Students take flight to Italy for lessons in tourism

Students from The University of Queensland (UQ) swapped the classroom for the canals of Venice to get a real-world lesson in tourism authenticity and sustainability.

A group of 25 students commenced the School of Tourism study tour in Rome under the leadership of Senior Lecturer, Dr Charles Arcodia, and assisted by staff members, Ms Chantal Dickson and Professor Roy Ballantyne.

Some of the most iconic locations in Italy, including Florence, Siena, Verona, Rome and Venice, set the scene for a variety of learning tasks, including creating a visual learning diary that explores the themes of authenticity and sustainability in major tourism centres.

Dr Arcodia said the 12-day study tour aimed to provide a direct and impactful learning experience, unlike a classroom environment where scenarios are simulated and the teacher is the medium for learning.

“The teacher becomes the facilitator, allowing the student to reflect, explore, question, challenge and interpret for themself, albeit within a pre-determined theoretical framework. It is for this reason that experiential learning has such impact as a learning approach,” he said.

As part of their assessment, students also identified and explored environmental challenges faced in Venice, a city made up of 117 small islands connected by more than 400 bridges over its 150 canals.

There was plenty of time to participate in cultural experiences including site visits to the historic Colosseum and The Vatican in Rome, exploring artisan markets in Florence, gondola rides in Venice and attending a medieval festival in Siena.

Student Emily Parker said the study tour provided the opportunity to experience and explore a different culture with something exciting around every corner, whilst providing a valuable learning component to completing her studies at UQ.

“Being able to gain insight into Italy through pre-departure lectures and then being able to go over and experience these elements first hand has been really beneficial and is a great way to learn,” she said.

This study tour, hosted in July, was the second tour to Italy as part of the ‘Tourism Fields Studies’ course and the School of Tourism intends to continue hosting international study tours in future.

Media: Claire Shuter, Phone: 07 3346 9259, c.shuter@uq.edu.au