Tourism and gastronomy, a key pairing for the development of the Region of Murcia
This has been one of the conclusions exposed in a meeting organised by the UCAM on the occasion of the World Tourism Day, in which Esther Tenza, director general for Competitiveness and Tourism Quality of the Region of Murcia, and Nick Montgomery, manager of the La Manga Club, have participated.
“We need to place in the national scene a dish that identifies us as Region”, has stated the director general of Competitiveness and Tourism Quality of the Region of Murcia, highlighting that tourism and gastronomy are key elements in the development of the Region of Murcia, in the event organised today by the Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism of the Catholic University of Murcia.
The context of the meeting is the World Tourism Day, which will be celebrated tomorrow, September 27, under the motto ‘Tourism and Employment: a better future for everyone’. The event has gathered students of the Bachelor’s Degree in Gastronomy, teachers and professionals of the tourism sector such as Esther Tenza, director general for Competitiveness and Tourism Quality of the Region of Murcia, and Nick Montgomery, manager of the La Manga Club.
During the meeting, themes such as the future of the tourism sector and employment have been addressed. Esther Tenza, director general for Competitiveness and Tourism Quality of the Region of Murcia has stated that, “in July and August the Region of Murcia has recorded the best data in terms of tourism and hotel occupancy growth”. Furthermore, she highlights that, according to her, the event that took place in the UCAM is well suited both to the Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism and to the Bachelor’s Degree in Gastronomy.
It must be noted that the UCAM offers, starting from this year, the possibility to obtain a double diploma in Tourism and Gastronomy in four years only.
Regarding the importance of the student’s training, Nick Montgomery, manager of the La Manga Club, explained that the students are the foundation of the industry and that thanks to the UCAM the sector is growing in the Region.
Ginesa Martínez Del Vas, vice dean of the Bachelor's Degree in Tourism, states that the main objective of this meeting is for the Catholic University to join in the celebration of the World Tourism Day. “The UCAM has been an affiliated member of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) for more than ten years. And this year, under the motto ‘Tourism and employment: a better future for everyone’, we want to highlight that we can only obtain development, sustainability and tourism growth through a good job and talent management”.