Ana Machado was awarded the “Mike Morgen Award” by the University of Bournemouth, in the United Kingdom, awarded annually to the best Master's student.
Having recently completed the Master in European Tourism Management (ETM), offered by the University of Algarve together with six other European universities, the student has also been awarded a scholarship worth five thousand pounds, awarded by a financial institution to the best student of the Ibero-American space.
For Ana Machado, the importance of this award is linked to the fact that the Master's in ETM takes place in several European universities (England, Sweden, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, France and Germany) and that it brings together students from several countries, such as Spain, France, Belgium, Sweden, Germany, Portugal, China, Indonesia, Netherlands or Lithuania.
“My dissertation on “Birdwatching tourism in Europe: case study of the Algarve” analyzes the potential of this form of Tourism as an alternative product, in favor of sustainable development in a region like the Algarve, where sun, beach and golf are the main tourist products, shaping the image of the region abroad”, says Ana Machado.
In their work, tour operators and tour guides were interviewed. birdwatching to act in the region (Portuguese and foreigners) and 210 tourists from birdwatching Europeans, whether or not they have been to the Algarve.
As for the nationalities involved, the British, Germans, Dutch and some Scandinavians stand out. The profile, motivations and expectations of these tourists were also analyzed, allowing for several conclusions to be reached.
Asked about the future perspectives, Ana Machado reveals that, at the moment, she is looking for a job in the United Kingdom, or even for a PhD scholarship, also in England.
In a way of unburdening himself, he confesses that he prefers to bet on continuing his academic and professional career in a foreign country, “not only because my experience has been good and because I think I've adapted well to the English way of life, but also because of the situation in Portugal is going through at the moment and the opportunities here are, unfortunately, increasingly scarce”.
About the “Mike Morgan Award”
This award distinguishes the best Master's thesis. This is a posthumous tribute to Professor Mike Morgan of Bournemouth University, one of the main people responsible for the ETM, in addition to being a well-known researcher in Tourism.
(More information: http://buhalis.blogspot.com/2010/12/rest-in-peace-michael-morgan.html).
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