Star students win prestigious tourism awards

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By Dean Eastmond

On 18th July 2013, BU students Barbara Neuhofer (PhD in Travel and Tourism) and Charlotte Young travelled to Westminster where they were both presented with prestigious awards.

This year’s Institution of Travel and Tourism Chairman’s Summer Cocktails took place at Terrace Pavilion, in the House of Commons.

Dame Tessa Jowell MP (former Shadow Minister for the Olympics and London) attended the annual event to present the awards to both prizewinning students.

Sponsored by Leeds Metropolitan University, the annual event hosts the ITT Student Awards and is a true celebration of a select few students’ efforts in their own work and research at their universities.

Charlotte Young received one of three awards for CoE (Centre of Excellence) Students of the year.

For Barbara, ITT PhD Student of the Year comes with great delight and her work in Travel and Tourism is of great credit to not only herself but Bournemouth University.

“I feel truly proud and honoured to receive this prestigious award by the Institute of Travel & Tourism,” she said.

“It is a great recognition for my PhD research and I am extremely grateful to Bournemouth University and to all the people who have supported me in my studies, in particular to my supervisor Prof. Dimitrios Buhalis.

“It was a privilege to celebrate this achievement in such a fantastic location, the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. It was a truly memorable evening for all of us.”

Barbara’s Supervisor, Profess in Technology and Tourism Dimitrios Buhalis, continued: “This is a great recognition of the great progress that Barbara is doing in her PhD and the contribution to knowledge she is producing as evidenced in her publications and her community service through IFITT and other communities.

“I am particularly happy that this is the second student after Dr Andrew Spencer who won the ITT award last year.”

Dean is a student at Budmouth College in Weymouth, who is working at Bournemouth University in the Press and PR Department. He joined BU on a Sir Samuel Mico Scholarship, which provides 10 students from his college with essential work experience for four weeks over the summer.