University of Queensland student Lina Preuss has impressed international tourism leaders at the World Tourism Forum Lucerne resulting in a second place win in the Young Talents Awards.
Ms Preuss was one of seven students selected worldwide to participate at the forum in April and was awarded a silver medal for her academic paper on sustainability in the tourism industry.
Ms Preuss said the forum was an incredible opportunity to network with leaders of the tourism industry and learn from experienced professionals in the field.
鈥淲inning second prize was completely unexpected and an enormous privilege, especially as the quality of papers and efforts of the other Young Talents was extremely high,鈥� she said.
鈥淚've made some key contacts and now have exciting future prospects in different places around the world as a result of meeting people at the forum.
鈥淭he little bit of extra work was more than worth it.鈥�
In her submission for the Young Talents Programme, Ms Preuss proposed that sustainability in tourism was a viable form of doing business.
She also argued that the tourism industry had a responsibility to be a catalyst for sustainability because it was a major contributor to the economy.
Also representing 宅男导航 as a Young Talent was School of Tourism graduate Nicole Cocolas, who is currently undertaking an internship with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) in Madrid, Spain.
宅男导航鈥檚 School of Tourism Deputy Head and Associate Professor, Brent Ritchie, said the opportunity came at a perfect time for Ms Preuss and Ms Cocolas to apply their networking skills and build on their career aspirations.
鈥淚t was very rewarding to see the next generation excel on a global stage and apply the knowledge gained from the courses taught in our School,鈥� he said.
The forum attracted more than 160 top managers, ministers and tourism experts from around the world, and provided the opportunity to exchange the latest knowledge on sustainability in tourism and prepare for the industry鈥檚 upcoming challenges.
Media: Claire Shuter 07 3346 9259 or c.shuter@uq.edu.au
