The Macao Institute for Tourism Studies’ (IFTM) fourth-year Tourism Business Management students participated in their entrepreneurship course’s industrial project to assist local entrepreneur James Sun Ka Meng and conduct research as well as develop ideas for the Chestnut Festival, according to an IFTM statement yesterday.
The statement noted that Sun’s company, Best Concepts Planning Limited, carries out a host of projects in Macau such as the “Festival das Castanhas” or the Chestnut Festival, which will take place at Galaxy’s Broadway Food Street in Cotai from November 11-13. The project, the statement said, was designed by course leader Fernando Lourenço.
According to a statement on the Cultural Heritage website of the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), the festival is a Portuguese tradition that honours Saint Martin’s good deed, who cut his cloak in half to share it with a beggar. The feast is annually celebrated on November 11 as it was the day the event supposedly took place, while new wines and chestnuts were also being harvested at that time. The bureau refers to the event as Feast of Saint Martin (Dia de São Martinho in Portuguese).
Students examined previous academic studies to identify “success factors for running festivals” and interviewed over 100 locals and tourists to “explore their attitudes, behaviour and intentions toward attending festivals” in the city, according to the statement.
After gaining insights, the students developed ideas for the festival. A field trip was also arranged by Lourenço prior to the project presentation.
The statement added that the research findings were sure to “influence the design of the festival” and that a number of the students’ proposed ideas would be considered.
This mode of teaching, the statement said, is valuable in supporting local entrepreneurs and the tourism industry, as well as creating real-world learning opportunities for IFTM students.
This undated handout photo provided by the Macao Institute for Tourism Studies (IFTM) yesterday shows students giving a presentation on campus.
