Students experience Lisbon at their leisure

For most students, it’s not often you get given an exclusive guided tour of one of Europe’s most exciting cities.

When the opportunity fell to our Tourism and Event Management students to spend a week touring the historical landmarks of Lisbon, they jumped at the chance.

The aim of the trip was to provide students with an educational experience by learning the history and development behind some of Portugal’s most famous tourist hotspots.

The students started their whistle-stop tour at the historical site of Torre Del Belem (Belém Tower), stopping off at Estadio De Luz, home Benfica FC and Portugal’s largest football stadium.

The National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Portugal hosted the students at their headquarters in Lisbon for an afternoon. They learnt about Portugal’s involvement in the Olympic Games, and in particular, the sporting and educational legacy strategies of the NOC in Portugal.

The students also visited Turismo De Lisboa for a presentation exploring Lisbon’s tourism strategy and the development of the city.

Ondraela Gjini, final year BA International Tourism Management top up student, said: “I have really enjoyed the Lisbon trip. It has been an invaluable experience to learn more about tourism and events in another culture and from a completely different perspective.”

Tracey Shenton, also a final year BA International Tourism Management top-up student, said: “Visiting Lisbon reinforced for me the need to take a broader and less assumptive approach when considering tourism. Studying tourism without actually experiencing it is like reading a recipe book, you may see the pictures and imagine the wonderful taste but nothing compares to the real thing.

“When we study tourism we believe we are appraising each nation independently but the reality is we do so with the slant of our own perspective, our values, our economy and our politics.”

Anna Borley-Russell, Senior Lecturer in Leisure Management and organiser of the trip, said: “The study trip provided an excellent opportunity for students to put some of their learning into practice; to experience and explore what makes a successful tourism and event destination, to engage with industry and professionals, and to form bonds with colleagues and peers.”

More information on International Tourism and Event Management.