Alumna Nina Zitz wins second in the ''Young Talents Award'' at World Tourism Forum

Fantastic success for our alumna Nina Zitz! At the World Tourism Forum in Lucerne, Switzerland, she was awarded with second place in the ‘’Young Talents Award’’ international competition for her bachelor thesis ‘’Awareness and Perception of Green Meeting and Events Among Austrian Companies’’. The 4^th annual World Tourism Forum brings young talent in tourism in focus, and counts among the most important international competitions for tourism students and recent graduates.

Nina is a 2014 graduate of the Bachelor in Tourism and Hospitality Management, and already showed great potential during her studies performing consistently among the top of the class.

Her thesis was selected by a panel of around 450 international experts from the tourism, business, political, scientific, and financial branches. Out of the nine finalists for the Young Talent Award, Nina placed highest of both the European contestants and the Bachelor students, with the top prize going to a 26-year old Australian Master student.

The idea for her thesis was born while she was doing her internship at Mondial, a large travel agency specializing in congress, destination and travel management, as well as corporate events & incentives with an emphasis on environmentally-conscious practices, and was written with their support. They are one of the first firms to have received the ‘’Green Meetings & Green Events’’ certification from the Ministry for the Environment, and continue to organize sustainable and environmental friendly events.

''Being part of the Young Talents Programme 2015 and the World Tourism Forum in Lucerne has been an extraordinary experience for me!'' says Nina. ''I was fascinated of this big and well-organized event in this beautiful city. I enjoyed every day and took many wonderful memories with me! The event was the ideal platform for networking with experts from the tourism industry and for discussing the latest trends and projects. I was able to socialize with many ambitious ambassadors of different tourism (and tourism-related) organizations and associations, who provided me with valuable insights into their business and current developments.  Since my main interest lies in sustainability, I was positively surprised that it plays an increasingly important role in tourism. Throughout the whole conference sustainable strategies and processes were subject of discussion. This commitment to sustainability was also emphasized through the selection of the award winning papers.  I feel very honoured to have received the Young Talents Award! At the same time I am pleased to see that the work of my generation is perceived as so important and is highly appreciated by the companies.''

''We are very excited for Nina, who impressed the expert jury with her excellent thesis and solid knowledge'' explains Prof. Dagmar Lund-Durlacher, Head of the Department of Tourism and Service Management, who supervised Nina in her thesis.

''Due to the business-oriented approach of their studies, the outstanding quality of the education, and international networking opportunities, our students are in demand worldwide,'' added University President Prof. Karl Wöber. "I warmly congratulate Nina Zitz on behalf of the university on this outstanding award.''

Read her poster synopsis here!

Nina Zitz, right, with thesis supervisor Dagmar Lund-Durlacher