Cyprus trip gets five stars

Undergraduates from UCLan's Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management programmes recently took part in a study visit to Cyprus.

Second year students were given an introductory presentation about the country by the Cyprus Tourism Organisation.

This included marketing, statistics, priorities conferences, incentives and special interest activities and events in Cyprus. The group also visited St John Cathedral, the Statue of Liberty 'Nicosia style', the Green Line (the dividing line between the occupied areas & the free zone) and the Venetian walls encircling the town.

The next day focused on Socio-cultural impacts, diversification, SMEs in tourism, innovation, creativity and competitiveness, along with contemporary, sustainability and environmental concerns. The students travelled to the medieval village Omodos in the Troodos Mountains to visit a local winery and the famous monastery, before exploring an agrotourism project. They continued to Troodos square (1800m above sea level) where they had the chance to explore the nature.

One of the best five star hotels in Cyprus – the Four Seasons – was the base for the penultimate day of the trip, with students looking at Service Quality Management, hotel conventions, sales, services, and operations. They were given a behind the scenes tour to observe various departments, before enjoying a five star lunch/meal experience.

The final day saw the group visit UCLan Cyprus. After taking a tour of the campus and its facilities, the students were given a presentation on event management in Cyprus by IMH – the leading business knowledge and information transfer organisation in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

The trip was brought to a close by UCLan Cyprus students as part of the TL1020 module (Practical Event Operations). The students planned a traditional Cypriot event which included music and traditional Meze food.

Course Leader Carley Sutton said the trip highlighted UCLan's commitment to providing a world-class learning and teaching experience: "Cyprus is an excellent destination to conduct field work in the areas of Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management.

"We gained exposure to a number of professionals within the industry and the students gained first-hand knowledge of current issues and practices. On our return, the students are already critically analysing field notes via a weblog as part of the assessment. The plans have already started for our next study visit!"

A story about the trip was also published in a Cypriot national newspaper. To view the article please click here.