The students taking majors in Tourism and Events put together a 5 day/4 night Sightseeing and Culinary tour package. They were wholly in charge of planning the itinerary, designing and executing promotional strategies. It took them four weeks to promote their package with personal selling, eye-catching posters and leaflets.
Chor Kah Loon, one of the student organizers who majors in Events said “We were even approached by curious public at our promotional booth to enquire about the tour”. “That was when we had the great opportunity to sharpen our one-to-one selling and communication skills,” added Rasika Wijekoon, another student organizer who specializes in Tourism.
Making sure of the smooth running of the tour was part of their key responsibility, customer satisfaction was their ultimate concern. True enough, the tour members whom the students succeeded in persuading to sign up for the tour package were not at all disappointed. It was a value for money trip. They enjoyed a cruise along the amazing scenic Saigon River, experienced how the Vietcong lived underground at the Chu Chi Tunnels, explored old, historical temples, strolled along the seaside resort of Vung Tau and climbed up Jesus Hill.
“The roads in Vietnam are traversed by a lot of motorcycles!” said Chor. “This unique sight is vastly different from what we see in the cities of Malaysia”. Rasika who loves nature more than anything else, was amazed by the vast, green paddy fields, carpeted the land of Vietnam. “The breathtaking view was unforgettable”, claimed the fourth semester Tourism student.
The highlight of the trip was the Cuisine Tour organized by a premier local Tourism School - Khoi Viet Language Tourism & Language School. The tour participants spent the day preparing their own meals consisting of authentic Vietnamese cuisines, taught by a renowned Vietnamese culinary expert, Chef Dzoan Cam Van. Among the Chef’s recommended cuisines were Seafood Spring Rolls, Sour Soup with Fresh Water Fish and the famous Vietnamese Pancakes.
Ms Mae Tan, the Head of the School of SHTLM commented “The planning, promoting selling and organizing outbound tours offer experiential and fun-learning that will harness the skills and knowledge of our tourism students. Having this experience under their belt, they gain an upper hand at the point of entry into the workforce”. Putting theory and knowledge into practice is part of the requirement in the tourism course offered by the School of Hospitality, Tourism & Leisure Management at Sunway University College. Thus, creating balanced individuals who are ready to face the real and challenging world out there.