Two 宅男导航 School of Tourism students will travel to Switzerland to take part in guided tours, skiing and networking with international tourism leaders 鈥� all at the cost of a research paper.
Marine Billot and Maria Golubovskaya will attend the World Tourism Forum in Lucerne next month as part of the Young Talents Program.
The program is open to students enrolled in the World Tourism Forum鈥檚 partner universities from nine different countries, and places are awarded on a competitive basis.
Students are required to submit an academic paper on an issue related to the tourism industry and complete an online learning agility test.
Ms Billot said the opportunity would allow her to develop her knowledge and explore issues facing the international tourism industry.
鈥淭he trip will have a positive impact on our futures and careers through the development of our networking skills and our understanding of sustainable tourism,鈥� Ms Billot said.
Ms Billot鈥檚 research paper focuses on Generation Y in the hospitality industry, a topic close to her heart.
鈥淚 started working in a hotel last year and soon realised that the style of management in the hospitality industry is not appropriate for my generation,鈥� Ms Billot said.
鈥淩egardless of unemployment levels, attracting and retaining quality staff is a shared problem worldwide.
鈥淢y research focuses on how managers can attract and retain valuable staff by adapting the recruitment process and day-to-day management to capitalise on Gen Y鈥檚 strengths,鈥� she said.
Ms Golubovskaya鈥檚 paper explores the tourism industry from an environmental perspective, focusing on the implications of climate change on the ski industry.
鈥淎ustralian ski resorts are an example of tourist destinations suffering from the negative impacts of climate change,鈥� Ms Golubovskaya said.
鈥淎s winter ski seasons are becoming significantly shorter, my research investigates how resorts can respond to global warming by diversifying their products and services related to non-ski activities during the 鈥榞reen season鈥�.鈥�
Ms Golubovskaya said it would be an honour to meet CEOs from some of the biggest tourism organisations around the world and learn about global tourism issues.
The forum will run from 17-19 April. Find out more at
Media: Claire Shuter, (07) 3346 9259 or c.shuter@uq.edu.au
