International Hospitality and Tourism Management Personal Statement Example

My interest in the inner workings of the tourism industry began when my father introduced me to the process of organizing our family holiday at a very young age. As a result of this, I completed an internship at a local musical agency where I got the first glance at different organizational tasks around hotel bookings as well as marketing.

I have become particularly interested in combining creativity with management and organization. I searched for ways in which I could introduce myself to the industry and first chose the course of International Business & Economic Studies at my current institution. Especially interesting to me were the concepts of multinational companies, financing and investment but also strategic planning. I am eager to learn about the intricacies of contemporary economies and the ways in which they affect different countries, as well as getting an insight into the way corporations operate. Furthermore, I developed an interest in the practice of negotiation and realized the importance of adequate cultural awareness.

My introduction to the financial aspects of a business and theoretical market situations while using different models in school encouraged me to pursue a six-week work placement in a London-based travel agency. During my time there, I was given tasks in various departments such as Accounting, Sales, Administration and Marketing. Over the course of my internship, Destination Management was of particular interest to me because it focuses on the diversity of existing and potential tourism resources.

As an assistant, I analyzed competitors' prices and updated information on the agency's internal system and assisted with clients' inquiries. I remained consistently eager to learn more and deal with new challenges. I am proud to say that I financed my internship in its entirety, including my accommodation. This added responsibility helped a great deal in developing my professional confidence and fueled my personal independence.

Following my time in the workplace, I know that I would love to have the chance to study concepts of hospitality and tourism, and would flourish given the opportunity to put these theoretical frameworks into practice. With the expanded specialized insight that this study would provide, I am hoping to focus on the field of sustainable tourism as my eventual specialization.

I am immensely dedicated when it comes to aspects that I am passionate about, including choosing a school that is further away in order to study an international course. I have no doubt that I will enjoy this course because I am highly interested in what I am already focusing on in my secondary education, and I am keen on working in an international environment which would foster and develop my existing organizational skill.

I have become involved in a project at my current school invested in contextualizing my own environment. The work involves installing stone memorials - “Stolpersteine” - dedicated to the Jewish families who were seized during the rise of National Socialism in Freiburg. I am a passionate reader, particularly interested in poetry and non-fiction texts in both English and German.

I take advantage of opportunities to exercise my own creative instinct through writing and showcasing my own poetry and guitar composition. I am also continuously committed to exploring visual art and museum culture, predominantly contemporary photography. I have been an avid skateboarder for some time and am looking forward to integrating myself in the skateboarding scene of a new city.

As a foreign student, I have proven my adaptability and keen interest in international travel and study, both to myself and others. Consequently, I believe that my outside perspective and efforts to support and engage with new environments would yield positive and constructive contributions to the university’s community.