This year’s winner of the Tourism Management Institute David Hughes Memorial Award for outstanding student placement is Claire Rosslee, a student on the BA (Hons) Tourism Management course at Bournemouth University.

Claire was presented with her award at the TMI Digital Destinations Hot Topic event at Cheltenham Racecourse by TMI President, Neil McCollum MTMI MTS and TMI Head of CPD, Paul Williams MTMI FTS.  Claire receives one year’s complimentary Associate membership of TMI as well as the chance to attend the Hot Topic event, hear the latest developments in destination management and network with destination management professionals from across the UK.

The award, in memory of late TMI President David Hughes FTMI, is designed to encourage students on TMI Recognised courses to reflect on their placement experience, how it enables them to see concepts and theories in practice and acquire valuable workplace skills for their future career.  Students have to write a reflective report on their placement and submit it together with references from their placement host and their tutor.  The reports are assessed by the TMI Continuing Professional  Development Group and the TMI Executive.

Assessors particularly liked the way Claire had “reflected on her own strengths and weaknesses and demonstrated how her role had positively helped address these” and felt that she showed “a thorough understanding of destination management and how this is evolving.”  She had “given a good deal of consideration to her role and … taken on additional responsibilities, recognising that she is working for a small team”. Overall it was seen as a “very competent, mature and thoughtful piece of work”.

TMI Head of CPD, Paul Williams, said: “Claire’s placement with the official DMO for the English Riviera provided her with an excellent opportunity to gain valuable destination management and marketing insights to enhance her knowledge and understanding of the tourism industry gained as part of her sandwich degree course. The benefits of this practical industry experience were clearly evident throughout her reflective account and panel members were unanimous in judging her to be the overall winner of the David Hughes Memorial Award. In the light of the overall quality of the submission it is felt that this should be used as an example of good practice and guidance for other students in future. Well done Claire.”

By : TMI

TMI is the professional destination management section of the Tourism Society. For more information about TMI and the award please visit the TMI web site: http://www.tmi.org.uk