The main objective of this annual International Tourism Students Conference (in short ITSC) is to encourage intercultural exchange between students from different countries specializing in tourism, hospitality, and leisure management studies.
This will be done through research projects, sharing results and discussion about new trends and events in the field of tourism, hospitality, and leisure in a conference setting.
The ITSC is the first conference in this field of expertise especially organized for students. It is a great opportunity to share and expand knowledge in an international academic community.
Aims of the conference
– To provide an event for interaction and information exchange among students from different countries who are studying in the fields of tourism, hospitality management and leisure studies.
– To create an opportunity for students to improve their skills in conducting
research and presenting the findings of their research endeavors.
– To familiarize students with academic and professional conference procedures
and international networking.
Background
The International Tourism Students Conference (ITSC) started in 1986 as a link between the Tourism Department of the Université de Savoie’s Management Institute (France) and Hochschule Heilbronn (Germany). The link was extended rapidly to include the NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences (The Netherlands) and Bournemouth University (UK).
As the number of participating institutions extended to include universities outside Europe, the scale of the event became even larger and the title of the conference was modified to “International” in 1996. However, the main aim is still to maintain the spirit of togetherness and cohesion, which is relevant to small-scale and collaborating groups of students.
The ITSCs are unique events and they are of great value both for participating students and universities. Although there are several international meetings for tourism educators, ITSC is one of few annual events where students present research findings to international academic colleagues.