W4T, or Wave 4 tourism, is the name of the student conference, which is held at the initiative of students of the Faculty of Management in Tourism and Hospitality in Opatija, the cradle of Croatian tourism, which is also an ideal meeting place for all students of tourism and related fields throughout Europe, reports HrTurizam.hr. The official program begins tomorrow with the arrival of participants, a guided tour of Opatija, and informal acquaintance and socializing.
”The aim of the conference is to offer new knowledge and experience of renowned experts in the field of tourism, hospitality, marketing, sales, management, and sustainable development. Through knowledge transfer, exchange of experiences, networking, and socializing, participants will have the opportunity to create valuable memories, but also certainly new opportunities for the future. At the first Wave 4 Tourism conference, the focus will be on four broad and current topics: digital tourism, sustainable tourism, marketing, and luxury tourism, within which we will have the opportunity to hear 16 different stories from our speakers”, said Nika Kurti, a fourth-year undergraduate student of Management of Sustainable Development and a member of the organizing team of the W4T conference.
According to her, there are more perspectives and ways in which students experience tourism today, but the word that would unite several opinions is ”opportunity”; an opportunity to innovate and overcome the challenges that today’s tourism faces, an opportunity to travel or meet new people and cultures, an opportunity to improve skills such as social skills or for example an opportunity to learn foreign languages, but also an opportunity to work.
Given that tourist services today are provided by a wide range of people, from computer scientists to traditional hoteliers, a large number of students can find the field they are interested in and get educated, specialize and constantly improve.
Participants will have the opportunity to listen to lectures by as many as sixteen speakers who are divided into four sections. Tomorrow, on Friday, October 1, the topics are digital and sustainable tourism, while marketing and luxury tourism will be discussed on Saturday, October 2.
”The speakers were selected because of their expertise and experience in practice within the topics of each section, but also tourism in general. We are extremely proud and appreciate the fact that these people have decided to selflessly share their knowledge and experience and be speakers at this year’s W4T conference. In addition to the speakers, we have collaborated with the head of public relations of Aminess hotels and camps, Maja Lena Lopatny, who will be the moderator of this year’s Wave 4 Tourism conference”, emphasizes Kurti.
Interest in the first W4T, Wave 4 Tourism conference is above all expectations. One hundred onsite tickets have been sold out, while online ticket sales are still ongoing. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 situation, the organizers had to limit the number of seats, but they hope that next year the conditions will be more favorable and that the event will be able to physically attend all those who are interested.
”Since this is the first year of the event, it is very important for us to make a professional and positive impression on all visitors, speakers, and the local community and provide them with the best service. Thanks to our general sponsor, Liburnia Riviera Hotels, onsite participants will experience the comfort of staying in Hotel Istra, while lecturers who do not live in the area will be accommodated in Hotel Admiral”, explains Kurti.
The motto of the first W4T conference is Catch the change, and the organizers hope for a brighter future. Although it is hard to believe that everything will be the same, they expect that current trends in Croatia will be followed and adjusted to.
As for the conference itself, the wish of the first organizing team is that the Wave 4 Tourism conference in the coming years will try to position itself as the best student conference in the field of tourism, but also related areas both regionally and internationally.
“As far as personal development is concerned, we young people have access to many sources with which we can acquire various skills, and a large number of people do not hesitate to share their own knowledge, starting from our professors. It is spreading rapidly through social networks, especially Linkedin, where practitioners often know how to provide useful advice. As students, we have the opportunity to meet other young people, educate ourselves, work together on projects, compete, achieve mobility, and finally get to know ourselves and our own desires. The future will certainly be full of innovations and it seems to us that the new generations are willing and ready to create them”, concluded Nika Kurti in the end.
Check the full program here.
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