{"id":8051,"date":"2022-02-07T12:47:46","date_gmt":"2022-02-07T04:47:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.ift.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/?p=8051"},"modified":"2022-02-09T16:24:54","modified_gmt":"2022-02-09T08:24:54","slug":"how-a-year-at-iftm-helped-koen-ruisch-thrive-in-asia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/how-a-year-at-iftm-helped-koen-ruisch-thrive-in-asia\/","title":{"rendered":"How a year at IFTM helped Koen Ruisch thrive in Asia"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-8051 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-herald-lay-c1'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"herald-popup\" href='https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/DSC_0056.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"470\" height=\"313\" src=\"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/DSC_0056-470x313.jpg\" class=\"attachment-herald-lay-c1 size-herald-lay-c1\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-8055\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/DSC_0056-470x313.jpg 470w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/DSC_0056-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/DSC_0056-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/DSC_0056-414x276.jpg 414w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/DSC_0056-640x426.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/DSC_0056-130x86.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/DSC_0056-187x124.jpg 187w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/DSC_0056.jpg 990w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 470px) 100vw, 470px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-8055'>\n\t\t\t\tMr. Koen Ruisch, CEO of Indonesia-based destination management company Happy Trails! Asia\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"herald-popup\" href='https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Macau-1.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"470\" height=\"313\" src=\"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Macau-1-470x313.jpg\" class=\"attachment-herald-lay-c1 size-herald-lay-c1\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-8056\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Macau-1-470x313.jpg 470w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Macau-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Macau-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Macau-1-414x276.jpg 414w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Macau-1-640x426.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Macau-1-130x86.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Macau-1-187x124.jpg 187w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Macau-1.jpg 990w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 470px) 100vw, 470px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-8056'>\n\t\t\t\tMr. Ruisch (centre) during his time as a student at IFTM\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"herald-popup\" href='https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/imagehandle-1.aspx_.html.jpeg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"470\" height=\"313\" src=\"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/imagehandle-1.aspx_.html-470x313.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-herald-lay-c1 size-herald-lay-c1\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-8057\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/imagehandle-1.aspx_.html-470x313.jpeg 470w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/imagehandle-1.aspx_.html-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/imagehandle-1.aspx_.html-414x276.jpeg 414w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/imagehandle-1.aspx_.html-130x86.jpeg 130w, https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/imagehandle-1.aspx_.html-187x124.jpeg 187w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 470px) 100vw, 470px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-8057'>\n\t\t\t\tHe was a guest speaker at an online training programme hosted in December by IFTM\u2019s Global Centre for Tourism Education and Training\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<span class='pum-trigger  popmake-8052  text-center font-blue' data-do-default=''>\u4e2d\u6587\u6458\u8981 \/ Summary in Chinese<\/span>\n<p>While Mr. Koen Ruisch was finishing an internship in Bali in 2011, a chance to study at IFTM came his way. \u201cI decided it was a great way to expose myself to a different culture, to learn a little bit about China,\u201d says the Dutch national.<\/p>\n<p>To come to Macao, Mr. Ruisch made use of a dual recognition degree scheme jointly offered by IFTM and the Breda University of Applied Sciences (NHTV) in the Netherlands, where he was studying. It allowed him to spend a year of study at the Institute, before being awarded 2 bachelor\u2019s degrees, one by IFTM and one by NHTV.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Ruisch says the quality of the education he received at IFTM \u201cwas excellent\u201d compared with his European experience. \u201cIt actually took me by surprise,\u201d he admits.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLecturers at IFTM were very supportive, took much more interest and did much more to engage with their students\u201d than in European universities, he says. \u201cThey took the time and also showed interest in what you were interested in.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Classes at IFTM \u201cwent much deeper into the materials, about how to practice the things you were learning, which meant you got more out of the experience,\u201d says Mr. Ruisch. Human resources management and statistics were subjects where \u201cMacao lecturers went into much more detail\u201d which was something that he benefits from to this day.<\/p>\n<p>After graduating with a Bachelor\u2019s Degree in Tourism Business Management from IFTM in 2012, Mr. Ruisch decided to further his studies at Bournemouth University in Britain. His time at IFTM helped him foster one ability that was truly exceptional, \u201cworking interculturally\u201d. Mr. Ruisch says it was a skill that \u201cbecame very handy in the United Kingdom because my class consisted of 14 nationalities of which about 80 percent were Asians\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Ruisch has since built a successful career at Happy Trails! Asia and is now the company\u2019s Chief Executive Officer. The firm is a destination management company (DMC) that offers sustainable experiences and develops community-based tourism in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a massively challenging topic because tourism is a beautiful industry but not for the long run if we destroy destinations altogether,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Ruisch is considered an expert on sustainable tourism in Indonesia, and together with his team has led Happy Trails! Asia to be the first Indonesia-based DMC certified by Travelife, an independently audited programme for sustainable tour operators that is supported by the European Union.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Knowledge sharing at IFTM<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The passion for sustainable tourism drew Mr. Ruisch back to Macao in December last year, albeit from a distance. He spoke at an online training programme hosted by IFTM\u2019s Global Centre for Tourism Education and Training, and held with the support of the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), on \u201cSolutions for Sustainable Tourism Development and Destination Branding in Times of Crisis and Beyond\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Looking back at his time as a student at IFTM, Mr. Ruisch admits Macao\u2019s integrated resorts may seem unsustainable at first glance. \u201cBut even there, some things can be done and are being done at some resorts to improve\u201d the operational green footprint of these venues, he adds.<\/p>\n<p>In the Mainland, Macao\u2019s biggest source of visitors, Mr. Ruisch believes \u201csustainable tourism is going to be a basic demand, especially among the higher-end segment of those educated abroad, who want to travel but without creating a negative impact\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>However, he says \u201cyou need local communities\u201d to be engaged in efforts to promote sustainable tourism. That includes the drafting of development plans \u201cin synergy between communities, government and the industry, to come to a mutually beneficial and sustainable future\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Ruisch says Macao is moving in the right direction. The local community is \u201cgetting a stronger voice\u201d and advocating for a balance between development and being a \u201cvery popular destination\u201d that is sustainable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While Mr. Koen Ruisch was finishing an internship in Bali in 2011, a chance to study at IFTM came his way. \u201cI decided it was a great way to expose [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":8055,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55,136],"tags":[160,2022,2021],"class_list":["post-8051","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-main_headline","tag-global-centre-for-tourism-education-and-training","tag-happy-trails-asia","tag-koen-ruisch"],"views":351,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8051","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8051"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8051\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8059,"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8051\/revisions\/8059"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8055"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8051"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8051"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.utm.edu.mo\/NewsPortal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8051"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}