From Berlin to the desert
Discovering the future of the hotel industry in Ras Al Khaimah
‘Apply now with a creative video’ – and travel to Ras Al Khaimah (United Arab Emirates) free of charge. This is how the German Travel Association (DRV) advertised its 2017 Young Talents programme, catching Lorraine’s attention.
As a dual student at Motel One, Lorraine is studying a wide range of topics relating to the future of the tourist industry. ‘I find it fascinating to see how new trends and technologies affect the hotel industry and the tourism sector as a whole. Increasing my knowledge of this subject with the opportunity to explore the desert at the same time – that would be perfect!’
This is how Lorraine ended up applying for the DRV programme, also making the future of travel the theme of her video. Using the title ‘Back to the Future’, she travelled through time and explored travel using virtual-reality glasses. Watch the video for yourself:
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Wednesday: Journey to Ras Al Khaimah
Lorraine’s video won over the jury! She was selected for the DRV Young Talents programme and had the opportunity to travel to the UAE for the annual meeting. The programme for the next generation of tourism professionals at the annual meeting is part of a DRV training initiative.
It started on 6 December 2017, when all 22 young talents travelled together from Düsseldorf. This gave them some time to get to know each other and discuss the coming two days. ‘I was really nervous, but as we sat together on the plane and talked through the programme, excitement soon took over!’
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Thursday: Destination day
Thursday morning started with an exclusive Young Talents event, during which the Young Talents met their sponsors. Lorraine’s sponsor didn’t attend, so Dirk Inger, CEO of the DRV, stood in. This gave her a direct insight into the work of the association and, through Mr Inger, she met other interesting participants.
After the official opening, it was time for Lorraine to make an exciting excursion into the desert. Roaring up and down the sand dunes in jeeps – pure adrenaline! The evening event was on the theme of the Arabian night and participants were enchanted with culinary and musical specialities from their host country.
*Pictures: Deutscher Reiseverband (DRV)
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Friday: First conference day
On Friday, the actual conference began for Lorraine and all of the other participants. The focus was on the future of travel. Both experts and the Young Talents themselves spoke at the event. A compilation of the winning videos was shown and played an active part in discussions. The day’s activities included an on-stage interview with Kai Diekmann, former editor of the BILD newspaper.
Sustainability in tourism was then discussed during an afternoon workshop. This is also a very important theme for Motel One. ‘It was great to see that, at Motel One, we are already at the forefront and the subject of sustainability plays an important role for us’. After all of this information, there was also time left for networking and discussion.
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Saturday: Site inspection and workshop
On Saturday, the Young Talents had a look behind the scenes at a five-star resort. ‘It was exciting to see how everything works at the banquet and spa. We don’t have these at Motel One.’ Next came the second workshop, which was on digital marketing.
The final section of the conference took place at lunchtime and covered the topic of sustainability and climate change. In the evening, the participants saw out the successful conference with a sunset dinner in the desert. ‘We continued the celebrations with the other Young Talents and enjoyed our time.’
*Pictures: Deutscher Reiseverband (DRV)
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Sunday: Return home and conclusion
On the journey back to chilly Munich on Sunday, there was time to digest all of the impressions, new experiences and lessons. ‘After 30-degree heat and beautiful sunshine, snowy Munich was a bit of a culture shock, especially for the Pakistani passengers sitting next to me on the flight, who had never seen snow before.’
‘I’m still very inspired and most of all thankful for the opportunity to attend this fantastic event. The talent competition made this possible for me, so take part if you get the chance!’
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Cetty is also a dual student at Motel One - get to know her:
