First year students visited a variety of Merlin Entertainments attractions in Blackpool as part of the 'Tourism in Action' module, which is designed to directly engage them with industry at a very early stage in their course.
Iain Hawkins, Merlin's Head of Cluster, welcomed the students who then toured a number of Blackpool's leading attractions including Sea Life, Madame Tussauds and Blackpool Tower Dungeons.
The group assessed tourism development and facilities within the resort and the influences determining the success of visitor attractions. It was also an opportunity to develop their research and networking skills.
Student Paul Tully commented: "It was great to see how Merlin operated in Blackpool after finding out so much about them. Please pass on my thanks to Merlin - the staff in the attractions are all excellent representatives and really help make an enjoyable visit."
Course Leader Carley Sutton and Merlin Group have established ongoing work experience and international graduate opportunities for UCLan Tourism students, which could see them progress straight onto the company's 18 month fast-track graduate programme, training to be one of the future leaders of a global business.
Carley said: "I can't thank Iain and his team at the Blackpool Merlin Entertainments cluster enough - our collaborations have allowed our students to take part and be exposed to critical industry challenges within a leading organisation and resort."
Iain added: "It was a pleasure to see the students engage with their tasks. Hopefully it will encourage them all to be the future stars of Merlin!"
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