On July 22, 2002, Roxanne Ang founder and Director of Tourism Training Institute, a division of Global Education in Tourism Ltd., signed the legal documents with executives from Tsinghua Science Park Venture Capital Co. Ltd. (ZHTSP) to form "Tourism Training Institute at Tsinghua Science Park" (TTTI). The first TTTI campus will officially open in September this year at the Tsinghua Science Park in Zhuhai, Province of Guangdong.

Tourism Training Institute, founded in 1989 and accredited with the Private Post-Secondary Education Commission of BC, has been a leader in tourism education and continues to set standards in the industry. "This partnership with Tsinghua Science Park marks a beginning and an end - an end to my 4-year search for the ideal and strategic partner and a beginning to bring our unique and successful training system called the Training & Career Development Continuum™ to China", says Ang. She added that graduates of TTTI will find themselves highly employable in the industry and "the standards we bring is vital to China with its recent accession to the WTO and preparations for the 2008 Olympics."

"We believe that TTTI will accelerate the development of the Chinese tourism and hospitality industry as it enters a new era of global competition. We found a win-win partnership with TTI," stated Prof. Xiteng Ma, head of ZHTSP. Tsinghua Science Park is a joint venture of Tsinghua University, one of the most prestigious universities in China and the Zhuhai Municipal Government. Zhuhai's location is conducive to drawing from several markets - it is the border city to Macau, an hour's ferry ride to Hong Kong and an hour and a half by bus to Guangzhou.

TTTI will offer travel, tourism and hospitality programs similar to programs in the Canadian campuses but with some added localization. It will also accept students from other countries and will recommend qualified graduates to major worldwide tourism enterprises and employers. Students from varying cultures will encourage the development of a multi-cultural atmosphere where they can study together in a challenging and professional environment. Graduating students will also have the opportunity to continue their practical training in other countries. Program schedules will offer flexibility to suit both full-time and part-time students to accommodate not only those who want to start a career in tourism and hospitality but also those employed in the industry requiring professional development and continuing education.

Ang concluded, "We look forward to a six year window in which we can contribute to raising China's professional tourism standards. The future of China's tourism and hospitality industry looks bright and we are excited to be a part of its development."