The Hi-Tech Entrepreneurship in Hotel and Tourism Management Program program represents the beginning of an academic collaboration of great importance between Danish and Israeli academic institutions – the Guilford Glazer Faculty of Business and Management of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel, UCL University College and University College Absalon in Denmark, and the Innovation Centre of Denmark in Israel. This program integrates theoretical knowledge with practical business activities, allowing students from both countries to broaden their horizons, develop their skills, and encounter significant opportunities.
Last week, 36 students from the three academic institutions spent the week together in Israel to study principles of entrepreneurial ideas in the fields of hotel & tourism, hospitality, food, and health, from formation to execution. Students formed multicultural teams of four to create a technological business concept, execute market analyses, prepare a business plan, and present to a panel of prominent figures from industry and academia. Throughout the week, they had the opportunity to hear guest lectures from multiple industry leaders and work closely with expert mentors on their venture concepts.
The week began with cultural field trips in Jerusalem and the Dead Sea for the 18 Danish students and four staff members. The group then spent five intensive days in Beer Sheva to work closely with students of Hotel and Tourism Management on their travel, food, or health startup ideas. They heard lectures about the Startup Nation, market research, strategic and financial planning, and the principles of presenting to investors, to name a few, from representatives of the Danish Innovation Centre, Gabriel Intelligence, Matoki Strategic Finance Ltd., Wix.com and more. The students gave short presentations each day about the progress they made on their projects. Some of these projects included an app to maintain fitness while traveling, personalized travel itinerary apps, a platform for communication between hotel guests and workers, and a parking guide while traveling abroad.
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Though plans were interrupted by an unexpected security threat, the students adapted remarkably well. Activities continued from inside their hotel, where the students continued to work on their projects, hear lectures from BGU faculty members, and enjoy authentic hummus and falafel. The week culminated with a panel on Travel Tech and a pitch event in the Metropolitan Hotel in Tel Aviv, in which the students presented their ideas to a panel of judges from the Danish Foundation for Entrepreneurship, the Danish Innovation Centre in Tel Aviv, Booking.com Israel, Innovate Israel and WishTrip Sales.
a, Chair of the Department of Hotel and Tourism Management, “of all the universities in Israel, we were chosen to be the most expert to customize this special course in innovation technology in tourism management. We were very proud to develop this effective learning experience for the Danish and Israel students together."
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