PATA Australia University of Queensland (UQ) Student Chapter and PATA University of Girona EMTM Student Chapter Learn that Destination Management is No Small Feat
Queensland, Australia; Girona, Spain, 26th May 2021 - On Thursday, 21st May, PATA Australia University of Queensland (UQ) Student Chapter and PATA University of Girona EMTM Student Chapter co-hosted a webinar “How tourism transforms communities”. Three guest specialists, Suyin Lee, Peter Christiansen, and Michaela Connor, from a Singapore-based global destination management company Discova shared their knowledge and experiences with the opportunities that tourism offers for communities and the initiatives they have undergone throughout the 14 countries in which they operate.
Motivated by a passion for tourism management and a curiosity about what role tourism plays in shaping communities, PATA Australia University of Queensland (UQ) Student Chapter and PATA University of Girona EMTM Student Chapter collaborated to curate questions for these three key industry players. The discussion developed around the projects and initiatives that Discova is working on, how tourism can help the communities to get their feet off the ground and develop. The three guest speakers shared their initiatives, projects, and their rich experiences with community-based tourism.
Suyin Lee (Managing Director) is leading growth and change in Discova across 14 markets with sales offices in UK/EU, US, and APAC. Michaela Connor (Regional PeopleWorks Leader) is the Chair of Discova's social responsibility group who is responsible for child protection and human slavery. Peter Christiansen (Regional Manager to Laos, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia) is sponsoring an organic farming project in Bali and was responsible for initiating Discova's plastics reduction program by installing mobile refill stations for group tours and launching the Guide Ambassador program for marginalised youths in Bali.
To begin, Managing Director Suyin Lee outlined that Discova’s mission is to build communities by connecting with citizens on the ground, creating tourism opportunities in collaboration with locals for authentic travel experiences, with the goal of ultimately transferring these curated tourism operations into the hands of communities. Michaela Connor, Regional Peopleworks Leader noted the importance of tackling larger human rights issues in destinations, commemorating their recent Child Safety certification for their Asian teams and destinations. And Peter Christiansen pointed out the importance of reducing plastic pollution in the tourism industry and how to establish programs that locals can use beyond Discova’s aid. Peter went into detail about how to approach cultural differences within destinations and the importance of providing customized services.
Having in mind the Sustainable Development Goals, Discova’s efforts primarily focused on SDG number 4 - Quality Education, 5 - Gender equality and 10 - Reduced inequalities. The webinar had a fantastic turnout across the two countries, reaching 25 attendees. The participants being mostly tourism students were able to gain knowledge regarding community management and how every project has different, sometimes unexpected, outcomes. Moreover, during the Q&A time, a conversation about working in the tourism sector during times of crisis developed. The speakers were motivating, guiding, and advising the students on how to approach the current situation.
While soon-to-be graduates are entering a completely different tourism landscape than what they had expected at the start of their studies, Suyin, Michaela, and Peter were able to end the presentation with encouraging words of hope. Tourism is a diverse, complex and competitive industry. Michaela encouraged the students to “be confident, be yourself and show your entrepreneurship”, while Peter added “you have the power to have a direct impact on where you are”.
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About PATA Australia University of Queensland (UQ) Student Chapter
The PATA Australia University of Queensland (UQ) Student Chapter is a close-knit team of tourism, hospitality, and events students who share a passion for these industries. We aim to uplift students, and each other, through creating connections between students and industry professionals, and finding work experience opportunities to gain valuable hands-on experience. Our aim in 2021 is to host even more industry networking events, offer many more volunteer and work experience opportunities, and formulate information sessions where students can use what they have learnt in their studies and future careers. We want to ensure our members are at the forefront when it comes to graduate and vacationer employment.
Follow our journey!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/THESocietyUQ
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesocietyxuqpatans/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/th-e-society-uq/
Contact us via email at thesocietyuq@gmail.com
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About PATA University of Girona EMTM Student Chapter
The focus of our chapter is the connection between academia and practice. Through the process of knowledge sharing and networking, we hope to create an impact in the tourism industry. We aim to investigate strategies and practices that students can follow so that their research could bring added value to the tourism industry (companies, DMOs, travellers, communities) as well as to themselves. Our objective is to connect public and private organizations for the sustainable development of the travel and tourism industry.
Learn more about PATA University of Girona EMTM Student Chapter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emtmpata
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emtmpata/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pata-emtm-chapter/
Contact us via e-mail: pataemtm@gmail.com