Jo Attends International Tourism Masters Network

Jo Guiver joined other delegates from Sweden, Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, Germany, the Netherlands and Canada last week for the annual meeting of the International Tourism Masters Network, hosted by the Universidade do Algarve in Faro, Portugal.

As Vice President for Research, Jo explained plans to research national tourism strategies for evidence of their approaches to growth and sustainability, with members reporting back on their own country's official tourism documents. The Network also discussed the exchange of Masters students between different participating universities through the Erasmus programme. UCLan has previously received students from other countries under this scheme.

Another opportunity the Network offers is the chance to compete with teams from other universities in the Tourism Business Game. It gives students a chance to work as a team to tackle issues such as marketing and budgeting for an imaginary destination and get detailed feedback on their decisions. Making contact with tourism students in different countries can lead to long-lasting collaborations. Jo is hoping to field a team of UCLan Tourism Masters this year.

1st year Hospitality students at the Universidade do Algarve served lunch to the delegates on both business days as their first practical assignment. On the Friday, the food was also prepared by students and was excellent.

The social programme offered a chance to visit the charming town centre of Faro, where storks nest on public buildings and on the Saturday, a boat trip around the lagoon and nature reserve on the coast.

Keeping to the Institute of Transport and Tourism's commitment to sustainability, Jo travelled to southern Portugal by train, a journey of 30 hours from London, including the night train between the French/Spanish border and Lisbon.

Universities who attended:

University of Central Lancashire, UK

Breda University of Applied Sciences, NHTV, Holland

Darlana University, Borlänge, Sweden

Hochschule Heilbronn, Germany

Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain

Universidade do Algarve, Faro, Portugal.

Université de Savoie, Chambéry, France

Bicocca University, Milan, Italy

University of Guelph, Canada