News and Events

Awards recognise BU's contribution to tourism

3 December 2007

Nigel Hemmington, Dean of the School of Services Management

BU school wins third major honour of the year.

Our School of Services Management has been recognised for its outstanding “Contribution to International Education”.

This marks the School's third major honour of the year after the 2008 Guardian University Guide named BU number one for tourism, a ranking echoed by a poll of head teachers in this year’s Sunday Times University Guide.

The School provides the University and Bournemouth itself with a unique and unrivalled international profile in tourism education. This profile is reflected in the School’s recruitment of approximately 150 international students to its tourism courses every year. Over the last 10 years we’ve recruited students from over 70 different countries.

We've pioneered new markets in Vietnam, Turkey and Kazakhstan, and have had representatives – often on government scholarships – from almost all of the countries that have a tourism industry or aspire to have one.

Most of our international Masters students go on to work in the tourism and hospitality industries back in their home country.

The recruitment of international students to study tourism in Bournemouth is only half the story. Our comprehensive induction programmes, plus the full academic support and pastoral care we provide helps our international students adapt to their new social and academic cultures.

Our student nightclub, The Old Fire Station (TOFS) also triumphed in this year’s Bournemouth Tourism Awards after collecting the prize for “Best Evening Experience – Entertainment”.

TOFS saw off competition from many other local established nominees, including The Opera House and the BIC & Pavilion.

TOFS won because of the diversity of entertainment it offers to students and the public, its environmental credentials, and the fact that it’s held in high regard as bringing cutting-edge live music to the town.

In the last year alone TOFS has hosted gigs by Bloc Party, James Morrison, The Fratellis, We are Scientists and The Pigeon Detectives.

The 2007 Awards, presented at the Bournemouth International Centre, celebrate the achievement, innovation, quality and excellence, of local industry businesses and people. The ceremony was hosted by Simon Calder, broadcaster and Travel Editor of The Independent newspaper.

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