Hong Kong Polytechnic University Scholars Deliver Guest Lecture

On 30 September 2026, the Department of Recreational Geography and Tourism of the Faculty of Geography and Environmental Sciences at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University hosted a guest lecture at the Al-Farabi Library (Room 303). The speakers were representatives of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU): Dr. Dan WANG, Professor and Associate Director of the Research Centre for Digital Transformation of Tourism (RCDTT), and May YANG, Postdoctoral Fellow and member of the RCDTT.

The event took place within the framework of the joint PolyU–KazNU project "Centre for Sustainable Development in Central Asia."

The meeting was held in a warm and friendly atmosphere. The guests presented prospects for joint research and educational activities, with particular attention to the research project "LLM-Enabled Capability Building in Tourism Education: A Mixed-Methods Study in Central Asian Higher Education," which explores the use of large language models in tourism education and the development of student competencies at universities in Central Asia. The organisation of joint educational programmes was also discussed.

The lecture sparked great interest among the audience. Master's and doctoral students actively joined the discussion and asked many thought-provoking questions about the potential of artificial intelligence in research and teaching, digital trends in tourism, and opportunities for academic mobility and participation in joint projects. The guests answered the questions with great enthusiasm and shared their own experience, making the meeting truly meaningful and inspiring.

The event was attended by Dr. A.S. Aktymbayeva, Dean of the Faculty of Geography and Environmental Sciences; R.M. Baiburiyev, Head of the Department of Recreational Geography and Tourism; and master's and doctoral students of the department.

The meeting marked an important step in strengthening Al-Farabi Kazakh National University's international cooperation with leading foreign universities in sustainable tourism and the digital transformation of the tourism industry. Both sides expressed confidence in continued fruitful collaboration and the implementation of joint initiatives.