A group of academic staff from LYIT School of Tourism was invited to visit the Amadea, a German Cruise Liner owned by Phoenix Reisen, during its stopover in Killybegs.
The visit coincides with an exciting new semester of courses on offer at the School which has refreshed all programmes this year including its flagship tourism programme, Destination Tourism with Marketing.
On boarding the ship, the group were met by a familiar sight in the form of Ann McHugh and Moya McHugh, both graduates of the tourism programmes and who are now working with the Killybegs Cruise Welcome Committee.
The guided tour not only included the public areas such as the cabins, restaurants, bars and leisure facilities, but also a look behind the scenes, which included a detailed tour of the central kitchen.
It gave the staff the additional understanding of the industry which is usually only seen from a guest’s perspective.
The Amadea began its voyage from Bremerhaven, northwest Germany, home to a University of Applied Sciences which offers a Cruise Tourism Management programme. Students from the School of Tourism in Killybegs have studied in Bremerhaven as part of the Erasmus Study Abroad project.
Ciarán ó hAnnracháin, Head of Department, revealed “Building networks and collaborating with other European colleges is an important facet of higher education, and we are continuing to do this in order for students to expand their search for employment, both at home and abroad. This approach helps to ensure that they are prepared for a wide variety of careers in a diverse and growing industry.”
