Guest Author: Ria
One of the courses I took during exchange was called Travel and Tourism, and it was one of the coolest classes I have ever taken. The course focused on tourism across Europe and approached learning in a way I had never experienced before.
The course was designed around attending tourism conferences in different cities. Instead of traditional lectures, students traveled to a city, attended a major tourism conference, and spoke with representatives at different booths to learn about trends, challenges, and innovations within the tourism industry. On top of that, you also got to explore an entirely new city.
There were only two mandatory in-person classes for the course. The first took place at the beginning of the semester, where we chose which tourism conference we wanted to attend. The options included Berlin, Vienna, Lisbon, and one in Prague. Every student was required to attend the conference in Prague and one international conference. In my group, several people attended the Prague conference, so I went to the international one in Berlin.
I attended ITB Berlin (Internationale Tourismus-Börse Berlin), the world’s largest travel and tourism trade fair. It is an annual event where global travel professionals such as hotels, airlines, tour operators, and tourism boards come together to showcase their offerings, network, and discuss industry trends. Alongside the trade fair is the ITB Berlin Convention, which features expert panels and talks focused on sustainability, technology, and the future of travel. It is a major B2B platform for the global tourism industry and was an incredible experience to be a part of.
At the conference, I learned about how different companies are adapting to changes in tourism and sustainability. I also attended a speaker session led by a TikTok executive, where they discussed how TikTok is influencing the way people travel and discover destinations. As a bonus, I even tried a Swedish meal at the conference, which was surprisingly amazing.
After the conference, I had the rest of the day to explore Berlin, which made the experience even more memorable. The final deliverable for the course was a presentation summarizing our key takeaways and findings from the conference.
Overall, this course was an incredible way to learn about tourism in a hands-on, practical setting. It was engaging, light in workload, and easy to do well in, making it the perfect exchange class that combined learning, travel, and real-world experience.