The meeting is an initial step of the implementation of TOURIST project. It is a three-year project (2017-2020) funded by European Commission in the frame work of Erasmus+ Capacity Building for Higher Education and coordinated by FH Joanneum University of Applied Sciences.

The project comprises 8 work packages and focuses on building competence centers for sustainable tourism and innovative financial management strategies in Thailand and Vietnam.

At the meeting, apart from the reports on the status-quo on sustainable tourism efforts in Thailand, Vietnam and EU, and the GAP analysis, there were also presentations on innovative financial management strategies, clarification of project’s aims, work packages, tasks per partner and project management approach. The meeting ended with one-day study visit to Vulcano Ham Factory and Zotter Chocolate Factory – good practice examples of sustainable tourism in Austria.  

In the next work package 2, four training workshops for different target groups will be held in Thailand and Vietnam with the aim of human capacity building for competence centers. The first is going to be organized at Hue University in October 2018.

TOURIST Project partners include:

From Europe:

-          FH Joanneum University of Applied Sciences – Austria (coordinator)

-          University of Alicante – Spain

-          Haaga-Helia University – Finland

From Asia:

-          Hue University – Vietnam (national coordinator)

-          University of Human and Social Sciences, VNU Hanoi – Vietnam

-          Ho Chi Minh city University of Social Sciences and Humanities – Vietnam

-          Hue Center of Tourism Information and Promotion - Vietnam

-          Kasetsart University Bangkok – Thailand

-          Burapha University - Thailand

-          Bayap University - Thailand

-          Prince of Songkla University – Thailand (national coordinator)

-          Thailand Community Based Tourism Institute - Thailand