Posted: 16/05/13
Students get industry experience in the sun
Travel and tourism students at West Nottinghamshire College have landed back on English soil after a Cyprian adventure.
The group, who are studying on the Level 3 BTEC Extended Diploma in Travel and Tourism, have been on a five-day, fact-finding mission to discover more about employability in the travel industry and to meet with tourist board management in Nicosia.
The five-day trip saw the group of 18 visit Paphos Zoo and other visitor attractions to explore the different types of employment within the tourism industry.
Students had the opportunity to visit a five-star hotel resort where they met holiday representatives who briefed them on how to welcome guests to resorts and how to deal with guest complaints.
They also went on a tour of the resort’s facilities and engaged in role plays with an ex-Thomas Cook employee who assessed their resort representatives coursework module.
Programme area leader for travel and tourism Sarah Heeley said: “This was a very successful visit for our students and they learnt so much about current issues within the travel and tourism sector in Cyprus.
“It was an honour to meet Mr Vakis Loizides who is one of the main tourist board managers. Our learners asked him plenty of questions about the industry and the impact on tourism following the financial crisis.”
The students helped to fund their overseas residential through a range of fundraising initiatives including a Christmas talent show and prize raffles.