Tourism students explore Germany

BA Tourism Business Management students have enjoyed a successful academic trip to Hamburg in Germany.

The purpose of the trip was to conduct an audit of the city in teams in order to establish its potential for further tourism development, with each team submitting creative new ideas for the city.

The students explored Hamburg from the top deck of a Stadtrundfahrt tour bus. They discovered the more affluent side of Hamburg first, before moving on to the traditional industrial area of the city. Some teams even arranged to meet with local businesses in order to conduct some local primary research to assist their tourism development suggestions. Many students also took the opportunity to visit some of the city’s fantastic museums, including the Hamburg Museum, the Maritime Museum and the Museum of Immigration.

The students also visited the dungeons in Hamburg. Ghoulish actors role-played characters within a realistic medieval surrounding, and enlightened the students on the city’s less-impressive history and the lives of the underclasses. As well as being an entertaining experience, the students also got to see the operational workings of a foreign tourist attraction.

Patricia Geraldo De Lima, UCB Tourism lecturer, said: “From an educational perspective, the trip allowed students to test themes that have been studied within lectures and apply them in a physical environment. The students visited some fantastic attractions during their trip, as well as having some free time to do some sightseeing and shopping! The students had a great time, and the trip was a success.”

Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany (after Berlin) with a population of 1.8 million people. The city’s port is the 2^nd largest in Europe and is home to all major oil refining companies, which is why Hamburg is known as the ‘Gateway to the World’.