School of Tourism Highlights at next week’s Festival of Learning
Next week, Bournemouth University will be hosting the Festival of Learning across its different campus’.
Over the two weeks the Festival is on, there will be over 100 events to choose from. Many of the events are free and are delivered by BU staff keen to share their enthusiasm and experience with you.
Highlights offered from the School of Tourism include:
Social Media for the Terrified
eTourism Innovations in the Digital Era
This is only a small glimpse of the variety of the events held during the festival! To view the full programme please see here
With so much on offer, this is one Festival not to miss this summer.
For more information on the festival and to book any events please see here
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“Don’t eat poo and die, eat poo and live: An investigation into the things that we eat and the things that we don’t” event as part of the Festival of Learning
As part of the Festival of Learning, Sean Beer will be hosting an event titled “Don’t eat poo and die, eat poo and live: An investigation into the things that we eat and the things that we don’t”.
This free event takes place on Wednesday 5th June from 7pm -9pm on the Talbot Campus.
This illustrated lecture will investigate the diversity of things that people eat in different cultures and circumstances from around the world.
It will challenge you to look more closely at the nature of the food and drink that you choose to consume and that which you don’t.
Discussion will be backed up with tastings of some commonly eaten and some uncommonly eaten foods – if you dare.
This event is open to anyone.
For more information on this event and to register for the Festival of Learning please see here
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UN World Tourism Organisation discusses technology & social media as tool for competitive tourism at conference
Bournemouth University Professor Dimitrios Buhalis chaired the conference and advised countries on how to use social media and technology to boost tourist trade
Technology and social media are becoming critically important tools for successful international tourism.
This has been recognised by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation and the Minister of Tourism in Costa Rica, who organised a Technical Seminar on Tourism and New Technologies.
Delegates came from 22 countries – including Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and the Bahamas – and the conference discussed how tourism has been influenced by the latest technological breakthroughs, as well as the opportunities that lie ahead.
Professor Dimitrios Buhalis, Director of the e-Tourism Lab at Bournemouth University (BU), chaired the seminar, which took place in Costa Rica.
A tourism marketing expert who specialises in e-tourism and technology, he chaired panels looking at the internet, social media and mobile marketing in relation to tourism.
He also trained delegates – who included 12 tourism ministers – on how to use technology and social media to increase the competitiveness of their tourism industry.
Professor Buhalis said: “It is gratifying that increasingly the international tourism industry and governments from around the world, as well as the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, recognise how technology can support the competitiveness of the tourism destinations and organisations.
“Cutting edge research and solutions we develop at Bournemouth University provide technological tools such as social media, augmented reality and gaming to enable organisations to dynamically engage with consumers and facilitate co-creation of products and value in the marketplace.”
Professor Buhalis added that social media is reversing tourism marketing strategies, with consumers becoming advocates and ambassadors for products around the world.
He believes that mobile technologies can make interaction between organisations and consumers dynamic and agile – revolutionising engagement and economic benefits.
“Only those organisations that are able and willing to use these tools in an agile will be able to develop their competitiveness in the future and generate prosperity for their stakeholders,” he said.
“I am glad that Latin American countries are committed to develop their knowledge through our expertise, and innovate in order to maximise their benefits.”
Other speakers at the seminar included executives from Google, Trip Advisor and Expedia Latin America.
The seminar took place in San Jose, Costa Rica on May 14 and 15.
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INTERNATIONAL TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY ACADEMY AT SEA
May 4 – 11 2013, Croatia
Professor Adele Ladkin was invited to participate in the 8th International Tourism and Hospitality Academy at Sea (ITHAS), a week long sea voyage incorporating academic lectures and site visits based on the theme of Special Interest Tourism.
Founded in 2005 and held in 2013 for the eighth time, ITHAS 2013 was hosted by the Faculty of Economics & Business of the University of Zagreb. 108 people participated in the study voyage from four participating universities. These were the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Economics and Business, Croatia; Munich University of Applied Sciences, Department of Tourism, Germany; Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences, School of Tourism and Services Management, Finland; and University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Economics, Slovenia. The programme was expertly put together by the founder of ITHAS, Professor Nevenka Čavlek from the University of Zagreb, with the boats provided by the tour operator I.D. Riva Tours.
The purpose of ITHAS is diverse. It gives students the opportunity to undertake site study visits to experience first hand the operational aspects of tourism, students benefit from academic lectures from international tourism experts, and the bringing together of the different universities on the boats allows for cultural exchange and practice in working with diverse cultural groups.
The 108 participants sailed on four boats, with each day typically involving lectures during the sailing times, with site excursions on foot and by bus when each destination was reached. Destinations included Makarska, Ploče, The Island of Brač, Vodice and Zadar in Croatia, and Medugorje Pilgrimage Site and Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The students from each university also gave presentations of their home universities and a review of tourism in their respective countries.
The voyage ended in Zadar on May 11th, in time to join with the International conference ‘Myths of Tourism’ organised jointly by the University of Zadar and the University of Zagreb.
Professor Ladkin said “This was a fantastic opportunity for the students. We had a packed schedule with many different activities and learning experiences. We all agreed it was an extremely worthwhile trip. The weather was also kind to us, with calm Seas!”
During the voyage, Professors Ladkin and Čavlek undertook a pilot study for their forthcoming research on experiences of maritime entrepreneurs in tourism being undertaken in collaboration with I.D.Riva Tours.
Read MoreA Family Kitchen Safari Event as part of the Festival of Learning
On Saturday 8th June, Philippa Hudson will be hosting A Family Kitchen Safari as part of the Festival of Learning being held at Bournemouth University
This free event is a chance to investigate how microbiological contamination is spread around your kitchen environment using some hands on experimentation for all the family
Using UV gel to simulate the normal microbial load on raw foods this is a great way to understand how far contamination can spread in different conditions.
For example, how far do micro-organisms spread when you wash the inside of a chicken? How well are you washing your hands?
Come along to this great event for all the family to find out the answers to these questions and more!
For more information on this and the other events taking place during the Festival of Learning please see here
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