Founded in 1995, Instituto for Mao turística in Portuguese and Institute for Tourism Studies in English, it is a public higher education institution that specializes in training tourism leaders in China, Macau and Wang Xia. Its graduates are in a leading position in the industry, and its hotel management major, Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Chinese University of Hong Kong have strong industry leadership in the Asia-Pacific region. In 2008, it was awarded the Tourism Excellence Award by the Macao SAR Government.