Kenyan girls win the 2013 Student Research Competition in tourism

The two winners, Carol Jepchumba and Sylvia Clara Sitati and their sponsors. [Photo: Sylvia Wakhisi]

By Sylvia Wakhisi

Kericho, Kenya: Two Kenyan girls from Moi Tea Girls Secondary School, Kericho, have emerged winners of the 2013 Student Research Competition sponsored by the Global Travel and Tourism Partnership (GTTP).

Carol Jepchumba and Sylvia Clara Sitati were among 22 high school students from 12 countries across the world who took part in the competition held in Monaco last month.

“The trip to Monaco was an eye opener and has stirred up my interest to study Tours and Travel after school,” says Sitati.

Research work

The 22 student winners presented findings on food and culinary tourism following a special research assignment from the GTTP.

“The five days we spent in Monaco were a great learning experience. The tourism industry has a lot to offer,” says Jepchumba.

Student competition entrants research GTTP assigned topics. Winners at national level present their findings or “case studies” at the annual conference.

“The GTTP research competitions are designed to encourage students think analytically, communicate clearly and practice team work,” said Ingrid Eras-Magdalena, chair of the GTTP Advisory Board and Vice President of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Europe, Africa and Middle East.

Nancy Needham, Executive Director of GTTP, added, “This year’s ‘Culinary/Food Tourism: Travelling for Experiences’ research assignment drew a lot of thoughtful responses from students. Their insights, especially those of the winners, demonstrate that our young people have a deep interest in understanding travel motivations and ways in which destinations can differentiate them.”

GTTP Kenya, launched as a tourism club has been in existence for about three years. It first recruited 17 schools with the help of the Ministry of Education to run the program across 16 counties. Currently, they are in 56 public secondary schools representing 46 counties. It has been endorsed by the Ministry of Education and Tourism and therefore has the authority to run in public secondary schools in Kenya.

So far, 156 high school students have benefited from the programme.

“Many high school students hardly know about the tourism sector and the many lucrative career opportunities.

Critical role

Tourism is one of the economic pillars of the country that can play a critical role in helping the country achieve Vision 2030 and just like medicine, engineering or law; one can have a professional qualification in it,” said Joseph Okelo, the Country Director of GTTP.

Globally, 12 countries belong to GTTP and they include Brazil, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Russia, South Africa and the UK, with over 5,000 schools enrolled in the programme. More than 400,000 current students are in the programme worldwide with Kenya having over 1,400.