BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya — Continuing Saint Mary’s University’s (SMU) commitment to inter-institutional communion and academic excellence, fourth-year BS Psychology student and Marian leader Mr. Christian Josh B. Acosta recently represented SMU as the guest resource speaker for PLT College, Inc.’s celebration of World Tourism Day.

Hosted by the College of Hospitality and Tourism Management (CHTM) around the theme “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism,” the forum convened tourism students and faculty to discuss how modern tech is reshaping local and global hospitality.

Acosta spotlighted “4PAUSE,” the visionary startup initiative created by his team that clinched the Regional Championship at the 2025 Tourism Start-Up Challenge and represented Region 2 at the National Vetting earlier this year. His talk demonstrated how digital transformation, strategic pause-points, and technology-driven concepts can build more sustainable regional travel frameworks.

SMU takes pride in Mr. Acosta’s engagement, which embodies Marian values of leadership, innovation, and active partnership. The initiative directly supports key UN Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) through inter-institutional collaboration, SDG 4 (Quality Education) via peer leadership, and SDGs 8&9 (Decent Work and Industry, Innovation&Infrastructure) by leveraging AI for sustainable growth.