With the aim of creating and implementing education for Sustainable High-End Tourism throughout Europe, SUHET is an Erasmus+ project, aimed at providing participants with knowledge on sustainable luxury tourism.
In order to test the MOOC (massive open online courses), an intensive week was organised in Barcelona, Spain with the involvement of teachers, experts and students from the University of Maribor, Erasmus University Brussels of Applied Sciences & Arts, the European Center for Quality, the Foundation of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and Lapland University of Applied Sciences.
Learning the theory: Classroom days
After boosting ourselves with a filling breakfast we walked to the campus, which was just a few steps from the hotel, and started a new working day.
Monday, Wednesday and Friday were for testing the MOOC. We started the class by familiarising ourselves with the subject through video lectures, along with the support of the teachers. Many issues arose during the learning process, requiring us to have discussions and analyses in small groups.
After that, students had to take the quizzes related to what they have learned, as this was also the reason we were here – to provide our feedback on online courses.
Putting theory into practice: Barcelona City
Tuesday was our first excursion day. After taking the train from the campus in Bellaterra we made our way into Barcelona to Hotel Almanac. A luxury boutique hotel, the Almanac provides its guests with a unique experience defined by the local environment. We got to sit down with Victoria Simpson, the Sales and Marketing Director, who told us about the hotel’s use of technology to ensure the high level of sustainability.
Next we visited the UAB Campus in Barcelona which is located in a section of Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, a UNESCO heritage site. Here we met with Glòria Pou, co-CEO at the DMC The Real Thing, who gave us a presentation of her business. We learned about the ups and downs of being a business owner in the luxury tourism industry – especially throughout the pandemic – and the value of effective networking and building of partnerships. For many, this visit was the highlight of the week.
Finally, after a break for lunch, we visited the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Barcelona. We were greeted with a presentation by Eva Villar (Personal Assistant to General Manager) and Viviana Iglesias (Director of Commerce). Paul Ciaccio, the Sales Manager at the hotel, showed us around and emphasised the importance of privacy and personalisation in luxury tourism.
After a long day walking around the city students were free to stay and explore. Our group from Lapland joined the local students from Barcelona for a drink before hopping back on the train to Bellaterra.
Catalonian countryside: Exploration of unconventional luxury
On our second excursion day everyone was excited just a little bit extra. Why? Well, on that day we were going to the Catalonian countryside to explore an old village, a luxury winery, and most importantly to many, an authentic Catalan lunch in one of the best restaurants of Sant Sadurní d’Anoia.
Colonia Güell is a factory town founded by a Spanish industrialist Eusebi Güell and designed by his closest friend, Antoni Gaudí, built at the turn of the 19th century. The town’s sole purpose was to house workers of Güell’s textile factory. The community formed around the factory was fairly well-off compared to the ones in other factory settlements – they had access to education, healthcare and housing, all provided by Eusebi Güell, in return for a fair share of their salaries. Now the town is a destination for all cultural heritage and history enthusiasts visiting Barcelona with its main attraction being a unique church and crypt built by Antoni Gaudí.
Our next stop was the Gramona winery where we were received by Miquel Herrero, the Head of Hospitality and Wine Tourism. Barcelona is famous for its Cava sparkling wines, a term used by Gramona in the past before collaborating with other prominent wine makers to create the new term and quality label: Corpinnat. Other than creating exquisite sparkling wines, Gramona offers exclusive tours around the vineyard and their wine cellar, telling the full story of how their wine travels from the vine to the restaurant table, providing highest quality Corpinnat wines while staying in touch with nature and adhering to traditional and sustainable ways is Gramona’s true passion.
Our final stop of the day was the La Cava d’en Sergi restaurant in Sant Sadurní d’Anoia. For many, this was the true highlight of the entire visit to Barcelona. Exquisite local food of the highest quality paired with local wines created a long-lasting impression for the group. This shows how important food is to experience the culture of the destination.
With our bellies full and having enjoyed the visits to the wonderful locations of the day, we went to the bus that took us back to Bellaterra.
Some final thoughts
As much as there is to learn about theoretical concepts and their practical applications when participating in a project like this, there is even more you can learn about yourself. In a new environment, outside your comfort zone, there are many situations you would not encounter in your daily life. You might try strange foods, share a room with someone you barely know or find it more difficult to adapt to a new culture than you imagined. However, you will return home with great memories, new found friends and more confidence in your own abilities.
Written by Liisa Siippainen, Kristian Tyurn and Le Qyuen (July), the students in the Degree Programme in Tourism
