INTERNATIONAL TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY ACADEMY AT SEA

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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.

A Family Kitchen Safari Event as part of the Festival of Learning

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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

Bournemouth University eTourism Lab and the Digital Tourism Think Tank partnership

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The eTourism Lab is excited to announce a partnership with the The Digital Tourism Think Tank

This knowledge partnership will lead to insights into cutting edge research conducted by the different researchers from the eTourism Lab.

In the next months, best practice research on a variety of e-tourism topics will be shared on the Digital Tourism Think Tank website.

Marketers and tourism professionals will be able to benefit from insights into cutting edge topics and see how destinations and tourism organisations can put the knowledge into practice.

The Bournemouth University eTourism Lab explores cutting edge information and communication technologies, alongside e-based strategic management and marketing for the tourism and hospitality industries.

Led by Professor Dimitrios Buhalis who is also currently the President of the International Federation of Information Technology for Travel and Tourism (IFITT) the Lab is emerging as a research centre of global excellence.

What topics will be featured in the future?

– Context based mobile marketing

– ICT usage in China and Smart City Destinations

– Technology enhanced tourist experiences

– Augmented reality

– Service of Now

The Digital Tourism Think Tank commented that they are “pleased to provide a platform for cutting edge researchers that are doing great work in tourism research. Knowing what is happening in the industry and getting much needed insights into the latest trends and technologies is absolutely crucial.”

We look forward to sharing with you more information from this exciting partnership.

For more information on the Digital Tourism Think Tank please see here www.thinkdigital.travel

Sport students participate in international management game in The Netherlands co-organised by BU staff

Posted . Filed under News, Research, Student Experience.

In April, Dr Tim Breitbarth, Senior Lecturer in Sport Management, visited Hanzehogeschool Groningen, a Dutch Erasmus partner university of the sports group since 2012.

The extended visit was almost overdue since senior academic Gerco van Dalfsen, who is also the European Association for Sport Management General Secretary, visited Bournemouth in October last year, and is looking forward to another visit to the Southwest as part of the next International Week in October 2013. Also, the first student study exchanges between Bournemouth and Groningen are in the pipeline for the 2013/14 academic year.

The visit mostly revolved around the intensive international student management game hosted at Hanzehogeschool in cooperation with Bournemouth University, Coventry University and German Sport University. Overall, 140 students from 10 countries participated in the 5-day event.

After an application process, Shrehan Lynch (final year sports development), Andrew Imms (final year sports management), Oliver Fulljames and Jack Mogridge (both third year sports management) were selected to represent BU.

In mixed teams of six members, students listened to two major lectures per day and had to complete more than ten group assignments throughout the week. In addition, the students created a fundraising campaign for the university’s currently supported charity, Care4Kenya, and raised about 230 Euros on campus within just one hour. In order to foster informal networking, students also participated in cultural and sporting events.

Dr Breitbarth summarises the added value of such international study and work experiences: “Recently, we have started to add more inbound and outbound internationalisation to our programmes in order to enhance the value of our sport degrees. Shrehan, Andrew, Oliver and Jack benefited from the intercultural teamwork experience and learned much about themselves besides gaining new insights into sport event management issues from a range of international tutors.”

Besides extensive involvement in the management game, Dr Breitbarth discussed experiences with different teaching, learning and assessment formats with international colleagues and forged relationships with local and visiting academics that are expected to prove useful for upcoming conference and publication projects.

Hanzehogeschool is one of The Netherlands most modern university with 25,000 students and state-of-art – even arty – infrastructure, including some impressive sport learning and research facilities.

“eTourism innovations in the digital era” event as part of the Festival of Learning

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 As part of the Festival of Learning, Dimitrios Buhalis will be hosting an “eTourism innovations in the digital era” event on Monday 10th June.

The event will take place from 1.30pm – 6.30pm and will be based at the Talbot Campus of Bournemouth University.

The Digital Era requires tourism organisations and destinations to use Information Communication Technologies and adopt eTourism innovations to strengthen their competitiveness.

This event gives the opportunity to show case research undertaken by the eTourism Lab at the School of Tourism, Bournemouth University and engage in dialogue with tourism, travel, hospitality, as well as technology and marketing professionals on the emerging innovations in the marketplace.

Professor Dimitrios Buhalis will ensure that there will be great interactivity and also networking will take place prior to the event on Facebook and on a social gathering at the Slug and Lettuce Pub in Bournemouth after the event.

To sign up to the event please see here

For more information on the Festival of Learning including other events please see here

Bournemouth University has become the latest ITT Centre of Excellence

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ITT has recently announced that Bournemouth University has become the latest ITT Centre of Excellence.

ITT created the Centres of Excellence status to recognise leading universities keen on working particularly closely with the Institute.

Universities with Centre of Excellence status will be able to use a dedicated logo, receive support in organising industrial placements, have access to high level industry speakers, have access to senior industry figures for research purposes and will grant an annual ITT Centre of Excellence Student of the Year award to a student identified by the university.

School of Tourism Dean Keith Wilkes commented “The School of Tourism at Bournemouth University aims to secure accreditation for all its undergraduate and postgraduate programmes by 2018 and recognition as an ITT Centre of Excellence is an important and much-valued part of the process.”

For more information on the benefits of being a ITT Centre of Excellence please see here

Professor Dimitrios Buhalis helping African Tourism

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Professor Dimitrios Buhalis Bournemouth University School of Tourism
with – Mr. Frédéric Pierret, UNWTO Executive Director, Programme and Coordination, H.E. Mr. Baba Hama, Culture and Tourism Minister of Burkina Faso and UNWTO CAF Chairperson, and Ousmane Ndiaye, Director of Africa WTO

Professor Dimitrios Buhalis has recently returned from two conferences regarding African tourism.

Firstly the United Nations World Tourism Organisation UNWTO conference in Tunisia: “International Conference on “Current Challenges and Issues of African Tourism: What solutions can be adopted to ensure its competitiveness?”” and the UNWTO Commission for Africa Fifty-fourth meeting in Tunis, Tunisia, 24-26 April 2013

During the UNWTO Commission for Africa, Dimitrios presented the opportunities and challenges for African Tourism to the delegates.

For more information on Professor Dimitrios visit please see here

For more information on the conference please see here

 

Social Media for the terrified event as part of the Festival of Learning

Posted . Filed under News, Student Experience.

On Monday 3rd June, Debbie Sadd will be hosting a free “Social Media for the Terrified” workshop as part of the festival of learning taking place this June at Bournemouth University.
This interactive workshop is aimed at anyone who wants to find out more about how to use social media.

The half-day activity will comprise demonstrations, workshops and tutorials on different platforms of social media as well as the chance to ask any questions you have, in addition to developing personalised plans for using social media.

You are encouraged to bring mobiles, tablets or laptops with you to develop their social media usage, although we will have computers and other mobile devices available on the day.
This event is suitable for the general public, Charities and community groups as well as for professional development.

To book on to this free workshop please see here

The Festival of Learning will host over 100 events at BU from the 3-14 June 2013. For more information and to see what else is on please see here

Coast into Bournemouth’s coastal academy

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Taken from the Daily Echo, to see the full article please click here

EUROPE’S first National Coastal Tourism Academy has been introduced to Bournemouth’s tourism and academic chiefs.
The National Coastal Tourism Academy

The academy plans to launch a number of initiatives for the town’s tourism trade, with the aim of generating new jobs and boosting the town’s appeal.

The NCTA plans to give the town’s tourism businesses access to on-line and face-to-face training to boost their business growth.

A Coastal Activity Park at Boscombe will also be developed, based around the failed surf reef.

The academy will work as a partnership between Bourne-mouth Borough Council, Bourne-mouth University and the area’s tourism trade through the Bournemouth Tourism Manage-ment Board.

Speaking at the launch on Thursday, the NCTA’s acting director, Stephen Godsall, said: “When Bournemouth was awarded central government funding to create Europe’s first National Coastal Tourism Academy, Bournemouth was hailed as an ‘exemplar town that looks towards the future’ by Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

“The Academy is industry-led and research-driven.

“We are harnessing valuable market research to help boost the bottom line of tourism businesses.

“It’s also about new products and packages and investing in know-how.

“By providing a better visitor experience we can create more recommendations, more return visits and more jobs.

“No one pretends this is easy – if it were it would have been done before. “But this is certainly an opportunity the town should grab with both hands.”

A Bourne to Smile awards scheme was launched at the evening.

The NCTA is recruiting Customer Care Champions across the resort who will be seeking examples of exceptional customer service, rewarded by £10 vouchers and certificates.

A product knowledge package was also announced for tourism industry staff.

Discover Dorset bus tours will be offered as a familiarisation trip of the town, a Tourism Trade Pass will be available from mid-May giving staff free or discounted access to key tourist attractions, a staff induction package is also being developed and a new Bournemouth Browser is being launched, giving visitor information at hotel receptions.

Stephen Godsall also revealed that a new online training package for customer care and product knowledge would be delivered, with a target of 1,000 courses to be completed by the end of the summer.

PLANS to create Britain’s first Coastal Activity Park – based around Boscombe’s failed surf reef – over the next two years were also outlined on Thursday evening.

The Park is part of the new National Coastal Tourism Academy and bosses say it “will offer a greatly-expanded choice of new sports opportunities and a packed programme of events for local residents and seafront visitors, creating a ground-breaking new attraction”.

Throughout this summer a line-up of events and pilot activities will take place, including tag rugby, beach volleyball, triathlons, a family adventure festival and children’s activity sessions.

The Coastal Activity Park will feature new facilities at Boscombe seafront, including a try-dive learning tank for beginner divers, a snorkel trail around the artificial reef, an outdoor gym along the promenade as well as state-of-the-art multi-use courts, family play facility and a bigger choice of water sports.

It is hoped that the first installations will be in situ by the end of the year, with the second phase ready for use by spring next year.

New amenities at the park will include a submerged dive trail, a sailing dinghy park and beach launch, family play facilities with picnic area, a climbing wall, an open water canoe programme and trail, surf and stand-up paddleboard equipment for new entrants to the sports, and an expanded choice of water sports and education support facilities.

Rafa Haddad PhD success

Posted . Filed under News, Student Experience.

Last week Rafa was awarded her PhD subject to some minor changes being made to her thesis.

Rafa’s PhD is titled “A critical analysis of the experiences of female business owners in the development and management of tourism-related micro and small handicraft businesses in an Islamic society: The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan”

Her PhD is about the power of structures ‘external socio-cultural-religious and business environment’ on the experiences of women handicraft business owners in developing and managing their businesses in a collectivist, Muslim, traditional and patriarchal society ‘The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan’.

Congratulations to Rafa on this achievement!