Interim Report week 7 - 9

1.the daily activities/ placement assignments

In week 7 I continued working on the destination analysis. Translating the reports got easier, so that I can make faster progress. I was busy with with the market part. Moreover I discussed with Violeta a design for an advertisement board, that will be placed above the entrance of the office. Friday was a very interesting day, because Violeta and I visited a tourism fair in Cusco. Tour operators, native communities, hotels, and restaurants represented themselves and provided a lot of information about tourism in Puno and the Lake Titicaca. It was the first workshop of its kind in Cusco and I was very fascinated. Not only did I get an insight in Community based tourism, which is the most important tourism type in that area, I also got to taste the traditional food from that area; lots of fish, 5 different types of potatoes and Seviche. I collected many brochures, maps and several Cds with valuable information. It was a very helpful experience to get to understand the reasons for vacations in the Titicaca area. The organizers of that tourism fair promised a 2 days- gratis tour for all participating travel agencies to experience first hand the richness of the communities.

In week 8 and 9 I was mainly working on the destination analysis. I finished translating the market part, so that I had enough information to complete that point in the destination analysis. Then, I started to work on the Tourism supply for Cusco. Although I made some progress, there is still a lot of work left for the analysis. Having been busy with this all the time, I did not have time yet to start the other NHTV assignments.

I have noticed that writing the destination analysis requires a lot of work. However, I feel more secure to write it, since it is the second time I have to write one. The destination analysis of Danang West Bay serves as an example, so that I exactly know what information is needed and how it should be put into a text.

2.attainment targets

I am still keen on improving my Spanish skills. In week 8 I received an e-mail from Daniela Espinosa, who is the editorial journalist of the online magazine Veinte Mundos (http://www.veintemundos.com/). Somehow she knew about my placement in Cusco, and asked me whether or not I would like to write an article for her magazine, in Spanish. I immediately agreed and used this opportunity to improve my written Spanish. Violeta was so kind to correct the mistakes, so that after three days I was able to hand in my article with some pictures. It will be published some time soon. Moreover, I mentioned the companies website, so that the article will be a kind of promotion of the company.

The friday of week 7 I enjoyed visiting a tourism fair in Cusco. I got to talk to native inhabitants of the lake Titicaca, who are involved in tourism activities. They are providing accommodation for foreign tourists, and offer at the same time different activities such as planting plants, harvesting potatoes, and learning about the customs and traditions while interacting with the family. I saw many pictures of former tourists and immediately got interested in visiting the place. One manager explained, that the lake Titicaca is the place where the Inca are descended from. Finally, I collected various business cards from tour operators and hotels, that are active in that area.

3.personal aspects

One particular weakness that I have been working on is to be persistent. I have been working weeks on the destination analysis and still did not manage to finish it. I know recognize the big advantage of working in a group; it takes much less time to finish such a project. On the other side I enjoy the experience of writing it alone, because it gives me a foretaste of the thesis. I understand now how much work it is going to be and that such a project requires proper preparation. Hence, the only solution is to stay persistent and continue working on the analysis. I have also recognized that it is important to balance one's life. Although it might be difficult to work hard during all the week, there are still the weekends that pay off the effort. The harder I work during the week, the greater is the reward during the weekends. Thus, I am more pleased with myself and am able to keep up my motivation. Moreover I started to use the weekends to travel to nearby cities. I feel secure enough with my Spanish to discover other places. Two weeks ago I visited Urubamba, which is about 1 hour and a half by bus from Cusco. I went to a party there and at an instance got to know other people. One couple, the man from France and the girl from Poland, both living now in Norway, told me about their travel experiences in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. They mentioned the differences of the other countries compared to Peru. Moreover I got to know someone from Peru, Alan, who was born in Urubamba. He invited me to visit him during another weekend in order to do some hiking, visit an institution that helps children and that is run by Germans, and to go mountain biking.

4.future action items

During the next weeks I will continue with my analysis. In addition to that, I will start translating the website of the company, which is almost ready now. If there is more time, I would like to start with the NHTV assignments, that need to be done for the placement report. When the new prices of Golden Empire Tours are ready, I will do promotional work and send e-mails to foreign travel agencies. I also will continue to improve my Spanish.