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Dream assignment for USC tourism student
An interest in sustainable tourism has landed University of the Sunshine Coast business student Ashley Ansell with a dream assignment for his final semester of study.
Ashley, 25, recently accepted an internship with Fiji Dreaming Pty Ltd – a Sunshine Coast company that offers tailored group tours to Fiji with an emphasis on sustainable cultural, sporting and educational travel.
As part of his internship, the Business Tourism student is developing, planning, marketing and promoting the first sustainable tourism expedition to be offered to USC students as a pilot program.
Ashley said the expedition for 10-20 students was planned for late November and would combine research, education and plenty of excitement.
“The trip has been specially-designed for students,” he said. “We want them to have fun and a great adventure and see all the things that they would not normally get to see on a tour of Fiji.
“You can’t get this type of trip from going into a travel agency. The itinerary will include adventure, excitement and the lowest possible price, as well as incorporate the education side with research.”
Ashley said the research would include travelling to areas of Fiji that most tourists usually do not visit and surveying fellow travellers, especially backpackers, to assess their views on the experience.
He said students would be empowered by the expedition.
“It will give them the hands-on skills and confidence in designing and implementing sustainable practices that can be transferred to other situations, cultures and examples,” he said.