Participation of students and employees of the Faculty of Tourism at Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme ITHAS 2023 - International Academy for Tourism and Hospitality at Sea

A group of students and employees of the University of Maribor, Faculty of Tourism, took part in the 15th edition of the International Tourism & Hospitality Academy at Sea between May 6 and 13, 2023. The topic of the academy was "Managing tourism in world heritage sites", and it combined theoretical lectures, meetings with local tourism experts, as well as practical experience in terms of witnessing good and less good examples of physical planning in the real environment.

Among the ITHAS lecturers were Erik Cohen (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Yoel Mansfeld (University of Haifa), David Fennell (Brock University) and Richard Butler (University of Strathclyde), the most prominent tourism professors.

Besides the University of Maribor, Faculty of Tourism and the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Economics & Business, which was the host institution, three more international universities participated in this year's programme: Brock University, Canada; Munich University of Applied Sciences, Germany; University of Pécs, Hungary. The programme took place on a cruise along the Adriatic Coast. It included visits to five tourist destinations in Croatia - Trogir, Split, Šibenik, island Rava, Zadar, and island Zlarin. One hundred nine participants from many different countries (Croatia, Slovenia, Germany, Hungary. Canada) participated this year.

On June 8, 2023, the Faculty of Tourism at the University of Maribor celebrated the eighth generation of graduates from its undergraduate and master's study programmes. The graduates received their diploma certificates in the ceremonial setting of the Knight's Hall at Brežice Castle.

The diplomas and master's certificates were awarded to 12 graduates from the professional study programme, 8 graduates from academic study programme, and 5 graduates from the master's programme who completed their studies between March 2022 and February 2023. The Dean of the Faculty of Tourism, Prof. Dr Boštjan Brumen, presented the diploma certificates.

The event was attended by the Deputy Mayor, Mr. Bogdan Palovšnik, who greeted and addressed the attendees on behalf of the Municipality of Brežice. He emphasized that tourism are people and reminded the graduates that they are always welcome in Brežice. The keynote speaker, Ms Dubravka Kalin, the Director-General of the Tourism Directorate at the Ministry of Economy, Tourism, and Sports, highlighted the advantages of working in tourism at the beginning of their careers and reminded the graduates that being a good tourism professional means more than just doing a job - it means being on an everlasting mission.

Representing the students, Lara Praznik, a graduate of the academic study programme, thanked everyone who contributed and helped them succeed. She also humorously reflected on their shared student days.

The Mixed Choir Viva enriched the event with their musical performances, while the event was hosted by Assist. Prof. Dr Barbara Pavlakovič and Assist. Prof. Dr Tomi Špindler. The attendees continued their gathering in a relaxed atmosphere in the beautiful courtyard of the castle.

The Faculty of Tourism takes pride in the 2023 generation and extends their sincere congratulations to the graduates, and master's graduates, wishing them good luck, perseverance on their further path, and successful application of their acquired knowledge.

On Wednesday, June 7, the Ambassador of India to the Republic of Slovenia, Her Excellency Ms Namrata S. Kumar, honoured our Faculty of Tourism with her visit. The visit took place at the headquarters of the Faculty in Brežice. In addition to the Ambassador of India to the Republic of Slovenia, the meeting was attended by Mr Rok Capl, Acting Director of SPIRIT Slovenia, Ms Patricia Čular, Director of the Municipal Administration of the Municipality of Brežice, as well as Dr Boštjan Brumen, Dean, Dr Marjetka Rangus, Vice Dean for Education at the Faculty of Tourism, and Mr Mebin Benny, representative of Indian students at the Faculty.

At the Faculty of Tourism, we aim to strengthen the connections and cooperation with the Republic of India, as we have more than 150 Indian students enrolled in our programs, both at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. We presented the Ambassador with our previous work in the field of education and research and discussed potential opportunities for collaboration, particularly in promoting education, research, and collaboration with the business sector, as well as promoting Indian culture in Slovenia.

Last week at FT UM, we were hosting Dr. Charles Mansfield, a retired professor from the University of Plymouth in the United Kingdom, where he served as the head of the doctoral program and lectured on literary tourism, travel narrative, and French. As a researcher, he has also collaborated with the University of Edinburgh and Paris1 Pantheon-Sorbonne University.

On Tuesday, he delivered lectures with a workshop for employees and students, and some students had already had the opportunity to get to know Dr. Mansfield through online lectures.

He is a specialist in travel literature and creative writing, as well as the study and preservation of heritage. He has led several projects in this field and has published multiple books and numerous articles.

This year, as a result of collaboration between our faculty and the University of Plymouth, his monograph "Travel Writing for Tourism and City Branding: Urban Place-Writing Methodologies" (by Mansfield & Potočnik Topler) was published by Routledge. In recent years, Dr. Mansfield's research has focused on the history and theory of travel literature, as well as travel narrative as a creative process. His work is important for understanding travel literature and creative writing in general and has influenced many students and researchers in this field.

Have you ever wondered what makes a successful tourist agency tick? You are invited to peek behind the scenes and attend a guest lecture held by Mr Tomaž Juvan, the CEO of Roundabout Travel. The lecture is part of the course The Power of Digital Platforms in Tourism and will take place on Monday, May 15^th at 1 p. m. in Classroom 1 at the Student Campus in Ljubljana. The lecture is open to external visitors and will be held in English.

The lecture will focus on the journey of the incoming tourist agency Roundabout Travel, from the very beginning in 2005 to the present day, when most reservations for tourism services happen through online platforms. The agency is a holder of the TraveLife sustainability certificate and is designated by the Slovenian Tourist Board as a Slovenia Green Tourist Agency and boasts the largest market share in the Slovene incoming tourism business for individual travelers.

Tomaž Juvan is an entrepreneur, traveller and innovator in the field of Slovenian tourism. He is a strong proponent for sustainable development and for quality, boutique experiences. He is working on his various business endeavours in accordance with this philosophy.

Dear students,

As you might be aware we are participating in the project ReWo – From research to working life: The Importance of Transferring the Knowledge to Working Life. Within this project there will be several on-line events that you will be invited to join. First one will happen next week on Tuesday May 16^th, 2023, in between 13.00 and 14.45. within this event we will present good practices of how final thesis from previous years students have been implemented in practice. You will be able to listen to cases from Finland, Norway, Portugal, and Slovenia.

Since participation is one of key performance indicators you are kindly invited to join us. For extra motivation there is also an information that we will send out on the next few weeks a call for 4 students to join us within this project, visiting Portugal (Lisbon) in November 2023 and Norway (Stavanger) in fall 2024. In both cases this will be a study visit that will have all the logging and travel costs covered by the project. Being present in this event will bring extra points for the selection procedure of who will join us in Portugal and Norway.

You can join the event by clicking here: Click here to join the meeting

We would like to inform you that the building of the Faculty of Tourism at the University of Maribor will be closed from Thursday, April 27th, 2023, until Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023, due to a collective vacation and holidays. Thank you for your understanding.

Dear voters!

We would like to inform you that the Faculty of Tourism at the University of Maribor will hold elections for the dean of the Faculty of Tourism for the period from 2023-2027:

EARLY ELECTIONS, April 21, 2023

Early elections for the dean of FT UM will be held on Friday, April 21, 2023, from 9 am to 3 pm, at the headquarters of the Electoral Commission, in the hall of the Faculty of Tourism UM (ground floor), Cesta prvih borcev 36, 8250 Brežice, for voters who are absent on the day of the vote (April 26, 2023).

ELECTIONS, April 26, 2023

On the day of the elections, Wednesday, April 26, 2023, between 9 am and 3 pm, each eligible voter can vote for the dean of FT UM at the polling station, which is located in the hall of the Faculty of Tourism UM (ground floor), Cesta prvih borcev 36, 8250 Brežice.

Here are some important information for all voters:

When a voter enters the voting room, they go to the table of the electoral board. The president or a member of the electoral board verifies the identity of the person who wants to vote. Identity is verified on the basis of a personal document that shows the voter's personal data (identity card, passport, driver's license). Then, the president or a member of the electoral board checks whether the voter is registered in the electoral register and whether the voter has already voted early. If the voter is registered in the electoral register and has not voted early, the president or a member of the electoral board marks their sequential number in the electoral register as a sign that they have voted, and the voter must sign the electoral register. Then, one ballot paper is handed to the voter. The voter is obliged to put the ballot paper in the appropriate ballot box - depending on the group of eligible voters (university teachers/employees/scientific workers or students or other employees). At the faculty, in the spirit of academic integrity, a one-day election silence is expected before the elections and on the day of the elections, as stipulated by Article 22 of the Rules on the Election of Deans of the University of Maribor, No. 012/2018/2.

President of the Electoral Commission UM FT Prof. Dr. Boštjan Brumen

On April 5, 2023, the Student Campus in Ljubljana and the lecture halls there were occupied by students of the Faculty of Tourism of the University of Maribor. The third traditional Mix & Mingle Day took place, when Ljubljana students were joined by their colleagues, Brežice students. The sunny weather only encouraged joy, good will and getting to know and socialize with students from different parts of the world.

Thus, all students of the Faculty of Tourism had lessons in English in the morning in mixed groups. The topics of the event were climate change and sustainable tourism. In this spirit, we also organized a swapmeet boutique.

After the SloveIndian lunch, the international team went to an educational and entertaining team competition in Tivoli Park, where the students calculated their carbon footprint and the beneficial impact of trees, cycled and ran, and picked up trash.

The MM trophy for the 'coolest' FT team was awarded to the students of the group LJ Cool J, where Sambodhi was the leader of the group.

Dear students,

University of Maribor Faculty of tourism has been invited by our partners University of Lapland to a BIP – Blended Intensity Program. It is a new type of mobility promoted by European Union. Content of this years BIP will be related to experience design, so if you are interested in this topic, keep on reading.

What is it about?

In the first phase of the project, we will be involved in the on-line activities - in September 2023, a series of lectures and presentations will be given to you, some pre-recorded, some live. This way we can gain the knowledge we need for the second stage of the project.

In the second phase of the project, we will travel to Finland, in Rovaniemi, where we will participate in an intensive week of mobility. This mobility is intended for students to relate to other students from partner faculties. Institutions are joining forces, the host institution (University of Lapland - Finland), Universitat de les Illes Baleares (Spain), Universidade de Lisboa, Instituto Superior de Ciencias Sociais e Políticas (Portugal) and the University of Maribor - Faculty of Tourism (Slovenia).

In the third phase of the project, after the end of the mobility to Finland, we will carry out an evaluation of the project, in which you will also a part of.

Where and when?

Phase 1: Online activities / workshops / lectures – September 2023

Phase 2: Mobility to Finland – Rovaniemi – September 23^rd to September 30^th, 2023

Phase 3: Evaluation of the project – October 2023

How much will this cost me?

Participating in the project will cost you some of your time, please carefully read the financing information, most of you are eligible for extra financing!

The project will cover your travel and accommodation costs in Rovaniemi. We will include some meal, some of which will have to be covered from our own resources.

Conditions for participation?

Student status.
High motivation to participate in project based on the content description above.
Fluent speaking and writing in English language.
Ability to fulfil visa requirement conditions for Finland.

How many students are going?

There are 6 positions that are open.

How and where do I apply?

You submit your application via e-mail to assoc. prof. Mitja Gorenak at: mitja.gorenak@um.si

Deadline: Monday April 17^th, 2023, by 12.00 – EXTENDED DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION: Wednesday April 26^th, 2023, by 12.00.

Application content – what do you have to send in:

A letter where you provide us with the basic information about you (name, last name, student number, program, year of studies).
Motivational letter where you explain to us why you are the best choice of student to participate in this project.

Overview of applications and results:

Applications that arrive on time will be reviewed in the first week of May, by asist. Tjaša Alegro and assoc. prof. dr. Mitja Gorenak, who are organizing the implementation of the mobility, based on the quality of the content of the application and motivation letter, candidates will also be selected and invited to participate in the project in the same month.

For more information, please e-mail assoc. prof. dr. Mitja Gorenak – mitja.gorenak@um.si

I am looking forward to your applications.

Mitja Gorenak