Students lead innovative new tourism strategy

November 2024

By Sean Madden

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Students from the Department of Tourism and Hospitality were presented with the opportunity showcase their real-world work to a host of industry experts.

Nafsika Kasapi, Ahmed Jabir Jidan, and Sarthak Kant Sedhain represented the group from the BA (Hons) International Tourism Management course, and discussed their role in the creation of a new tourism strategy for the village of Church Stretton, which was included as part of Shropshire on ABTA's list of 'Must Visit' destinations for 2023. It was the first time a UK location had formed part of the list.

After a direct request from the local mayor, Andy Munro, the students set to work on designing a strategy to widen participation and increase the potential of digital and adventure tourism within the village.

As part of their work, the students held discussions with the town’s mayor, Visit Shropshire, Transport for Wales, and Shropshire Hills National Landscape in order to understand challenges and pinpoint opportunities to maximise use of the rural landscape.

After conducting much research, the group identified the potential for activities such as cycling, hiking, and even paragliding. They also highlighted innovative digital solutions with the goal of increasing visitor numbers to the village itself, and to attract in particular families from urban areas and minority communities.

Ahmed said: "I was bit nervous at first because this is very new to me. I hadn’t had real industrial experience before this, so it has been amazing to get to talk to stakeholders, people who actually work in tourism, transportation and other sectors.

"It's been a new experience for me. I used to be very bad at public speaking, and even in front of three or four people I would get very nervous. I feel much more confident now."

Nigel McDonald from Natural Landscapes worked alongside the students, and was proud to be part of the venture and excited about the future of the partnership: "It was such a great opportunity for us to work with University College Birmingham students. We've never done anything like it before, but it was a pleasure to use their knowledge and skills on such an important project," he said.

"We were happy to support the next generation of destination managers while taking advantage of their ability to look right to the heart of key issues and find solutions."

Tourism lecturer Simon Faulkner supervised the project, and was full of praise for the group: "The work they produced was of a really high standard, and it was a pleasure to supervise them," he said.

"These activities show business and local authorities the standards that students at University College Birmingham are capable of achieving, and also demonstrate to prospective students the kind of exciting work they can expect to undertake should they choose to study here."

Find out more about courses within the Department of Hospitality and Tourism.

"Projects such as Church Stretton enrich the students' learning experience while showcasing to industry partners the high standard of work produced at University College Birmingham.

"It is a testament to the students' knowledge and commitment that their work is taken seriously by the local authority and businesses, and this will no doubt hold them in good stead for their future careers."

Professor Mike Harkin Vice Chancellor, University College Birmingham