Turistica opened new technologically advanced student sTOUdio room

Turistica opened new technologically advanced student sTOUdio room

Digitalisation is essential for the tourism of the future, and Turistica students will now be able to experience a piece of the digital world.

On Tuesday, 29 November 2022, UP FTŠ Turistica opened the highly anticipated sTOUdio Turistica room, which will provide students and staff with a modern space for learning, project work and socializing. The project is part of the UP FTŠ sTOUdio Turistica programme. 

The event, organized by 2nd-year students of the Project Management course under the mentorship of UP FTŠ sTOUdio Turistica, was attended not only by students and staff of the faculty but also by partners from the business sector, with whom UP FTŠ sTOUdio Turistica has actively cooperated in the past. Among them were representatives of the companies Art Rebel 9 and Rajzefiber, as well as Mateja Hrvatin Kozlovič, M.A. in Tourism, entrepreneur and innovator in tourism, who said that "initiatives of this kind, which give students the opportunity to have concrete experience directly with entrepreneurs, are crucial, especially for the training of younger staff. They provide an insight into the challenges we face in the economy, while bringing a breath of fresh air and new approaches to finding solutions. We therefore welcome such projects and look forward to more in the future. Above all, bringing academia and business together is essential to build an innovation community that contributes to the well-being of our society and creates long-term partnerships."

As part of the UP FTŠ sTOUdio Turistica pilot program, Turistica has equipped a new student space with modern technology and software equipment acquired through the Google Impact Challenge call for Central and Eastern European countries. Last year, the faculty was among 13 winning organizations with its UP FTŠ sTOUdio Turistica programme, which also developed the LocalsFromZero model. Google provided financial and mentoring support to the organisations that presented the best charity projects to promote the increasingly digital economy, focusing on the need for social inclusion.

Mag. Tadej Rogelja, member of the Turistica project team and active member of the UP FTŠ sTOUdia Turistica program since its launch, emphasised that "a modern working environment (in this case the sTOUdio room ) is essential for students. If we expect students to think creatively, innovatively and incisively - to be engaged - then we need to provide them with appropriate working conditions that are in line with current technology and development trends. The modernly equipped room is also intended for teaching, research and administrative staff at the faculty (either in the context of individual courses, research, projects or socialising with students, colleagues, etc.)."

Tilen Nipič, a Turistica student who also hosts the show Popotniški snep (Travel Snap) within the Slovenian Travel Association, said that "the sTOUdio Turistica programme is a great opportunity for all students who want to develop their interest in working with the tourism industry and academia by gaining experience. I have been involved in many projects where I have been able to contribute to solving current problems in the industry and complement my studies." Regarding the new student room, he added that "the equipment (including software) will allow students to be more inventive and creative as part of their regular studies, while at the same time they can acquire digital skills, which can be seen as a competitive advantage for later employment. Simply put, digitalisation (also in tourism) today means visibility in a world that is close to my generation - and now, thanks to the newly designed and furnished room, we can improve our skills, socialise, or develop groundbreaking ideas."

The Student sustainable TOUrism Development & Innovation Office – sTOUdio Turistica is a pilot R&D program that connects students, businesses and the academic world. With their activities they encourage student participation in development projects with a focus on analytics, consulting, innovation, and practical work in the industry, through which they develop competencies under the supervision of experts from practice and pedagogical and research associates at UP FTŠ Turistica. 

Since the pilot programme was launched in 2019 under the guidance of assoc. prof. Dejan Križaj, more than 200 different events have been organised:

• informal meetings with professors, students and tourism stakeholders from the business community,
• field trips with visits to examples of good practice,
• project collaborations with the business sector,
• weekend-long intensive events (hackathons),
• Start-ups (Locals From Zero & Web3 Travelers ),
• guest lectures from the tourism industry,
• and other various events - consultations, workshops, round tables, conferences where UP FTŠ Turistica students and others can actively participate.

At the same time, networking also benefits researchers and lecturers when it comes to modernising study processes and integrating the challenges of society and the economy into teaching and research processes.

More about the activities of UP FTŠ sTOUdio Turistica can be found > HERE.