International Cultural Tourism,

100 ECTS in New Zealand

After two years of cultural tourism studies in Lidköping the school pays the term fee at the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology which gives the students a chance to deepen their studies in Aotearoa - Land of the Long White Cloud, more commonly known as New Zealand.

"It is in the meeting with other cultures that we can discover what our own culture is all about, what distinguishes us from others", says one of the students.

The Cultural Tourism program has been put together in co-operation between Cultural Tourism in Lidköping and the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT) in Nelson. The term "cultural tourism" is growing stronger within the tourism industry in Sweden and has been used in the marketing of the Nelson region for a number of years.

The cultural tourism in Nelson is what makes the area unique and is an effective way to position them on the market. Elisabeth Latham, head teacher of tourism at NMIT says: "Cultural tourism is about how people live. Through this course I want to show the students how the lifestyle in New Zealand in general and in Nelson in particular can become an experience of cultural tourism for a traveller who is looking for this. The trend is that the traveller wants to experience 'the real deal', in other words quite the opposite of what is staged or constructed to please the tourist. Therefore the students will go on various educational visits to meet artists and other persons involved in cultural tourism. I've tried to minimize the time in the class room and maximizing the number of excursions. This way the students are allowed to experience and examine the product first hand and thereby they're able to draw their own conclusions."

 

 

The University

The University where you will study is called the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT). It's a small university with about 2000 students. Lots of Asians study there, but also many Germans and other European students. Naturally there are also a great number of New Zealanders, often nicknamed kiwis! The university has its own cafeteria where you can by a cheap lunch, a library with a great number of computers which is open Monday through Saturday. During the first week of school you will be assigned a student card which you must have to be able to log on to the school's computers, borrow books in the library etc. The card will also give you discounts in certain stores and at the cinema.

 

Students of Culture Tourism about the course

The course and its leaders have been great! We have seen and experienced so many things that you would never have experienced as a tourist. There were no examinations during the course, instead you are given a task to work on throughout the course which had to be handed in and accounted for before the start of the internship. After the theoretical studies it's time for your internship. Some students choose to stay in New Zealand, and others do their internship in Sweden. To have your internship at home or in the country where you want to live is also a big advantage as you're often able to get a job where you had your internship. Do what feels best for you!

 

 

Some facts about New Zealand/Nelson

New Zealand is one of the most isolated countries in the world. Two thirds of the country's population of 3,8 million lives on the northern island, and about one million of those live in Auckland, the biggest city in the country. The capital of New Zealand is Wellington at the southern end of the northern island.

Nelson is a very nice town with a population of about 50 000 which is situated at the northern point of the southern island. The landscape around Nelson varies between a wild coastline, golden beaches, inland mountains and forest covered mountain ranges, vineyards and fruit farms. The city centre is compact with plenty of shops, art, galleries, restaurants and cafés. There's also a big, wonderful beach and a promenade.

Nelson offers many outdoor activities. For example there are three national parks, Abel Tasman, Nelson Lakes and the Kahurangi national park, in the area around Nelson. Kayaking, hiking, white water rafting and 4-wheel biking are just some of the activities on offer.

There's a very relaxed atmosphere in Nelson, which is quite nice. Don't be surprised if someone comes walking along with bare feet while you yourself feel like you're going to freeze solid. It's a rather quiet town before the tourist season starts, but there are a lot of things you can do throughout the year, both indoor and outdoor activities. Each Saturday, for example, there's a market in the city centre where local craftsmen and artists meet - cosy! Thursdays are pub nights at the Irish pub with live bands, and you're sure to make friends with Aaron, the band's singer... Friday is perfect for the movies, Saturday is the big night out.

The New Zealand cuisine is very international. Fish and shellfish the speciality in Nelson, otherwise there are a lot of English (fish & chips), Asian, Indian and Italian influences etc. The breakfast is very English, often consisting of toast with jam and cereal with milk.

It's always fun to read about the place you're going to. Visit Nelson's web site at nelson.co.nz or New Zealand's web site at newzealand.com to find out more.