Turistica Students Shine at International AEHT Competition in Riga

Students from the Faculty of Tourism Studies – Turistica at the University of Primorska achieved remarkable success at the prestigious competition held last week in Riga as part of the 37th annual conference of the AEHT (European Association of Hospitality and Tourism Schools). The event hosted over 800 participants from 25 countries, who competed in 13 different categories. Jakob Mlakar, under the mentorship of Miha Bratc, won first place in the Strategic Thinking category. In the Hospitality Management category, student Žan Seušek also performed exceptionally well.

Jakob Mlakar, a third-year student of the UNI Toursim program and an active member of the Turistica Student Council, demonstrated determination and dedication. Aligned with the values of fostering cooperation in an intercultural environment, he joined an international team alongside students from the Netherlands and Belgium. The Strategic Thinking discipline requires competitors to showcase considerable innovation and knowledge of international trends in the hospitality sector. Jakob's team impressed the international judges with their proposal for repositioning and strategic development of the Pullman Riga Old Town Hotel, which the panel highlighted as an exemplary case study. Their proposal outshined those of the 13 teams competing in this category.

Žan Seušek, Vice President of the Student Council and a third-year student of the Tourism Enterprise Management program, also represented us outstandingly in Riga. Competing in the Hospitality Management discipline, which involves the CESIM simulation tool and began in September, Žan achieved excellent results alongside his partner from the Netherlands, showcasing strong management skills for accommodation facilities in unpredictable business environments. He received special praise from the judges for his skillfully delivered presentation of the results.

Recognitions and achievements of students at the AEHT annual conferences are highly valued in practice, particularly because participants in most competition categories only meet their teammates a few hours or, at most, a day before competing together. For schools, these student accomplishments affirm the quality of their educational programs. This is not Turistica’s first success at the AEHT conference; in 2020, Jaka Godejša won in the Tourist Destinations category.

AEHT is a European association of public and private hospitality and tourism schools, bringing together over 400 institutions from 40 countries. UP FTŠ Turistica has been a member since 2017 and actively fosters a collaborative learning environment at all levels of study, promoting the significance of high-quality education for success in tourism.

UP FTŠ is immensely proud of the achievements of our students and graduates, as they demonstrate the quality of our work, the talents of future tourism professionals, and the importance of specialized competencies and formal education in the tourism field.