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Partnership between Two Powerhouses - HAPA® Group & Taylor’s University on HAPA® Awards


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    The 9th of September 2022 signified two special occasions successfully took place at Taylor's University Lakeside Campus which was the partnership signing between HAPA® Group and Taylor’s University alongside with the launch of HAPA® Awards Malaysia Series 2022-2023. The start of this partnership between an Industry Awards Excellence Organization (HAPA® Group) and the World’s Top 20 University in Hospitality and Leisure Management area (Taylor's University) just further elevates the quality and standards of the HAPA® Awards. It also provides an opportunity for students to gain experience in managing and coordinating an internationally known awards series.

    The partnership was signed off by Prof. Dr. Pradeep Nair, Deputy Vice-Chancellor & Chief Academic Officer of Taylor's University and Ms. Jennifer Ong, Chief Executive Officer of HAPA® Group, witnessed by Prof. Dr. Neethiahnanthan Ari Ragavan, Executive Dean of Taylor's Faculty of Social Sciences & Leisure Management and Mr. Joshua Michael Ernest, Business Development Manager, HAPA® Group.

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    Industry partners from all areas of Hospitality, Tourism, Food & Beverage (F&B), Culinary and Events were invited for this partnership signing and launch of the HAPA® Awards Malaysia Series 2022-2023. More than 130 industry partners celebrated this joyous event with us. We also had the honour to have Ms. Christina Toh, President, Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) and Mr. Deepak Ohri, Chief Executive Officer, Lebua Hotels and Resorts (Thailand) who delivered their keynote addresses on "Covid-19 Aftermath – The Inclusive Hotelier and Journey Post Covid in Today’s World" during the launch event.

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    During the event, a total of 16 awards categories were revealed. The HAPA® Awards Malaysia Series 2022-2023 will feature Malaysia's Best Awards in different categories of F&B, Culinary, Hospitality and Tourism. Some of the prominent awards for this series are Best Service Excellence Establishments, Best Hotels & Resorts, Best Tourism Destinations & Tourist Attractions, Best Restaurants, Best Chefs and Best Human Resource Strategic Talent Development.


    Taylor's School of Media and Communication Cements a MOU Partnership with Asia Centre, Thailand


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      “The signing of this Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) will create better opportunities for both our organizations to work together to improve and expand new media research in Malaysia and beyond,” said Prof. Dr. Neethiahnanthan Ari Ragavan, Executive Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences and Leisure Management, at the MOU signing ceremony between Taylor's School of Media and Communication (SOMAC) and Asia Centre, Thailand that was held on Thursday 8 September 2022 at the Taylor's University Lakeside Campus and witnessed by a hundred students and staffs.


      After welcoming distinguished guests Dr. James Gomez, Regional Director of Asia Centre, Thailand and Malaysia; Yang Berusaha Dr. Azmi Sharom, Deputy Chairman of Election Commission of Malaysia; Ms. Joanne Bala, Regional Director of Government Affairs for Malaysia at Google and Ms. Prema Ponnudurai, Head of School, School of Media and Communication. Prof. Neethiahnanthan highlighted how the School of Media and Communication has been engaging in impactful research and public outreach on new media.

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      SOMAC’s partnership with Asia Centre has been well established with events and project collaborations with regards to the state of journalism in Malaysia through the appointment of SOMAC Senior Lecturer, Dr. Benjamin Loh as an Associate of Asia Centre. Awarded the UN Economic and Social Council’s Special Consultative Status in 2021, Asia Centre continues to be an important knowledge partner in the region by undertaking evidence-based research, convening events, developing toolkits for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), development aid agencies, International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs), media workers and policymakers, and amplifying its findings through media on various issues affecting the Asian region.

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      The main goals of SOMAC’s partnership with Asia Centre will involve:

      • Collaborating on projects such as conferences, seminars and workshops;

      • Developing teaching/training programmes, course outlines and materials;

      • Undertaking joint research and publication projects;

      • Representing and promoting joint activities and events;

      • Internship opportunities for Taylor’s University students.

      Upon the MOU signing ceremony, to kick-start the objectives of this partnership, the Report Forum "Youth and Disinformation in Malaysia – Strengthening Electoral Integrity" was conducted to discuss the latest report that focused on disinformation targeting Malaysian youth during election campaigns. Reviewing the last five general elections in Malaysia (1999 to 2018), the report identified some recurring patterns of disinformation which included falsehoods relating to sexual orientation, corruption and foreign interference.


      SOMAC’s partnership with Asia Centre is a crucial part of learning at Taylor’s University preparing students to be ‘future-ready’ in the job market as well as citizens of the future.

      2022 CRiT Summer School on Innovation and Technology in Tourism to Achieve SDGs


        The “2nd CRiT Summer School on Innovation and Technology in Tourism to Achieve SDGs" was organized by the Centre for Research and Innovation in Tourism (CRiT) from 23rd - 25th August 2022, in partnership with School of Hospitality, Tourism and Events (SHTE), Taylor’s University, Malaysia; Université Toulouse - Jean Jaurès (UT2J), Institut Supérieur du Tourisme, de l'Hôtellerie et de l'Alimentation (ISTHIA), France; University of Queensland, Australia; University of Oulu, Finland; University of Canterbury, New Zealand; ASEAN Tourism Research Association (ATRA); Centre d’Étude et de Recherche Travail Organisation Pouvoir (CERTOP) and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), France.

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        The aim of this event was to promote and share knowledge on “Tourism & Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” which creates opportunities for researchers to collaborate with national and international organizations and networking with top scholars in Innovation and Technology in Tourism and SDGs.


        The opening message was delivered by YB Dato’ Sri Hajah Nancy Shukri, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Malaysia, followed by a message from Prof. Dr. Neethiahnanthan Ari Ragavan, Executive Dean of Faculty of Social Sciences and Leisure Management, Taylor's University and President of ASEAN Tourism Research Association (ATRA); and Dr. Dirk Glaesser, Director of the Sustainable Development of Tourism, UNWTO.

        Subsequently, Prof. Dr. Jean-Pierre Poulain, Co-Director of Taylor's Toulouse University Center (TTUC) & Chair of Food Studies: Food, Cultures and Health, followed by our partner universities were represented by Prof. Dr. Pentti Haddington, GenZ Project Leader, University of Oulu, Finland and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Karen Hughes, Tourism Discipline Leader, University of Queensland, Australia to share their views during the opening session. The concluding remarks was presented by the Director of CRiT, Assoc. Prof. Dr. S. Mostafa Rasoolimanesh.


        During the three days event, eleven sessions on various topics related to Innovation and Technology in Tourism and SDGs were discussed such as “Smart Tourism; Community/Indigenous Tourism; Fostering Innovation to Fight Climate Change; Sharing Economy; Green Innovation; Heritage Tourism; Innovation for Accessible Tourism” and other related topics.

        The 2nd CRiT Summer School had invited 30 eminent speakers and other experts in the field who shared their research interests and addressed questions from the participants. Each session was moderated by academic from Taylor’s University, University of Queensland and University of Oulu. The Moderators were ably supported by students from SHTE’s PhD in Hospitality & Tourism programme.

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        Around 1500+ registrations from more than 85 countries were the postgraduate scholars, academicians and industry experts. Truly, global connections and future collaborations that were forged at the CRiT Summer School continue to this day.


        As the organizers, CRiT is indeed proud to have contributed in some small way to global collaborations involving Tourism and SDGs.

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