Tourism at the Eastern Border of the EU. Interdisciplinary Training for Tour Guides

On the track of Tourism’s best-kept secrets

Overview: Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi offers this 2-week module to worldwide students (or graduates) who share a passion for tourism research and tourist guiding.

The approach is interdisciplinary and is divided into two main directions:

  • fundamental notions and practical aspects of tourism (geography of tourism, weather forecast tools, geolocation, map reading, marketing & travel sales, heritage, etc.)
  • tour guiding techniques and tools (persuasive speeches, the structure of speech, body language techniques, etc.)

Number of contact hours: 65 

Assessment method(s): Multiple choice test and oral presentation.

Contact (module coordinator):  Lecturer dr. Mihai Bulai (mihai.bulai@uaic.ro)

MODULE OUTLINE

Lectures (L), workshops (W), and field activities (FA)

Tourism-focused activities

  • Tourism in EU peripheral and cross-border areas (L)
  • Principles of the Geography of Tourism (L)
  • How to Make your First Map (W)
  • Capitalization of communist legacy (L)
  • Stone identification. Rare precious & semi-precious stones (L)
  • Weather forecast for tour guides: from reading the sky to smartphone applications (L)
  • Meet a Travel & Tourism professional of Iași (FA)
  • How can urban tissue provide storytelling for tour guides? (W)
  • Technology trends in the travel and tourism industry (L)

Tour Guiding-focused activities

  • Walking Tour Techniques (L)
  • Using Visual Story Maps for Tour Guides. (W)
  • How to use your body language as a tour guide (W)
  • Structure of a tourist guide commentary (W)
  • Interpretation of architecture by Tour Guides (L/W)
  • Guided tour of the city of Iași (FA)
  • Introduction to UAIC building and attractions – guided tour (W)
  • Practical introduction to kayaking (FA)
  • Wine technology and tasting techniques (W)
  • Guided visit to the Palace of Culture, the Former Princely Palace of Moldavia (FA)
  • Birdwatching and Ecotourism principles. Plants and birds’ diversity – visit to Botanic Garden of Iași, owned by UAIC (FA)
  • Outdoor Activity in the Surroundings of Iași (FA)
  • Guided tour by Historic Tram in Iași. Sightseeing tour guiding techniques (FA)
TTG SCHEDULE