Thoroughly enjoying the subject of sustainable tourism, Olivia had the opportunity to go on a placement with adventure travel company EDGE Travel Worldwide, who are close partners of the tourism degree at the University of Chester.

Olivia describes how her dreams are being made into reality:

“After finishing my degree, I was unsure about the direction I wanted to take and sought guidance from my lecturer, Dr Maeve Marmion, regarding the next steps. From modules that my lecturer had taught me and conversations we had about shared interests, Maeve knew that I had a keen interest in the ethical side of tourism, as well as a passion for social causes and making a difference.

I was introduced to David Pickles, the founder of EDGE Travel Worldwide, who was looking for a student to help him cement his adventure travel company’s Sustainable Tourism Policy. EDGE is a great company and, because of the team’s knowledge and values, they operate very responsibly. 

The highlight of my placement with EDGE was being able to apply the skills and knowledge I gained during my degree to a real organisation. It was whilst doing the project work for Edge Travel Worldwide I was motivated to apply for a place on the MSc Responsible Tourism course at Leeds Beckett University.

Having a lasting positive impact on a company and the way they would operate moving forward was extremely rewarding and made me want to continue to make positive change by pursuing a career in responsible tourism management, which has the potential to make the world a better place. In the future, I would love to work in a charity campaigning for ethical tourism worldwide to ensure that everyone involved in tourism benefits.

I would highly recommend studying International Tourism Management at the University of Chester. All of the staff share the same passion for the subject and the support offered by the department throughout your degree is second to none. I truly believe my experience at the University of Chester has made me who I am today and I owe a lot of thanks to the Tourism team for all of my achievements so far.”