Being committed to its mandate of providing opportunities for its students to develop their skills, Biliran Province State University’s School of Management and Entrepreneurship (SME) joined the Youth for Tourism and Hospitality International Conference last November 16 at University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, Quezon City.

Eighteen selected students from both the Hospitality Management and Tourism Management departments of SME and six faculty members participated in the said conference.

Themed “Tourism for Peace, Cross-cultural Understanding, and Social Change”, the annual conference, organized by the UP Asian InstitutiT Association of Alumni, Inc. (UPAAA), aimed to discover how travel and tourism can transform lives, empower communities, and drive global change.

In an interview, SME Dean Dr. Mafel Piol expressed her joy at being able to send student delegates to the said event. “I am really happy to finally send our students to an international conference,” Dr. Piol said. “I hope this will be the start for more opportunities for our students to make waves in the global arena.”

Dr. Piol, who first revealed that this is BiPSU’s first time joining an international tourism-related competition, also mentioned that attending conferences is one way for the university to catch-up with the trends.

Meanwhile, BiPSU Mx. Turismo Lloyd Francis Diaz, a Bachelor of Science in Tourism Management (BSTM) student, expressed gratitude to the university for allowing them to join the international conference.

“I am so grateful to the Biliran Province State University for trusting and believing in me to take on this challenge”, he quoted. “Thank you for allowing me to carry our university’s name and represent our community with pride.”

In a statement,  BiPSU President, Dr. Victor C.Canezo, Jr. expressed his pride in the university’s participation. “Our students’ involvement in this international conference is a testament to our commitment of providing our students with global exposure and learning opportunities. I hope that such experience inspire them to continue to contribute to the development of the tourism industry, both locally and internationally.”

Before flying for the conference, SME has submitted entries for the various competitions as part of this year’s edition of the conference, including Research Infographics Poster Presentations, Destination Marketing Plan Competition, Tourism Start-Up Competition, Travel Brochure Making Competition, Travel-Vlog Competition, and Mx. Turismo.

BiPSU Mx. Turismo participant Diaz secured a spot in the top 15 finalists and competed during the event.

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