BU rower goes for gold

BU Event Management student and rower James Lee is aiming to win Gold for Great Britain at the European University Rowing Championships and score a successful place at the World Championships.

James, 22, has taken on the challenge after being appointed Team Manager for Great Britain at the World University Rowing Championships in Szeged, Hungary 13-15 August 2010, and the European University Rowing Championships in Amsterdam 19-22 August 2010.

With almost seven years rowing experience behind him, James was appointed to the positions following his successful role as Director of BU’s Rowing Club and the work undertaken while on placement at British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS), where he organised the BUCS 3-day Regatta – the largest student regatta in Europe.

As Team Manager he will be responsible for overseeing the organisation of the logistics involved in entering the team, getting the boats and equipment to the event and securing transport arrangements.

During the Championships James will act as Head of Delegation with responsibility for leadership and coordination of the team in conjunction with the crew coaches

His competitive involvement in the sport has been in the coxes’ seat, having steered crews at major national events including the British Universities and Henley Women’s Regatta’s. He was assistant Team Manager at the last two European Universities Championships, where the team finished 4th and 2nd retrospectively.

Commenting on his new positions James said: Having been Assistant Team Manager for the Europeans for the last two years, it seemed the natural progression and I am really excited about leading a team to hopefully be overall champions.

The World’s appointment is incredible. It is a huge responsibility but I can’t wait for the challenge!”

James is currently studying on the BA Events Management degree course at BU. His involvement with BU’s Rowing Club started out as Women’s Coach and he is now heading up the BU coaching team.

BU Tourism Frontiers celebrate

BU’s Tourism Futures Forum celebrated 30 years of World Travel Market, the major UK and International travel industry event, with the theme ‘Tourism Frontiers 3030’.

Leading BU tourism academics joined industry experts at World Travel Market, held at London’s ExCeL, to focus on the past and future 30 years of tourism.

Chaired by leading eTourism academic Professor Dimitrios Buhalis, from BU's School of Services Management, the Forum examined major trends in tourism demand and supply and explored the strategic changes that led to the restructuring of the international tourism industry.

BU’s International Centre for Tourism & Hospitality Research organised the annual forum in partnership with World Travel Market and Travel Daily News to facilitate debate and discussion about key strategic changes and the successful response of the industry.

Forum Director Professor Dimitrios Buhalis said: “The current volatile market demonstrates the key challenges and opportunities emerging for both tourism destinations and suppliers around the world.

“Tourism destinations and organisations need to learn from the history of tourism developments in the last 30 years and adapt to the realities, technologies and globalisation for the next 30 years. Clearly understanding the Economics of Tourism and ensuring the sustainability of resources will be two key challenges for the future.”

Panelists included: Ufi Ibrahim, World Travel & Tourism Council; Philippe Rossiter Chief Executive Institute of Hospitality; Martin Brackenbury, President of the International Federation of Tour Operators; George Drakopoulos SETE, Greece; Kevin May Editor Tnooz.com; Graham Cook, Vice President Expedia EMEA; Steve Endacott, onholidaygroup.com.

Professor Buhalis also features on the WTM 30th Anniversary video together with Fiona Jeffery, Chairman, World Travel Market, Peter Long, Chief Executive TUI Travel Will Whitehorn, President Virgin Galactic, and Dr Taleb Rifai, Secretary General, UNWTO. To view the video please see the link below.

Related Links

International Centre for Tourism & Hospitality Research

Courses in Tourism & Hospitality

World Travel Market

See Professor Buhalis’ appearance on the WTM 30 Anniversary video via YouTube

BU Award for outstanding Retail graduate

The BU Placement prize has been awarded to Services Management graduate Nick Jones.

BU Retail Management graduate Nick Jones has been presented with Placement Student of the Year prize at the University’s 2009 Awards Ceremonies.

Nick received the £500 award from BU Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Curran during the Services Management Awards Ceremony held last week at the Bournemouth International Centre.
Nick, 23, from High Wycombe, received the award for his outstanding contribution while undertaking his work placement as Assistant Business Analyst with Safestore Ltd – the fastest-growing storage unit company in the UK.

During his placement Nick played a pivotal role in introducing a new graduate training scheme, as well as helping Safestore to win the RBS/ NatWest Business of the Year award.

Nick Riding, Chief Operating Officer at Safestore Ltd, said: “We were delighted with Nick’s contribution to Safestore over the time he was with us. He approached his work with a desire to contribute as well as learn and earned a great deal of respect from his colleagues in the process.”
Commenting on his achievement Nick said: “I feel very happy and proud to win this award as it acknowledges the hard work I put in, as well as the huge benefit a placement offers to an individual and the company they are working for.”

Head of BU’s Graduate Employment Service Jacqui Gush, who helped to select Nick as the prize winner, said: “It was a difficult choice as we had some outstanding students who made real contributions to their employing organisations.

“What helped Nick to clinch it was the evidence that his hard work had directly helped his company to win the prestigious Business of the Year award. We congratulate Nick on this achievement.”

Related Links

International Centre for Tourism & Hospitality Research

Courses in Tourism & Hospitality

New Institute in Tourism at BU

The Institute will be funded through a substantial gift made to the University by one of the world’s leading tourism entrepreneurs, John Kent.

Kent, the creator and CEO of www.Youtravel.com and Aquis Hotels and Resorts, will support a series of PhD studentships with the aim of establishing an internationally significant programme of tourism research within BU’s School of Services Management.

Professor Curran commented: “This new BU-based Institute will fund a considerable number of PhD studentships in tourism research, commencing with eleven over the next four years. This is a major initiative in tourism research that has been made possible by the generosity and vision of John Kent.

“John is an entrepreneurial pioneer of e-tourism and an enthusiastic supporter of tourism research at BU. While the studentships will focus on tourism they will take advantage of our intellectual breadth and help us to develop activities in areas as diverse as tourism and health; tourism and economics; tourism and climate change; tourism and psychology and tourism and communication.”

Earlier this month, Kent was named as a BU Visiting Fellow. He intends to use his strong track record in the tourism and travel industry to the benefit of the School of Services Management. “I am delighted to support the innovative research that is undertaken at Bournemouth University in Tourism,” said Kent.

“I have been particularly interested in the further development of research in Tourism Marketing and e-Tourism for which the University has developed an enviable international reputation.”

The School of Services Management is respected globally as a centre of excellence for tourism study and research; it boasts the largest cohort of postgraduate tourism students in the UK and is home to the International Centre for Tourism and Hospitality Research (ICTHR), one of the leading research centres of its kind in the world.

The new Institute will complement the work of this Centre by attracting high calibre PhD students to BU.

ICTHR Deputy Director Professor Dimitrios Buhalis said “It is always a great pleasure and exciting challenge to work with John Kent and it will be a great opportunity to take advantage of his vision, innovation and industry networks to increase the relevance and impact of our research. We look forward to developing research-based tourism and hospitality innovations and to work even more closely with John.”

Related Links

International Centre for Tourism & Hospitality Research

Courses in Tourism & Hospitality

BU students meet sailing stars

BU students meet top Olympic sailors whilst participating in Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta.

A group of lucky BU students recently enjoyed the chance to meet with Olympic sailing stars Ben Ainslie (Triple Olympic Gold and Silver Medallist), Iain Percy (Double Olympic Gold Medallist) and Nick Dempsey (RSX Windsurfing World Champion and Olympic Bronze Medallist).

The students, from BU’s Events Management, Leisure Marketing and Sports Management programmes, met the Olympic stars whilst volunteering in last month’s Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta.

Run by the Royal Yachting Association (RYA), the event was the biggest Olympic and Paralympic classes regatta that Great Britain has seen.

The competition, which was the grand finale of the International Sailing Federation World Cup series, took place at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, the host venue for the sailing events at London 2012.

Over 30 students worked at the live event in a variety of roles from manning the event information stand to acting as media and PR runners. The RYA also enlisted BU’s Centre for Event & Sport Research to undertake evaluative research at the event and will use the results to help improve the experience for event attendees next year.

Iain Percy Double Olympic Gold Medallist said: “It was great to see students from Bournemouth University having the opportunity to gain invaluable experience at a world class regatta.”

Tourism postgraduate student Christy Hehir, who took part in the event, said: "Volunteering at the Sail for Gold regatta was awesome and enabled me to have a great experience working at an international sporting event in a venue soon to host the 2012 Olympics.

“Our days began by helping the sailors out onto the water with their boats before assisting at the information stand. Our afternoons were spent walking around the site, carrying out survey research, interacting with competitors, coaches and spectators. During the week I was lucky enough to meet the gorgeous Iain Percy who went on to win the regatta as well as one of sailings greatest Olympians, Ben Ainslie. "

Dr Holly Henderson from BU’s Centre for Event & Sport Research said: “The Sailing Academy is an awesome and inspiring venue. The opportunity for our students to volunteer and also for us to conduct the event research at the biggest Olympic and Paralympic class regatta held to date at the Academy was a phenomenal experience for all of us involved.”

Students and academics have been invited to speak about their experiences at the Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta for a 2012 pod cast, which will be released later on this year.

Related Links

Courses in Leisure & Events

Courses in Tourism & Hospitality

BU helps celebrate 30 years of World Travel Market

To help celebrate 30 years of World Travel Market (WTM), Bournemouth University (BU) is organising its annual Tourism Futures Forum with the theme ‘Vision 3030’ at WTM event, ExCeL, London, on Thursday 12 November.

BU is pleased to announce that this event will be opened and addressed by the Secretary General of United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Dr Taleb Rafai.

The Tourism Futures Forum brings together leading academics and professional tourism experts who will reflect on the past 30 years of tourism and provide an insight into the industry’s future.

BU’s International Centre for Tourism & Hospitality Research has organised the annual forum in partnership with World Travel Market and Travel Daily News to facilitate debate and discussion about key strategic changes and the successful response of the industry.

The Forum will examine major trends in tourism demand and supply and explore the strategic changes that lead to the international tourism industry restructuring. It will also identify new trends as well as opportunities and challenges.

Forum Director Professor Dimitrios Buhalis, based within BU’s School of Services Management, said: “The current volatile market demonstrates the key challenges and opportunities emerging for both tourism destinations and suppliers around the world.

“Tourism destinations and organisations need to learn from the history of tourism developments in the last 30 years and adapt to the realities, technologies and globalisation for the next 30 years. Clearly understanding the Economics of Tourism and ensuring the sustainability of resources will be two key challenges for the future.”

To stimulate discussion, the event will involve two cutting-edge research-based presentations delivered by BU’s Professor John Fletcher and Dr Jonathan Edwards.

The discussion will be directed by Dr Keith Wilkes Dean of BU’s School of Services Management.

Confirmed panellists include:
Ufi Ibrahim (World Travel & Tourism Council)
Philippe Rossiter CEO, Chief Executive - Institute of Hospitality
Martin Brackenbury is President of the International Federation of Tour Operators
George Drakopoulos SETE, Greece
Kevin May Editor Tnooz.com
Graham Cook Vice President Expedia EMEA
Steve Endacott (onholidaygroup.com)

 All participants will be encouraged to contribute to the debate and discussion.

Staged annually in London, World Travel Market is a vibrant must attend four day business to business event presenting a diverse range of destinations and industry sectors to UK and International travel professionals.

The event is free of charge but entry to the World Travel Market should be arranged in advanced. Delegates are advised to arrive early as there is limited capacity.

When: Thursday 12November 2009, 2 -3:30pm
Where: Tourism Frontiers 3030@World Travel Market- ExCeL, London North Gallery Room 6.  
Further information: Please visit the WTM’s website listed below.

Related Links

Courses in Leisure & Events

Courses in Tourism & Hospitality

World Travel Market

BU at Kazakhstan World Tourism Assembly

Professor Dimitrios Buhalis has returned from Kazakhstan after representing BU at the United Nations World Tourism Organisation Assembly. BU’s School of Services Management was proudly represented at the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly by leading e-Tourism expert Professor Dimitrios Buhalis.

Held in Astana, Kazakhstan from 5-8 October 2009, the Assembly brought together around 360 delegates representing over 100 countries.

Delegates included tourism ministers and senior officials from national tourism organisations, as well as public, private and academic Affiliate Members. As such the Assembly represents the most important gathering of travel and tourism stakeholders.

The main topics for discussion were the current global challenges such as economic turmoil, worldwide flu pandemic and advancing climate change.

Other key issues addressed included the facilitation of tourist travel and technical cooperation to promote sustainable development through travel and tourism. 

Professor Buhalis, a leading eTourism expert based within BU’s International Centre for Tourism & Hospitality Research, said: “It was an honour to be able to discuss collaboration and research issues with a number of world tourism leaders including the Secretary General of UNWTO Dr Taleb Rifai, the President of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Mr Jean-Claude Baumgarten, and the Minister of Tourism of Egypt Mr Zoheir Garranah.”

“The Assembly emphasised that the global tourism industry can and must play an important role in both recovery from the crisis and the emergence of a more sustainable, greener global economy. World leaders were called upon to place tourism and travel at the core of stimulus packages and the transformation to the Green Economy. “

The 18th Session of the UNWTO General Assembly was inaugurated by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev and Presided by the Minister of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan Dosmukhambetov Temirkhan Mynaydarovich.
On the recommendation of the UNWTO Executive Council, UNWTO Secretary-General ad interim Dr Taleb Rifai was appointed UNWTO Secretary-General for the period 2010-2013.

Photo: Professor Dimitrios Buhalis with the Minister of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan Dosmukhambetov Temirkhan Mynaydarovich.

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UNWTO General Assembly

JOURNAL ranking event

Progressing Excellence in Management Research and Journal Rankings for the Services Industries

Coordinators: Dimitrios Buhalis and Paul Phillips
Wednesday 17th February 2010 Bournemouth University, Talbot Campus, The Allsebrook Lecture Theatre

For full conference details...

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Courses in Tourism & Hospitality

Sustainable tourism seminar

Sustainability, Climate Change and Tourism: Challenges posed by the global economic crises’

BU is proud to present a ‘cutting-edge’ seminar and discussion forum on tourism sustainability and climate change, taking place on Wednesday 25 November at Talbot campus.

‘Sustainability, Climate Change and Tourism: Challenges posed by the global economic crises’, is a one-day seminar being hosted by the International Centre for Tourism & Hospitality Research, based within BU’s School of Services Management.

For full conference details...

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Courses in Tourism & Hospitality

BU sets sail at world-class events

Students and academics from BU’s School of Services Management are participating in this week’s ISAF Sailing World Cup event – Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta.

Run by the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) the event is taking place at Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, one of the selected venues for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, until Saturday 19 September 2009.

Over 30 students from BU’s Events Management, Leisure Marketing and Sports Management programmes have been selected to work at the live event in a variety of roles from manning the event information stand to acting as media and PR runners.

The RYA has also enlisted BU’s Centre for Event & Sport Research to undertake evaluative research at the event and will use the results to help improve the experience for event attendees next year.

Earlier this month a group of five postgraduate event, tourism and hospitality students braved the wind out on safety boats in the harbour to participate in the RSX World Championships, also supported by the RYA.

Tourism student Christy Hehir, who took part in the event, said: “Volunteering at the RSX World Championships has been a real insight into the world of sailing and has provided great experience of how such a large sporting event is conducted.

“Out on the water, I was texting in the ranking positions of the sailors as they literally flew by and I was even lucky enough to join the committee boat, and help with the start of the race. This experience has been a great way to end my MSc year at BU and despite getting wet, windswept and even soaked, it has been awesome.”

Dr Holly Henderson from BU’s Centre for Event & Sport Research said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for our students to be involved in both world class events. The experience is invaluable. We are also delighted to be conducting the research for Skandia Sail for Gold.”

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Centre for Event & Sport Research

Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta

Conference paper well received

Dr Bruce Grant-Braham presented a paper entitled “Sports Tourism and Motorsports” at the prestigious “3rd Advances in Tourism Marketing Conference” the theme of which was “Marketing Innovations for Sustainable Destinations: Operations, Interactions, Experiences” hosted by Bournemouth University on 6-9 September 2009.

The well received theme of his paper was to reveal that motorsport hallmark events have actively attracted sports tourism for 107 years. The paper examined some of the motivations and outcomes of the relationship between motorsport and tourism and identified that local and national government has recognised the mutual synergy since motorsport began. The paper then examined how tourism is leveraged through motorsport with some practical examples from both circuit racing and world championship rallying. The paper identified that at the top level of motorsport, tourism is now seen as the core reason for many races to take place. Finally the paper argued that tourism organisations shouldn’t just look to encouraging attracting overseas tourists, valuable though they are, but should also look closer to home at tourism within the host country and host community too.

More than 150 tourism marketing academics and practitioners attended the conference which was organised by the Bournemouth University’s International Centre for Tourism & Hospitality Research in collaboration with the United Nations World Tourism Organization and the Universities of València (Spain), Otago (New Zealand), Mugla (Turkey) and Maribor (Slovenia).

Related Links

Motor Sport Research Group

Dr Bruce Grant Braham academic profile

Research at BU

Hungry in hospital, healthy in prison?

Research undertaken by BU nutrition academics has revealed that whilst UK prisoners are consuming a healthy balanced diet, hospital patients are leaving undernourished and hungry.

Academics from the Foodservice and Applied Nutrition Research Group, based within BU’s School of Services Management, have undertaken various studies into the food delivery and consumption process among inmates and patients from UK hospitals and prisons.

The separate studies published in the Journal of Foodservice and Nutrition reveals that despite prisons spending less per person on meals, people are far more likely to go hungry in an NHS hospital than in a prison.

The researchers believe hospital patients face barriers in getting good nutrition, including not receiving assistance with eating and nobody monitoring if they are well fed.

Professor John Edwards, Director of the Food Service and Applied Nutrition Group, said around 40% of patients going into hospital were already malnourished but this situation did not tend to improve while there.

“If you are in prison then the diet you get is extremely good in terms of nutritional content," he went on.

“The food that is provided is actually better than most civilians have. There's a focus on carbohydrates, then there's the way they prepare the food, it's very healthy.

“They don't add salt and there's relatively little frying of food - if you have a burger then it goes in the oven.

“Hospital patients don't consume enough. If you are using food as a means of treatment then it's not working," he adds.

A full report of the combined results is due to be published in a leading academic journal later this year.

BU’s Food Service and Applied Nutrition Group has carried out extensive research within and on behalf of a range of public sector institutions.

Its members Professor John Edwards, editor of the Journal of Foodservice and Dr Heather Hartwell, honorary editor of the Perspectives in Public Health journal, are well-established experts in the field of public health nutrition and foodservice.

Related Links

Foodservice research papers on BU research online (BURO)

Foodservice & Applied Nutrition Research Group

Professor John Edward’s academic profile

Dr Heather Hartwell’s academic profile

Research at BU

Advances in Tourism Marketing Conference 2009

Marketing & Tourism professionals from across the globe will be heading to BU for the third Advances in Tourism Marketing Conference (ATMC), which takes place from 6-9 September 2009.

Hosted by BU’s International Centre for Tourism and Hospitality Research (ICTHR), the conference aims to reflect upon and discuss the topical issues surrounding international tourism marketing.

Launched in 2005, the ATMC represents an attempt to explore, analyse and evaluate the state of the art in tourism marketing from an international perspective.

The event brings together researchers, policy makers and practitioners, providing a forum for the discussion and dissemination of themes related to the tourism system under a marketing approach.

The Keynote speakers for this conference are:

• Kaye Chon, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, China SAR
• Tim Coles, Exeter University, United Kingdom
• Christine Ennew, Nottingham University, United Kingdom
• Jean Marc Flambert, Your Tourism Partner, United Kingdom
• Simon Hudson, University of Calgary, Canada
• Peter Keller, Former CEO, Swiss Tourist Board, Switzerland
• Geoffrey Lipman, UN World Tourism Organization
• Victor Middleton, Consultant & Leading Author, United Kingdom
• Luiz Moutinho, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
• Phil Gendall, Gendall Design, United Kingdom
• VRobin Kadrnka, Harrison:Fraser, United Kingdom

The ICTHR, based within BU’s School of Services Management, is committed to real world research that is of benefit to policy makers, planners and practitioners whilst also developing the knowledge base of the subject.

Many of the Centre’s research projects are commissioned by national governments or international agencies and incorporate the pragmatism of the business world with the rigour of academia.

The centre is pleased to be hosting this international conference, which has previously been held in Akyaka Turkey and València, Spain.

Where: Talbot Campus, Bournemouth University
When: Sunday 6 – Wednesday 9 September 2009.
Further information: Further information, including programme and registration information, is available on the ATMC web pages.

Related Links

Advances in Tourism Marketing Conference 2009

International Centre for Tourism & Hospitality Research

Getting to BU

ESRC grant for BU sport tourism research

As the UK gears up for the 2012 Olympics, BU sports academic Richard Shipway has been awarded funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) to carry out a global research project into sport tourism and events.

The funding, which forms part of the ESRC’s International Training and Networking Opportunities Programme, marks the increased importance and profile of sport tourism and sport events as valuable areas of research.

The Sport Tourism Opportunities for Research, Mobility and International Networking Group (STORMING) initiative involves the delivery of a series of international sport tourism events across four continents – Europe, Australia, North America, and Asia.

Organised for 2010, the events will be themed on particular aspects of sport tourism development and the impacts and legacies of sporting events.

As part of the initiative, fifteen travel and conference bursaries will be offered to UK-based early career researchers to attend one of three international sport tourism networking events taking place in Australia, Florida and South Korea.

Richard Shipway, based within BU’s Centre for Event & Sport Research in the School of Services Management, said: “Given the rising profile and economic significant of sporting events and the tourism impacts they bring, 2010 was acknowledged by the ESRC as an opportune year to support emerging sport tourism research.

“The bursaries will be utilised to develop research opportunities across existing and emerging international sport tourism networks, whilst also increasing international mobility and providing networking opportunities for emerging researchers with a commitment to support and further develop sport tourism research.”

It is anticipated that this initiative will also act as a catalyst for future research projects across the School of Services Management within the context of sport and society, internationalisation, and the 2012 Games – all identified by the ESRC as areas that merit further research.

Related Links

Centre for Event & Sport Research

Richard Shipway’s academic profile

Research at BU

Economic and Social Research Council

New Media explored at Tourism Society event

Virtual media and tourism will be the topic of discussion at an event run jointly by The Tourism Society and The Travel & Tourism Diploma, at BU this September.

The ‘Tourism and New Media’ event held at BU’s Talbot campus on Thursday 24 September, will discuss the new trend of operating virtually, looking at how the tourism industry can harness ‘virtual media’, the latest technology to help market and promote tourism businesses.

It will also explore how tourism-related organisations can find new customers and improve their branding in the current economic environment.

The event, the first in a series at academic institutions across the country, will be chaired by BU Professor Dimitrios Buhalis, a leading e-tourism expert who has conducted extensive research into the impact of information and communication technologies (ICT) on the tourism industry.

Presentations will be given by field-leaders such as Andrew Pozniak, Travel Google’s Industry Leader, James Poulter, Digital Strategist at Ogilvy PR and Dawn Sims, ITC Project Manager at Carter Communication.

Professor Buhalis, Deputy Director of BU’s International Centre for Tourism & Hospitality Research, explains: "In an era when more destinations and tourism organisations are keen to attract travellers new media plays an even more important role for the tourism industry.

“This event will explore how new media will enable tourism and hospitality as well as organizations and destinations to engage in a proactive dialogue with their clientele and enhance their competitiveness"

The Tourism Society is the professional membership body for people working in all sectors of the visitor economy. Founded in 1977, the Society aims to drive up standards of professionalism in a fast-growing global industry which can have major social, economic and environmental impacts on communities and nations.

The Tourism Society is offering BU students free entry to this event for a non catered ticket. Students wishing to take up this offer will still be required to register their attendance using the contact details below.

Where: The Shelley Lecture Theatre, Talbot Campus, Bournemouth University
When: Thursday 24 September 2009
Further information: Please see The Tourism Society website or contact Daniel Moriss-Jeffery on 020 8661 4636

Related Links

Professor Dimitrios Buhalis’ academic profile

International Centre for Tourism & Hospitality Research

The Tourism Society

Students set for African sports adventure

Students and staff from sportBU are gearing up for Camp Kenya Sports Development Expedition (SDX) 2009, which kicks-off this weekend.

The month-long expedition will involve coaching sport activities to school children and staff in Kwale, Kenya as well as organising an inter-schools sports festival and district fun run.

Twenty students from BU and Universities of Southampton, Portsmouth and Surrey were selected to participate in the expedition, which is led by the sportBU team in association with Camps International, an organisation that runs volunteer programmes in East Africa and Asia.

With an average temperature of 30 degrees Celsius, the group will be facing the elements to help schools construct football and netball pitches whilst erecting purpose built goals and netball posts.

BU Head of Sports Development and project manager Barry Squires said: “Learning how to interact and coach the Kenyan children with the noticeable communication barrier is initially very hard for the English students, but it is a key confidence booster once the team fully immerse themselves into the local communities.

“The ability of using sport for development in providing a unique student experience and leadership tool has been sustainable for the last three years. Over this time the schools have seen great results in both improvements in attendance and usage of newly constructed facilities and equipment we donate.”

The SDX team is also supporting the Boots for Africa appeal, which collects used football boots, cleans them up and distributes them to school children.

Donations have already been received from Sport Kit Pro Soccer, a leading supplier of football equipment and Portsmouth Football Club, and the group will be taking these with them when they embark on their trip this weekend.

Related Links

Courses in Sports Development & Coaching

sportBU

Camps International

Boots for Africa

Sport Kit Pro Soccer Ltd

Pan-European project improves tourism e-services

Tourists are set to benefit from improved online services thanks to the successful completion of a European-wide project led by BU.

The International Centre for Tourism & Hospitality Research (ICTHR), based within BU’s School of Services Management, has successfully completed iSeT, a project co-funded by the European Commission to support the continent’s tourism industry by improving online services.

Led by renowned e-tourism expert Professor Dimitrios Buhalis, the project involved the testing of an online tool designed to support Small and Medium Hospitality Organisations (SMHO) by providing telecommunication services identified as:

• The “Before” service where the customer visits the SMHO and gets tourism information as well as reservation service.
• The “During” service where the customer gets (through wi-fi connections) internet access and a virtual concierge service (information related to the local weather, transport etc.)
• The “After” service where the customer gets selected customised information, special offers etc and loyalty management services.

The tool also provides an easy to use management system for employees that permits the administration of the all the above activities, and a portal for hotel owners dedicated to clustering and networking activities of local tourism organisations.

Following tests in Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Spain, insights and data from the project have been used to develop a Deployment Strategy and Business Plan to position the i-SeT tool-set in the European market.

Professor Dimitrios Buhalis explains: “Small hotels around the world are realising the power of the internet for their promotion and sales but also for the satisfaction of their clientele.

“This European project enabled us to do research with both small and medium tourism enterprises, tourism boards and other stakeholders and develop a powerful technological solution to support their operations, networking with other organisations and increase customer satisfaction.”

He added: “We look forward to take the results forward in other regions and to support small business around the world to take advantage of the internet revolution.”

iSeT is one of the eTEN projects run by the European Community Programme, designed to expand the availability and use of telecommunication networks (e-services) in the European Market.

Related Links

Courses in Tourism & Hospitality

International Centre for Tourism & Hospitality Research

Professor Dimitrios Buhalis’ academic profile

The iSeT project

Unique research for BU and Tank Museum

A three-year research project to help preserve the world’s most historically significant collection of military vehicles will get underway later this year.

Working in partnership, Bournemouth University (BU) and The Tank Museum at Bovington, Dorset, have created a joint PhD research opportunity to investigate the Sustainable Methodology of Conserving Historic Vehicles.

The Tank Museum holds the most important collection of its kind in the world with almost 300 historic armoured vehicles under its care. The collection boasts a number of unique and important vehicles from the 100 year history of the tank; including the world’s first ever tank and a number of others maintained in running order for public displays.

The research will be guided by senior academic Dr Zulfiqar Khan from BU’s Sustainable Design Research Centre, in the School of Design, Engineering & Computing. His team aim to understand and improve tank preservation techniques and strategies by learning about how tank engines run after extensive periods of non-usage, how ageing affects the structure of tanks, and how much it costs to run such historic vehicles.

Dr Khan said: “The interesting aspects of this PhD project with the Tank Museum are the requirements to run and operate large and heavy vehicles after periods of non-use in various humidity and temperature environments. Starting engines after long periods of disuse provides a particular challenge in terms of tribological aspects of moving lubricated components.

“In addition the tank structure is subject to stresses due to suspension and material aging and misalignment. Concentrated residual stress, corrosion, stress corrosion cracking and fatigue stress within the structure need to be considered in balance with economical and sustainable aspects. In addition, an ethics dimension needs to be addressed in terms of the assessment of replacement artefact replicas and originals for these museum vehicles.

“This project is of mutual benefit and provides a world-class opportunity for a high-calibre doctoral researcher to be involved in a unique and high-profile piece of research.”

Richard Smith, Director of The Tank Museum said: “This is a tremendously exciting project that will apply academic expertise to a unique set of vehicles and ensure that they can be preserved for generations to come.”

Professor Mark Hadfield, Head of Research & Enterprise in BU’s School of Design, Engineering & Computing explained the uniqueness of the partnership.

“This PhD forms one of four doctoral research posts co-sponsored by education (BU) and industry (Tank Museum) - an innovative approach to funding for this level of academic study within the higher education sector. We are delighted to be working with an organisation of the Tank Museum’s standing.”

Related Links

PhD Studentships

Sustainable Design Research Centre

The Tank Museum

Students win bronze at BBC Gardeners’ World

Final year BU Landscape Design students have been awarded the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) bronze medal at this year’s BBC Gardeners’ World Live event.

The students, who studied at BU partner institution Bridgwater College, completed three weeks of landscaping to construct their show garden ‘Sea Breeze’ at the live exhibition at Birmingham’s NEC.

Inspired by the Somerset coast, the garden featured salt tolerant planting and a place to sit and enjoy a drink whilst watching the sun set.

It was one of around 20 gardens at the show, which took place from 10-14 June 2009.

Programme Manager for Landscape Design Iain Truman said: “We are very happy with our Bronze Medal, something that does not come easily from the RHS.”

BU’s School of Services Management oversees the course at Bridgwater College’s Cannington Centre for Land Based Studies.

Services Management Link Tutor Keith Hayman commented: “This is another example of high quality output pitched at national level demonstrating excellence in guided learning.

“Iain Truman is an outstanding example of an academic who can deliver both theoretical and practical applications to a high level in his specialist area.”

Related Links

Courses in Landscape Design

Keith Hayman’s academic profile

Bridgwater College

BBC Gardeners’ World

Royal Horticultural Society

Students win mentoring from Savoy’s finest

Ambitious BU Hospitality Management students JJ Pollack, James Turton, Steven Driscoll and Rebecca Cupitt have successfully secured places on the competitive Savoy Society Student Mentoring Scheme.

They will now benefit from the experience and influence of members of the prestigious Savoy Society who are all prominent industry players.

Run by Springboard UK for The Savoy Society, the scheme aims to offer successful students the benefit of impartial support and guidance from a mentor for three years.

The competitive selection process included taking part in an Apprentice-style challenge at the Hilton Waldorf Hotel in London and attending a series of formal interviews.

Speaking at the assessment day, Stuart P Johnson, Chairman of the Savoy Society, said: “The students who attended were all of the highest integrity and I was quite taken by their dedication and wish to succeed within our industry.

“The Savoy Society has set up this mentoring scheme in order to “give back” to our industry, to coach and support the young, talented individuals who are entering it. Today was true evidence of the quality of those individuals that we can look forward to joining our industry in the future.”

Between interviews the students were encouraged to write about their experience in a blog. James Turton (22) commented: “Having the chance to meet, and work with, industry experts who will hopefully be able to guide us through the next few years, or more, is an unmissable opportunity.”

Rebecca Cupitt (22) added: “The Apprentice-style morning was a great team building exercise and was a good way of building confidence. Meeting the mentors was brilliant fun and I feel I have already learnt a lot from hearing about their hotels and skills.”

Useful Links

Courses in Tourism & Hospitality

Savoy Society Mentoring Scheme

Springboard UK

BU Lecturer receives prestigious Golf Foundation Award

BU Lecturer Dave Houlihan, who lecturers on the BSc in Sports Management - Golf course, has been honoured with a prestigious award from the Golf Foundation for his services to the sport.

The Foundation’s most prestigious award The Sir Henry Cotton Award was presented to Dave for his meritorious service to junior golf, at an awards ceremony at Wentworth on 20 May.

Dave was nominated for the award for his pivotal role in developing junior golf in the city of Portsmouth and the wider community. He was secretary at Portsmouth Golf Club for 25 years and since leaving the post remains their chairman of finance and trustee. During those years he supported seven junior organisers and trebled junior membership.

In 2003, working with the Golf Foundation, Dave helped create and chair the Portsmouth and Havant Junior Golf Partnership. He was also instrumental in the development of an extensive school and community golf programme in the region, working with the Portsmouth City Council Sport Development Team and the local School Sports Partnership.

Mike Round, Chief Executive of the Golf Foundation, said: “We are delighted to present this award to Dave. He was chosen for the award not only because he has been committed to the development of junior golf for so many years, but because of how he has embraced change. He has demonstrated how it’s possible to move with the times without compromising golf's traditions and values.”

Dave Houlihan said: “I am delighted and honoured to receive this award.”

Useful Links

Courses in Sport and Tourism

Centre for Event & Sport Research

Research alliance sees BU racing green!

BournemouthUniversity’s (BU) new Motor Sport Research Group has established a research alliance with environmental motor sport competitors ‘Team CVR’, having been granted special permission from the British Touring Car Championship organizers TOCA.

Team CVR was founded with the vision to enter the HIQ MSA British Touring Car Championship as an independent, professional, environmentally efficient, race-winning team. With race cars running on biofuels, the team operates a zero carbon policy throughout.

Supporting the team’s efforts to promote an environmentally friendly approach to motor racing, experts from BU’s Motor Sport Research Group, based within the School of Services Management, will carry out key market research of the team’s impact in the media including television, print and online.

The partnership will mean that the BU logo, displayed on the cars, will be seen in national media coverage of the country’s premier racing series as the team competes at prestigious circuits including Brands Hatch and Silverstone.

Dr Bruce Grant-Braham, director of the Motor Sport Research Group said: “The team’s race cars produce significantly less carbon emissions than their road going counterparts and, in common with BU’s green philosophy, we are very lucky to be able to examine the evolution of such technology at first hand”.

Pushing towards a concept of using motor sport to highlight a more environmentally conscious way of operating, Team CVR, who is sponsored by Cartridge World, aims to minimize emissions from its entire operation and offset any balance through energy efficiency projects in Africa, providing fuel-efficient stoves to local communities.

Team principal Colin Neill said: “The environmental impact of motor sport will play a strong part in Team CVR’s development and we hope this will have an effect on all aspects of the wider automobile industry.”

Useful Links

Courses in Sport and Tourism

Centre for Event & Sport Research

Motor Sport Research Group

SM Associate Dean discusses Tourism Crises Management in Asia

BU Services Management Associate Dean Chris Hall has highlighted the importance of ‘Crises Management in Tourism’, at a lecture delivered at Universities in Vietnam and Thailand.

In a recent visit to these countries, Hall, Associate Dean Postgraduate Students, addressed undergraduate and postgraduate students and staff at Hanoi University of Technology (Vietnam) and Mahidol University International College (Salaya near. Bangkok, Thailand).
Both countries are facing significant downturns in visitor numbers but for slightly different reasons.

Vietnam is suffering from travel restrictions placed on the citizens of China and Japan – two of their major sources of tourists – by their governments, to restrict exposure to the ‘swine flu’ virus.

In Thailand political upheaval following on from the December closure of Suvarnabhumi Airport has had a deleterious effect.

The economic downturn has also affected inbound tourism to both countries.
Chris Hall said:” The theme of the lecture was that during the last ten years tourism industries around the world have had to face a seemingly unending succession of problems and yet the level of contingency planning by industry stakeholders remains very low.

“There seems to be a cultural barrier within the industry to planning for downturns whatever their cause.”

For more information regarding this subject or the Universities visited please contact Chris Hall.

Useful Links

Courses in Tourism & Hospitality

International Centre for Tourism & Hospitality research

Professor Chris Halls’ academic profile

League success for BU Sport and Tourism

A rise in the recently published Guardian University Guide has put Bournemouth University (BU) in leading positions for both Sports Science and Tourism.

BU’s School of Services Management is celebrating after a double success in the latest national university league table.

Excellent delivery of courses such as Sports Management and Sports Coaching and Development, has helped BU to beat the competition to reach the number two spot in the Sport Sciences league table – a surge of 18 places over the past two years.

The University also secured the number two position for tourism and boasts the highest score for career prospects in this area. Both subjects are taught within BU’s School of Services Management.

Overall BU consolidated its position as Number One New University.

Dr Keith Wilkes, Dean of BU’s School of Services Management, said: “To be placed 2nd in two Guardian League tables – Tourism and Sport - is excellent news. This confirms the very high reputation of the School of Services Management nationally and reflects the quality of the student experience offered by staff in the School”

BU students benefit from the expertise within the University’s Centre for Sport & Event Research. Experts from the centre have been involved in high-profile research projects including impact studies for the London 2012 Olympic and research into sport participation and spectatorship.

The centre has just launched its new Motor Sport Research Group with academic staff who have backgrounds in international and national competitions ranging from Formula 1 and MotoGP, British Superbike Championship, British Touring Car Championship, Premier League Speedway and National rallying.

BU’s School of Services Management also hosts the renowned International Centre for Tourism & Hospitality Research and Market Research Group.

Useful Links

Courses in Sport and Tourism

Centre for Event & Sport Research

Motor Sport Research Group

Buhalis contributes to the Tourism Education Futures Initiative meeting

Dimitrios Buhalis was invited to contribute to the 3rd TEFI - Tourism Education Futures Initiative (TEFI) meeting in Lugano Switzerland and to represent Bournemouth University.

The Tourism Education Futures Initiative (TEFI) began in 2006 with a conversation between Pauline Sheldon and Dan Fesenmaier at a TTRA conference which identified a need for a

significant change in the content of tourism education programs. Given the seismic socioeconomic and environmental changes that our future graduates will face in the next 20-30 years, educational programs must change. TEFI was formed to identify the nature of that change and to educate responsible stewards for an increasingly uncertain future. Vision: TEFI seeks to provide vision, knowledge and a framework for tourism education programs to promote global citizenship and optimism for a better world. Steering Committee: Pauline Sheldon (University of Hawaii), Dan Fesenmaier (Temple University), John Tribe (University of Surrey), Leo Jago (Victoria University, Australia) and Janne Liburd (University of Southern Denmark). TEFI is now a program within the BEST Education Network.

The first TEFI Summit in 2007, attended by 45 educators and industry members from around the world, was held at Modul University in Vienna, Austria. It examined five possible future socio-economic scenarios for the world and how tourism and tourism education need to adapt to these possible scenarios. Our website www.tourismeducationsummit.com outlines those scenarios and captures the content of the Summit in detail. (Also see Sheldon et al 2008 for a fuller description of the Summit processes and outcomes).

A Second TEFI Summit, held at the School of Travel Industry Management, University of Hawaii in April 2008, continued to examine the factors affecting the future of tourism education. The goal for this Summit was to further refine and define a set of values to guide tourism education over the next 20 years. These values will provide a platform for students and educators alike as they face uncertainties and shifts associated with whatever socio-economic-environmental future they enter.

The Third TEFI Summit took place at the University of Lugano in Switzerland in April 2009 and attracted 40 educators. A core component of the Summit were the three facilitated break out sessions during which attendees debated and extended the ideas that were presented in the keynote presentations. During each of these highly interactive sessions, attendees were asked to consider issues from the student, industry and academic perspectives.

Building on the Vienna Summit, five sets of values were identified as key to TEFI’s vision:

TEFI VALUES :

• Stewardship: sustainability, responsibility and service to the community
• Knowledge: critical thinking, innovation, creativity, networking
• Professionalism: leadership, practicality, services, relevance, timeliness, reflexivity, teamwork and partnerships
• Ethics: honesty, transparency, authenticity, authentic self
• Mutual respect: diversity, inclusion, equity, humility, collaboration

These value sets are permeable and overlap giving rise to different sets of values being appropriate for different courses/units and for different professional and sectoral situations. Work is to be done to provide a diagrammatic representation of the relationship between these sets of values and to define the values and further develop examples of curriculum teaching the values in tourism.

In the Photo: TEFI members in front of the University of Lugano in Switzerland

Useful Links

Courses in Tourism & Hospitality

International Centre for Tourism & Hospitality research

Tourism Education Summit

Professor Dimitrios Buhalis’ academic profile

Professor Dimitrios Buhalis contributes to the Travolution Summit

Professor Dimitrios Buhalis, Deputy Director of International Centre for Tourism and Hospitality Research, Bournemouth University, contributed to the Travolution Summit in London on the 21st April 2009. The event was organised by the Editor Kevin May and since Dimitrios act as the Research Editor for Travolution he enjoyed meeting industry colleagues and discussing their key concerns that industry especially with regards on the emergent markets.

In his intervention he argued that:

• emerging markets should not be categorised based on their geographical boarders.
• Instead a comprehensive segmentation should be offered and the
• Digital divide and penetration of technology should be one of the factors to look at
• from the morning presentation that Dennis Turner, chief economist, HSBC Bank did income, debt and employment/unemployment are the most critical indicators for disposable income
• Then specific value propositions and experiences should be identified for each market segment
• links with local networks should be identified and utilised
• culture, norms and the environment are all critical for setting up operations

All this process should happen before any significant investment is made.

Photo courtesy of Darren Cronian

You can find coverage on these blogs:

Hotel Blog

World Traveller

Professor Dimitrios Buhalis’ academic profile

Retail student clinches BU placement award

BU has announced Retail Management student Nick Jones as the winner of its Placement Student of the Year Award 2009.

The £500 award will be officially presented to Nick at BU’s School of Services Management graduation ceremonies, due to take place at the Bournemouth International Centre in November 2009.

Nick, 23, from High Wycombe, received the award for his outstanding contribution while undertaking his work placement as Assistant Business Analyst with Safestore Ltd – the fastest-growing storage unit company in the UK.

He was praised for his involvement in introducing a new graduate training scheme, and his pivotal role in helping Safestore to win the RBS/ NatWest Business of the Year award. Reviewing the company’s growth, Nick produced the report on which the judging was initially based.

Nick Riding, Chief Operating Officer at Safestore Ltd, said: “We were delighted with Nick’s contribution to Safestore over the time he was with us. He approached his work with a desire to contribute as well as learn and earned a great deal of respect from his colleagues in the process.”

Commenting on his achievement Nick said: “I feel very happy and proud to win this award as it signifies the hard work I put in last year, as well as the huge benefit a placement offers to an individual and the company they are working for.”

Nick spent the first few months of his placement at the ‘sharp end’ of the business at the company’s Reading store. He then moved to its Head Office in Borehamwood, where he undertook many high-level duties, providing valuable data on which key business decisions were made.

He added: “The introduction to finance in the first two years of my Retail Management course definitely helped me, but the most useful aspect of the course was creating an understanding of store and Head Office-based functions. This was particularly good for me as I spent time in both at Safestore.”

Jacqui Gush, Head of BU’s Graduate Employment Service, said: “It was a difficult choice as we had some outstanding students who made real contributions to their employing organisations.

“What helped Nick to clinch it was the evidence that his hard work had directly helped his company to win the prestigious Business of the Year award. We congratulate Nick on this achievement.”

Related links:

Courses in Retail

BU's Graduate Employment Service

WTM2009 - TOURISM FRONTIERS3030

Thursday 12th November2009 14.00 to 15.30 – North Gallery 6/7 World Travel Market, ExCeL, London

Forum Director: Professor Dimitrios Buhalis

To celebrate 30 years of the World Travel Market, the International Centre for Tourism and Hospitality Research, Bournemouth University is organising its annual WTM forum with the theme Vision 3030 – to reflect the past 30 years and to project tourism in the next 30 years.

The market volatility globally demonstrates the key challenges and also opportunities emerging for both tourism destinations and suppliers around the world. Tourism destinations and organisations need to learn from the history of tourism developments in the last 30 years and adapt to the realities, technologies, and globalisation for the next 30 years. Clearly understanding the Economics of Tourism and ensuring the sustainability of resources will be two key challenges for the future.

The Tourism Futures Forum will provide an insight into the future dimensions of the tourism industry. It examines major trends in tourism demand and supply and explores the strategic changes that lead to the international tourism industry restructuring.

The University of Bournemouth in partnership with the World Travel Market and the TravelDailyNews are organising this annual forum to facilitate debate about the key strategic changes and to engage in a discussion about the successful response of the industry. The forum brings together leading academic and professional tourism experts to identify new trends as well as opportunities and challenges.

The event will involve two cutting edge research-based presentations to stimulate discussion. The Chair of the panel Dr Keith Wilkes Dean of the Services Management School will encourage all participants to contribute to the debate and discussion.

Useful Links

Courses in Tourism & Hospitality

International Centre for Tourism & Hospitality research

World Travel Market

Professor Dimitrios Buhalis’ academic profile

Experts predict UK tourism opportunities

BU Tourism experts highlight the opportunities available for UK tourism due to the increase in domestic holidays.

Experts from BU’s International Centre for Tourism & Hospitality Research (ICTHR) are predicting major opportunities for the UK Tourism industry.

Commenting during British Tourism Week academics from the Centre predict that with the cost of UK holidays dramatically cheaper than many international destinations, more people will choose to holiday in the UK this year. What is clear from the research generated at BU’s ICTHR is that where there is crisis there is also opportunity.

The experts highlight major economic benefits for the UK and the opportunity of much needed jobs being generated, as people from overseas become keener to holiday in the UK due to the declining strength of the pound.

Professor John Fletcher, Director of the ICTHR said: “The short term picture for UK tourism is looking very good as the weak pound makes overseas travel expensive for UK citizens and trips to the UK relatively cheap for international visitors. As well as giving the tourism industry a much needed boost this will generate additional income and employment opportunities.”

Professor Fletcher adds: “There is a window of opportunity for the tourism industry to set out its stall, showing the quality of its products and services, so that as we move further into the 21st century, with the combined forces of higher energy costs and the pressures of climate change, the UK tourism industry can look forward to a strong, robust future.”

The Centre’s leading eTourism expert Professor Dimitrios Buhalis warns that UK tourist organisations and destinations will be required to use agile marketing and technology to deal with the current market conditions.

He states: “Technology enables organisations to increase their efficiency and reduce their operational costs as well as to adopt innovative marketing.  It also supports the personalisation of tourism products and the creation of value through dynamic packaging.

“Tourism organisations that use a multichannel strategy will be able to access many prospective travellers and also to deal with a very last-minute demand that is expected to rise in the current economic climate,” continued Professor Buhalis.

Useful Links

Courses in Tourism & Hospitality

International Centre for Tourism & Hospitality research

Professor John Fletcher’s academic profile

Professor Dimitrios Buhalis’ academic profile

TUI Travel Director speaks out on on strategy and leadership

Tim Williamson, who is Customer Director at TUI Travel, was recently invited to speak to final year services management students on strategy and leadership. The lecture entitled “The Great Opportunities in Travel“ was organised by the Bournemouth University Foundation whose role includes developing key external contacts for BU.

This lecture follows one given a week earlier and featuring Jane Ashton who is Head of Sustainable Development at Tui Travel. Jane also manages Tui’s links to the Travel Foundation - a charity which assists the development of sustainable tourism in destinations.

TUI Travel has a fact sheet (PDF 118.59kb) which gives an invaluable insight into its core business.

Commentator Murray Walker and BU are Go, Go, Go...

Legendary motor sports commentator and Bournemouth University (BU) Honorary Doctorate Murray Walker was guest of honour at the launch of the University’s new Motor Sport Research Group on Friday 27th February at the start of the Sunseeker Rallye at the Littledown Centre in Bournemouth.

The new group will be based within the University’s School of Services Management and will conduct research into both the business of motor sport and the physiological aspects of competing in it. Experts from the new group are already working on a number of groundbreaking research projects which will provide new and interesting insights into the sport’s competitors and how the sport is perceived.

The group will asked visitors to complete an online survey at the Sunseeker Rallye which will help both the Rallye and the academics gain valuable information. Applied Sports Management Senior Lecturer, and former motor sports competitor, Kelly Goodwin also conducted key research into the physical demands on drivers at the event.

The group is also working with Cartridge World Carbon Zero, a new British Touring Car team, to research the effectiveness of their branding. The team is the only one in Europe to take a ‘zero carbon’ approach. Future projects with top speedway team Poole Pirates are also being discussed.

Dr Bruce Grant Braham, Director of the Centre, said: “Our newly formed group provides a wonderful opportunity to use our wide range of expertise to provide our students with a winning curriculum. We aim to lead business research on both four and two wheels thereby mirroring BU’s race to success in the academic league tables.”

Murray Walker was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters by BU in November 1997 to recognise his success in both broadcasting and advertising.

The launch of the group builds on BU’s continuing commitment to research. In the recent Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) the University was rated as the fourth most improved UK university in terms of research quality.

Over 20 BU Events Management students assisted at the Rallye Sunseeker event, working alongside members of the organising team in a variety of roles. For information see: www.rallyesunseeker.co.uk.

Professor Dimitrios Buhalis collaborates on two Accessible Tourism Books

Professor Dimitrios Buhalis is working on two Accessible Tourism Books with Simon Darcy of the University of Technology Sydney and Ivor Ambrose from the European Network for Accessible Tourism. ENAT will effectively support these books as most of the authors are heavily involved in ENAT.

These books bring expertise on disability, accessibility, inclusion and tourism from around the world. One will be concentrated on conceptual issues whilst the second will bring practical implications and best practice in inclusive design from around the world.

Prof Buhalis is very excited about this project, as it effectively designs the global and international curriculum that will be followed in BSc and MSc programmes in Tourism and Hospitality around the world.

In the photo Dimitrios Buhalis with Simon Darcy and Stephen Schweinsberg when visiting the University of Technology Sydney where Simon is based.

Presentations from the ENTER09 conference are now online.

School of Services Management welcomes Ms Jane Ashton, Head of Sustainable Development, TUI Travel PLC

The School of Services Management was delighted to receive Ms Jane Ashton, Head of Sustainable Development, TUI Travel PLC on the 27 February. Jane has many years of experience in the travel industry.

After the merger of First Choice Holidays and TUI AG, Jane is leading the Sustainable Development division of TUI Travel PLC, which operates in 180 countries, has over 200 brands worldwide, services 30 million customers and employs 48,000 people worldwide.

Jane's keen interest is in the impact of tourism on the environment and communities that led her to become actively involved in the development and implementation of strategies and policies in relation to Corporate Social Responsibility.

In addition to meeting Services Management staff, Ms Ashton delivered a guest lecture on ‘TUI's response to the challenges of sustainable development and their impact on, and approach to, climate change’.

School of Services Management welcomes visiting speaker Mr Jean-Marc Flambert

School of Services Management welcomes visiting speaker Mr Jean-Marc Flambert

Mr Jean-Marc Flambert is visiting the University this Wednesday on the 11th February and will be delivering a guest lecture on Crisis Marketing in PG10 between 9 and 11am. Although primarily for the Masters Marketing Pathway Students the lecture is open to all, so please feel free to come along.

Jean-Marc has many years experience of managing international resort destinations, most notably in Sri Lanka, so has a wealth of experience to share with you. It ought to be a very enjoyable and stimulating session.

If you would like to attend then please ensure that arrive on time. Jean-Marc will be speaking from 9 to 11am in PG10, which can be found on the Talbot Campus.

Professor Dimitrios Buhalis chairs the ENTER09 Conference

Professor Dimitrios Buhalis of ICTHR, chaired the ENTER09 Conference in Amsterdam. Organised by the International Federation for Information Technology and Travel & Tourism (IFITT), ENTER2009@Amsterdam was the 16th ENTER Conference bringing together about 300 international experts in all aspects of Information Communication Technologies in Travel and Tourism. ENTER offers a unique forum for academic, industry, destination managers and marketers and government representatives to explore the future of ICTs in Tourism through research and dynamic dialogue within the social network of the IFITT community. ENTER 2009 featured 150 presentations over 3 days.

Keynotes included:

• Eric Basha, Managing Director, Worldwide Public Sector, Microsoft Corporation
• Rebecca Jennings, Principal Analyst -Forrester Research
• Heinz Kreuzer, CEO TUI InfoTec
• Ed Parsons, Geospatial Technologist of Google
• Andrew Pozniak Travel Industry Leader in the Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East & African markets
• Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace Minister of Tourism & Aviation The Bahamas

BU voted Number 1 for Tourism for the second year running

The newly published Guardian University League Tables 2009, have retained BU as number 1 in the UK for Tourism (including Leisure and Hospitality) for 2009, and also placed BU as 4th in the UK for Sports Science.

The Dean of the School of Services Management, which hosts both of these subjects, commented 'this remarkable achievement is clearly down to the quality of our staff and the exceptional experience that they deliver for our students'.

Bournemouth University's overall ranking rose to 38th position for 2009, and has seen a remarkable jump of 42 places over the last 2 years.

Publication of the Guardian League Table newspaper supplement is still scheduled for Tuesday 13 May, however, the results are viewable Online.

SM holds 'Tourism Futures' seminar @ WTM 2008

The Tourism Futures Forum, orgainsed by Professor Dimitrios Buhalis and chaired by Professor Nigel Hemmington, will provide an insight into the future dimensions of the tourism industry. It examines major trends in tourism demand and supply and explores the strategic changes that lead to the international tourism industry restructuring. The Forum will be organised by University of Bournemouth tourism experts and will engage leading tourism practitioners from around the world on an interactive discussion. The forum brings together leading academic and professional tourism experts to identify new trends as well as opportunities and challenges. The event will involve three research-based presentations to stimulate discussion.

Further information can be found on WTM Website. (Date:26.09.08)

SM attend UNWTO.ULYSSES Conference, Madrid, 2008

Professors Nigel Hemmington, Adele Ladkin and Dimitrios Buhalis attended the United Nations World Tourism Organization UNWTO.ULYSSES Conference 2008 on ‘Tourism Education and Knowledge Management: Meeting Future Challenges.’

The BU team had the opportunity to discuss with Professor Eduardo Fayos-Sola and other officials collaboration opportunities with the UNWTO and the Education & Science Council. The team also explored partnerships with several academic institutions and research leaders that attended also the conference.

During the conference Prof Pauline Sheldon of the University of Hawaii was awarded the UNWTO.ULYSSES 2008 Award.(Date: 04.06.08)

Professor Buhalis chairs session at EyeForTravel Travel Distribution Summit, London

Professor Dimitrios Buhalis Chaired the Customer Relationship Management and Loyalty Conference at the EyeForTravel Travel Distribution Summit in London. The CRM Conference had excellent presentations and many people worked around the 4 strategic stages of CRM (Customer Recognition Data Capture, Data Management and Maintenance, Segmentation, Creation of Models, Analysis and Profiling, One-to-One Personalized Interaction) whilst great case studies where offered from many companies.

Some of the most interesting topics discussed included the transformation of loyalty programmes from monetary/retention focused to more customisation/personalisation and emotions focused as well as the impact of Web 2.0 and Travel 2.0 on CRM and loyalty. Organisations have to engage with their customers through the entire range of communication channels – both official and long tail.

For further information on this event please visit the Eye For Travel Website.

Tourism Marketing Dynamics Seminar, 7th May

The Tourism Marketing Dynamics conference which was organised for the Tourism Society and hosted by Bournemouth University and Chaired by Professor Dimitrios Buhalis identified a number of key trends and demonstrated key methods for allowing tourism organisations to maximise their potential.

For further information on this event please visit Tourism Marketing Dynamics event page.

Services Management welcomes Director, UNESCO Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences

The School of Services Management was delighted to receive Dr Ishwaran Natarajan, Director, Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences, UNESCO, to the University on Thursday 17 April. In addition to meeting SM staff and members of OVC throughout the day he lead a presentation related to Sustainable Development and the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Reserves. Dr Ishwaran was joined by Mr Andrew Bell, MAB UK Chair.

For further information on Dr Ishwaran and UNESCO-MAB's work please visit UNESCO Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences.

BU supports British Tourism Week

Professor Dimitrios Buhalis from the School of Services Management will be giving a public lecture on eTourism Futures: Strategic use of ICT & business transformation on Tuesday 11 March. For more information visit the British Tourism Week website.

School attends 52nd Annual Hotel and Catering show

The 11th and 12th March saw the 52nd Hotel and Catering show at the BIC. The event aimed at the trade, attracted business owners and traders alike, plus potential future students, and several placement opportunities. During the event BU had a healthy influx of varied interest towards the university. Questions ranged from placement opportunities to undergraduate interests.

Loch Fyne visits BU

Loch Fyne Restaurants Pre-Openings Manager Jo Harbord and her BU placement student Hannah Duffy (BA (Hons) Hospitality Management) visited BU to give a lecture to students on how they could get involved with this rapidly growing company for their placement year. As well as a very interesting video explaining the background of the business and where they source their fresh produce, Hannah Duffy gave an interesting talk about her experiences working for Loch Fyne.

Professor presents papers on eTourism at leading tourism and travel conference

Professor Dimitrios Buhalis is just back from Innsbruck in Austria where he delivered a number of presentations at the ENTER 2008 conference on eTourism. He is one of the Founder Members of the International Federation of Information Technology for Travel and Tourism (IFITT) and the immediate past president of the organisation. ENTER is an annual event that was started in Innsbruck some 15 years ago and has been instrumental in bringing technology, tourism research and industry together. Professor Buhalis presented three research papers at the conference.

AA Inspector visits BU

Sandie de Rougemont, an AA Hotel and Restaurant Inspector, visited the School to speak to our Hospitality Students on Friday 25 January. Sandie shared her experiences as an Inspector and discussed how businesses could take advantage of the services offered by the AA. Using her own photographs she also showed us some of the UK’s best hotels and restaurants giving the students an in-depth understanding of the qualities required to achieve their Star ratings and Rosette awards.

Staff exchange programme to Thailand

In the face of considerable competition Chris Hall, Associate Dean Services Management, has been awarded a £2000 Prime Ministers Initiative2 travel grant to explore the creation of a staff exchange programme with two Thai universities. They are Mahidol University, Bangkok and Prince of Songkhla, Phuket and both offer tourism programmes taught in English.

BU Seminar on region's Olympic benefits

BU is hosting a research seminar with key people in the region to discuss ways we can use the 2012 Games to maximise tourism potential. It is the first of three research seminars, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Professor Adele Ladkin, co-led the ESRC bid with colleagues from Canterbury Christ Church University and University of Essex. Read More >>

Mosimann visits BU

Mark Mosimann, Managing Director of the Mosimann group and his BU placement student Joanna Hanstead paid a visit to Bournemouth University last Wednesday to give an excellent lecture to students and fans alike. The son of Anton Mossiman, the world renowned chef and Honorary Graduate of BU , described his personal career journey and presented some interesting perspectives on the industry and his own personal experiences in the hospitality business. His personal interest and involvement with the students meant that he was well received and the gift of hand made Mosimann chocolates went down very well.

World Class Result in Strategic Marketing

David Kilburn, Head of Business Development for the School of Services Management, has mentored a student to global acclaim. Each year, David prepares marketing professionals for the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) professional postgraduate examinations. This year, one of his students, William Grobel was awarded ‘best paper in the world’ following his success in completing the CIM Strategic Marketing in Practice exam. William, a professional Marketing Manager, was coached by David in a group of 15 managers on how to succeed in the exam – a challenging 90-page case study.

We won the 'Contribution to International Education 2007' award at the Daily Echo Bournemouth Tourism Awards

This award recognises our efforts to ensure that all our international students have a very positive and rewarding experience whilst studying at BU. Professor Nigel Hemmington and Dr Feifei Xu accepted this award on behalf of the School of Services Management at a prestigious ceremony at the Bournemouth International Centre on Wednesday 21st November 2007.

Tourism Graduation Party to celebrate being Number 1 in the Guardian League Tables

On Wednesday 7th November we celebrated the success of all our Services Management 2007 graduates at the Graduation Ceremony at the Bournemouth International Centre. This was followed by a party for Tourism Graduates at the Marsham Court Hotel to celebrate their achievements and also the fact that the course has been ranked Number One by the Guardian University League Tables and Number One in the Sunday Times Head Teachers survey.