Chiang Mai University Launches INNO4Tourism Curriculum to Enhance Tourism Workforce Skills for Sustainability
September 18, 2025 – The INNO4Tourism – Innovative Curricula for Lifelong Learning of Sustainable Tourism Workforce project, is funded by the European Union (EU) and supported by the College of Arts, Media and Technology, Chiang Mai University, has officially been launched under he Erasmus+ Programme, Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE Action). The launch event was a collaboration between the Department of Tourism, Faculty of Humanities, the College of Arts, Media and Technology, the Faculty of Education, and the CMU School of Lifelong Education, aiming to strengthen the skills of the tourism workforce towards sustainability.
The launch event introduction was presented over by Asst. Prof. Dr. Orawit Thinnukool, Head of the INNO4Tourism Project, CMU team, along with the project team Asst. Prof. Dr. Yuttasak Chatkaewnapanon, Project Manager, representing Chiang Mai University. The event gathered representatives from government and private organizations, including the Tourism Council of Chiang Mai, the Chiang Mai Guide Association, as well as entrepreneurs, hotel and restaurant businesses, and enrolled students from the project’s courses.
Asst. Prof. Dr. Worawit Janchai, Dean of the College of Arts, Media and Technology, gave the opening address, followed by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Suthida Chamrat, Deputy Director of the CMU School of Lifelong Educayion, who introduced the CMU Lifelong Education Platform. This platform serves as a key mechanism for promoting lifelong learning in the digital era, with eight courses and 16 modules of INNO4Tourism curricula developed under the INNO4Tourism project to strengthen competencies for tourism and hospitality entrepreneurs.
Asst. Prof. Dr. Pattaraporn Khuwuthyakorn, Project Manager, presented the eight new courses comprising 16 modules. These modules were developed collaboratively by academic staff from four leading universities in Southeast Asia, together with experts from the European Union, focusing on sustainable tourism entrepreneurship. The curricula emphasize the integration of innovation, technology, and modern management to equip learners with future-ready skills that align with the dynamic nature of the tourism and hospitality industries.
The launch of the INNO4Tourism curricula marked another collaboration between Chiang Mai University, which aims to become a leading university committed to social responsibility for sustainable development through innovation, and its partners both domestically and internationally, particularly the European Union, to advance the quality of the tourism and hospitality workforce, as well as stakeholders across the supply chain. This initiative is especially significant in Chiang Mai, where tourism remains a major economic driver, and is expected to foster a balance between economic growth, social development, and environmental sustainability, thereby strengthening competitiveness in the long-term business operation sector.
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