College students meet with local industry partners at tourism event Travel and Tourism students from Ayrshire College attended the 2014 Ayrshire and Arran Tourism Gathering at the Marine Hotel in Troon to learn more about the future of this major local industry.

Accompanied by curriculum leaders Tes Eshetu and Kathryn Cole, NC Travel and Tourism students met with over 120 industry delegates from the tourism industry and enjoyed a presentation from Ros Halley, Ayrshire and Arran Tourism Manager and Professor Joe Goldblatt from Queen Margaret University.

Delegates witnessed the premier screening of a new promotional film created by Ayrshire College creative industries students in partnership with Ayrshire and Arran Tourism, which highlighted a variety of industry opinions on progress in delivering a pan approach to tourism. Students involved in the project were praised by Ros Halley for working to a tight timeframe and for their enthusiastic approach to the project.

Travel and Tourism student Keiran Weir, from Cumnock, said “It was really great to meet up with students from all of the College’s campuses and fascinating to learn about the future growth of tourism in a local context.” Kilmarnock Classmate Caitlin McArthur said “This event really opened my eyes to how much tourism has evolved in Ayrshire and Arran over the last few years. It contributes greatly to the local economy and supports lots of jobs in the area. As local tourism forms a large part of our course, the presentations were relevant to what we were learning in class.” Rachel Stupart, from Newmilns, said “I thought it was very informative and interesting. Professor Joe Goldblatt was very charismatic and has inspired me to follow a career in events management. His information was thorough and was presented in a fun and easy to understand way, which improved my knowledge of the tourism industry and how it is continually developing. Ros Halley's presentation was inspiring and has motivated me to get more involved in Ayrshire and Arran's Tourism development.” Kathryn Cole, Curriculum Leader for NC Business, Administration and Accounting said “The students all enjoyed their visit and left with a greater awareness of the local tourism industry and a deeper knowledge of key people and places within the sector. I was most impressed by Professor Goldblatt. He was a marvellous speaker and I loved how he kept mentioning the future and relating this to Ayrshire College students.  That was a great confidence booster for them.” Following on from the industry gathering, HND level students were given the opportunity to gain work experience at the Ayr, Troon, Prestwick, Kilmarnock and Irvine branches of local holiday firm Stewart Travel, where they gained a valuable insight into the working environment of a travel agent.