The tourism students of the five different Tio locations went on a study trip to Tangier, Morocco. Anick van den Berg tells you all about their experiences during the trip. "Fun, sun, lots of laughs and meeting new people summarize exactly the international study trip of International Tourism Management year 3. Usually, the students organize the study trips, but for this year Hogeschool Tio had arranged everything. There was a lot of curiosity about what we are going to do and how Tangier would be."
"On Monday 45 tourism students took the plane from Weeze, Germany to Tangier, Morocco. After a three-hour flight we arrived at the international airport Ibn Batouta. At the airport our guide for the upcoming days was waiting for us. He brought us to the hotel Solazur. The hotel was located opposite of the beach, which gave you a beautiful view. You could also see the coastline of Spain, which is only a one-hour boat trip. Dinner was served in the hotel restaurant and after that we had a drink in the bar."
Presentations at ISITT
"On the second day, we had a company visit. Tangier also has her own tourism school; Higher Institute International Tourism De Tanger (ISITT). As tourism students, it goes without saying that we should pay a visit here. We were warmly welcomed by a number of students. After a word of the school director, we went to the auditorium. ISITT students had prepared two presentations. The first one was a presentation about Morocco. They gave us a lot of information about the history, economy and tourism development. The second one was about the Netherlands. The students did a very good research about the Netherlands and they even mentioned the famous stroopwafel!"
"After the extensive lunch, we had a presentation from and discussion with the marketing manager of the Moroccan Tourism Board. The marketing manager was interested in the way we look at Morocco and things we would like to improve. It was very interesting because we also gave the manager some new insights for improving the tourism in Morocco. In the evening we had a dinner that was made by students from ISITT. Some other students showed their musical skills with several performances, like singing, dancing and playing guitar."
City tour
"The next day, a city tour was on the programme. We had visited some famous sights of Tangier. First we went off for the Cave of Hercules. According to the mythology, it is believed that Hercules stayed and slept in this cave. Whatever kind of story is true, the fact is that you have a beautiful view across the clear blue ocean. After this visit we went to Cap Spartel. Cap Spartel is the most northern Western point of mainland Africa. It is also the point where the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea meet. At Cap Spartel we had lunch and after that we continued the tour to the city town of Tangier. We have walked through the narrow and colourful streets of the Kasbah. And of course, we also paid a visit to the crowded Medina, where you could find a lot of small shops and food stalls. Dinner was served in a typical Moroccan restaurant, where also Moroccan music played and a belly dancer gave a performance."
Relaxing time
"The following day we had leisure time. Everyone could fill in his or her own programme. Most of the students did go to the city centre again, to see everything in a relaxed way and to do some shopping as well. During the day we also had a Hamman treatment, which made our skin super soft. Due to the sunny weather, most of the students stayed at the pool in the afternoon. Just getting some extra vitamin D before heading off to freezing Holland! In the evening we had our last dinner in Tangier. It was also served in a typical Moroccan restaurant and we finally could eat the national dish: couscous! Afterward, the teachers had organized a pub quiz in the hotel bar, which was a fun ending of this study trip."
"On Saturday, we flew back to Germany. Late in the evening all the students arrived safely at their own location. We can look back on a pleasant journey, which we as students have learned a lot from. We can take this with us in our further career in the tourism industry."