The plaque unveiling ceremony of the international tourism talent training center jointly built by Guilin Tourism University and the Laksamana College of Business. [Photo/chinanews.com]

An international tourism talent training center, jointly built by Guilin Tourism University (GTU) in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and Laksamana College of Business (LCB) in Brunei, streamed its plaque-unveiling ceremony online on April 20.

GTU is currently the only college in the Chinese mainland to have gained key support from the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), and LCB enjoys unique advantages in areas such as tour guide training, business English and international finance.

Lin Na, Party secretary of GTU, said that the training center will give full play to the strengths of both sides to cultivate international tourism talents for Brunei, through measures such as providing high-quality teaching staff and building core subjects.

A series of cultural events, such as exhibitions of traditional Chinese culture and themed forums, will be held in the center in order to boost cooperation and communication between China and Brunei in the cultural and tourism industries. 

LCB's Chief Operating Officer Sivarajah Subramanian noted that the college will keep expanding its cooperation with GTU. It will offer more opportunities for students to have short-term exchanges, invite Chinese teachers to teach in Brunei ,and conduct multilayer cooperation with GTU in areas spanning cabin attending and hotel management.

Luo Yaoguang, an official from the Education Department of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, expressed his hope that the training center will devote itself to deepening cooperation between Guangxi and Brunei in cultural education and tourism, striving to become a friendly and cooperative platform for Bruneians to learn more about Guangxi and to study Chinese. 

The number of Chinese tourists visiting Brunei has been increasing and China has become a major tourist source for Brunei. Currently, Brunei is operating direct flights to seven Chinese cities.