predominantly by first-time international travelers—a distinct pattern compared to the frequency-led growth seen in mature Southeast Asian economies.

Further supporting the forum’s theme, Professor Song spotlighted Sri Lanka’s rapid emergence as a major destination for Indian tourists, attributing its success to geographic proximity, competitive pricing, and targeted promotional campaigns. This case study underscored the practical power of data in understanding market shifts.

Professor Song’s presentation provided essential context for discussions on intelligence-driven decision-making, sustainable development, and MICE potential. Other keynote speakers, such as Dr. Suman Billa, Director General of Tourism, Government of India, and PATA CEO Mr. Noor Hamid, also emphasized the importance of AI adoption, sustainability, and community-centric models. The forum’s concluding call to action for cross-sector partnerships and strategic analytics was a direct extension of these keynote speakers’ core arguments.

11/12/2025

IMPACT2025 has successfully wrapped up! As a proud platinum sponsor, RCDTT is delighted to see that everyone enjoyed their time at the conference.
The event brought together numerous distinguished scholars from the industry, who shared valuable insights and sparked meaningful discussions.
One of the highlights was the panel session organized by RCDTT, featuring an engaging discussion on the digital transformation of tourism, which received high praise from participants!