I) Tourist education training and examination in Zhejiang Province

By the end of 2005, there were altogether 86 tourism colleges, with 66,500 students. Among them, 32 were tourism colleges at a higher level (including those with tourism department and tourism major), with 10,222 students; 54 are secondary vocational schools of tourism (including those with tourism department and tourism major), with 56,278 students.

In 2005, a total of 112,610 practitioners engaged in tourism in Zhejiang province received various sorts of training. Among these, 103,375 received on-job training (including on-job training for managerial personnel, qualification training for tour guides and tour leaders, training for technical class, adaptive training, and on-job training for workers). These trainees came from tourist hotels, travel agencies, tourist automobile and cruise companies and departments of tourism administration. Hotels and travel agencies are the major sources, accounting for 63.2% and 33.5% respectively.

In 2005, 15 examinations were held in Zhejiang such as qualification examination for tour guides, qualification examination for managers in travel agencies, examination for outbound tour leaders. The total of examinees was 13,600, among whom 853 got the certificate of qualification for managers in travel agencies, 3,494 got the certificate of qualification for tour guides, 2,366 got the permit to go into business in scenic spots or areas.

  II) International Exchange and Cooperation

In 2005, the province continued to send senior hotel managerial personnel to Europe, Australia (the continent), and the US on training programs. Teachers and experts were invited to China from the US, South Korea, Australia, etc., to teach and to give lectures.

  III) Regional Cooperation

1. Cooperation in tourism education training in the area of Yangtze River Delta

The exchange of work experience was strengthened between the departments of tourism education training in Zhejiang and those in Jiangsu and Shanghai. The cooperation on textbooks for training programs and research projects was further reinforced. Various kinds of tourism training programs at different levels were conducted jointly.

2. Tourism education cooperation between Zhejiang and Hong Kong, Zhejiang and Macao

In order to promote mutual understanding, exchanges and cooperation in different respects between Zhejiang Province and Macao, Zhejiang Tourism Vocational College and Macao Tourism College had exchange programs for top students according to the agreement. Zhejiang Tourism Vocational College also had exchange programs for teachers with School of Hotel and Tourism Management, Hong Kong Polytechnic University.