ISM Berlin welcomes Egyptian students to explore tourism offers in Germany
How do Egyptian tourism experts and students perceive the vacation offers in German winter sports areas? As part of the intercultural DAAD project "Sustainable Sports Tourism in Research and Teaching" under the direction of ISM Professor Dr. Alexander Hodeck, the Winter School took place in Germany for the first time last February. Visiting professors and students from Helwan University in Cairo came to exchange ideas on developing sustainable tourism solutions in Egypt and Germany.
Last fall, ISM students contributed their own research papers at the conference in Safagaa, Egypt. As part of the Winter School, Egyptian tourism experts and students were in turn given the opportunity to take a critical look at the sports tourism offerings in Germany. The Egyptian guests tested different sports offers in Germany with ISM Prof. Dr. Hodeck and his team in order to draw conclusions for a sustainable development of sports tourism offers in both countries. In addition to a guided tour of the ISM campus in Berlin, the program also included a trip to the tennis association in Leipzig, trying out winter sports offerings and insights into the club and cultural life of Eibenstock. The importance of the personal experience of nature and its preservation was shown not least by the enthusiastic reactions of the Egyptian visitors in Eibenstock. Because it was the first time that the Egyptian women could see and touch real snow and try out winter sports activities. This was also the case for student Mai Gamal: "Although I have already tried out many different sports through my sports studies, I had never been skiing or sledding before. Both were insanely fun and I will definitely be back to do winter sports." That provided additional motivation to think anew about what structural change in sports tourism might look like in the face of extreme climate change.
Do you also dream of using innovative solutions to advance the fields of sports and tourism at home and abroad? The M.Sc. International Management or M.A. Strategic Sports Management programs provide students with a solid foundation in these industries.