A titanic day out!
HND Travel & Tourism students recently received a Northern Irish masterclass on a day trip to Belfast.
It was a jam-packed day, starting off with walking around the city on the Glass of Thrones trail, taking in the Game of Thrones stained glass windows. They were then welcomed into the Titanic Hotel by Sales and Marketing Manager; Yvonne McIlree, who treated the students to a free buffet breakfast and tour of the hotel, which was the original Harland and Wolff drawing offices.
After the hotel tour the students then visited Titanic Belfast, the world leading visitor attraction that tells the story of RMS Titanic from conception, construction, maiden voyage and her place in history. In the afternoon the students went on the Belfast city bus tour where they saw famous landmarks in Belfast including Queens University, Botanic Gardens, Ulster Museum and Belfast Peace Wall.
Jude Anderson, Travel and Tourism Lecturer, who organised the visit, said 'Both staff and students had a fantastic time. A particular highlight was visiting the hotel and museum, both of which are steeped in historic relevance. It was a great way to illustrate to students that a lot can be accomplished in a day!”
Student Nimal Ali said The trip to Belfast surpassed all my expectations. From wandering the bustling streets and experiencing the city's culture to visiting the Titanic Museum, it was a very eye-opening and interesting trip#.
Kristina Zuba addedL “It was an incredible experience to travel to Belfast! Our trip there was great, we explored the city, the Titanic Museum, and the Titanic Hotel (heritage building). The Titanic Museum is definitely worth a visit, as there are a lot of original artefacts and intriguing exhibits to explore. Also, we saw the local attractions, took some pictures, and created many good memories.”
And Ana-Maria Stanescu said it was 'an amazing experience and one I will never forget'.
She went on: "My visit to the Titanic Museum and Titanic Hotel was very fascinating to me as I gained a deeper understanding of the history of the ship and where it all began. I had the privilege of visiting a place where a number of Titanic passengers once walked which is such an intense experience full of feelings. In addition, I learned a lot of things that will be useful for my Travel and Tourism course, as I saw how events can be converted into tourism attractions, and how attractions can become dark tourism attractions. Also, the chance to see how hotels operate. Definitely, this is an experience I would recommend.”