Sanya and Hainan Lausanne Tourism University Partner to Develop Tourism Talent

On the morning of July 9, the Sanya Tourism Board and Hainan Lausanne Tourism University (HLTU) formally signed a memorandum of understanding on strategic cooperation.

This is a partnership that brings tourism and education together. As island-wide special customs operations advance at the Hainan Free Trade Port, Sanya is accelerating the development of a core area for international tourism and consumption. Expanding international air links and overseas visitor markets, upgrading premium offerings and improving service quality all depend on tourism professionals with international outlooks, specialist expertise and a broad range of skills. Such talent is essential as Sanya moves from a traditional holiday destination toward an international tourism and consumption center.

HLTU is a landmark of Hainan Free Trade Port's opening-up in education. As China's second university independently established in Hainan by an overseas higher education institution, it draws on the century-old academic system of Switzerland's EHL Hospitality Business School, which has ranked first in its QS subject category for eight consecutive years. Guided by the principle of “Swiss standards, Chinese practice, global vision,” the university's presence in Sanya offers strategic support for Hainan's development as an international tourism and consumption center.

In 2026, the university is recruiting students from 19 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities across China. Its immersive English-language teaching gives students access to world-class tourism and hospitality management education without leaving the country.

At the signing ceremony, Huang Xing, director and Party secretary of the Sanya Municipal Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television, and Sports Bureau and concurrent Party secretary of the Sanya Tourism Board, said that talent is the most important resource at this pivotal stage in Sanya's transformation. HLTU, he said, will provide a valuable pool of talent for the Hainan Free Trade Port's tourism and cultural industries. Under the memorandum, the two sides will work together in three areas:

📍Internship and practical training bases. Working with leading Sanya tourism and cultural enterprises, they will create facilities that connect classroom learning with industry practice.

📍Joint industry research. They will study premium service processes, sustainable destination management and cross-cultural guest services, adapting Lausanne service standards to Sanya's tropical coastal resort setting.

📍Talent development. Training will be tailored to employers' needs so Sanya businesses can recruit and retain highly skilled professionals with international experience.

One city, one university and a shared commitment to the future. Sanya brings China's outstanding tropical coastal tourism resources, the policy advantages of the free trade port and the ambition to become the “Yachting Capital of the Asia-Pacific.” HLTU brings a century of Lausanne's academic heritage, a world-class teaching system and a global outlook.