Students and faculty from Varna University of Management conducted an exciting field trip to several tourist destinations on the Northern Bulgarian Black Sea coast. The study tour was organized as part of their Event Management training and included students in the International Hospitality Management, Hospitality and Culinary Arts, Gastronomy and Culinary Arts majors, as well as master students studying in the International Hospitality and Tourism Management Programme.

The first stop of the trip was the luxury BlackSeaRama Golf & Villas Complex, where students got acquainted with the facilities, attractions and tourist services provided. Students had the opportunity to visit the sixth edition of the Wedding Day Exhibition, at which specialized event organizing agencies presented the latest trends in wedding celebrations for 2020.

The international student group also visited one of the oldest and most prestigious Bulgarian resorts on the Black Sea coast – Albena, which is recently celebrating its 50th anniversary. The hosts organized a sightseeing tour of the complex, as well as visits to the Ralitsa Superior Hotel, and the five-star Flamingo Grand Hotel & SPA with the luxurious Elements SPA complex. The students also visited the newly opened Perunika Conference Hall. The multifunctional hall is the largest in the region, with a capacity of over 1000 seats and is intended for congress events, concerts and sporting events. The project is made by the architect Vladimir Popov, and the interior design – by the French specialist Christine Borella.

During the study trip, a series of games and discussions were organized for the students, and they were given additional questions and tasks that will be discussed in their next lectures on the Event Organization course.

Varna University of Management is one of the leading educational institutions with more than 20 years of tradition in the training and development of professional staff in the tourism and hospitality industry. The successful professional realization of the university graduates is largely due to the extremely practical focus of the educational programs. Problem-based and case-based learning techniques applied during the course of study are related to actual hotel practice and lead to the creation of creativity and innovative thinking in solving practical cases, teamwork skills, communication, planning and organizing, decision-making and conflict management.