1. CANNES FESTIVAL of film
The Impact of Experiential/Hands-On International Experiences on Hospitality, Event, and Tourism Students
Dr. Lorie A. Tuma, Dr. Patty Janes, Dr. Roy Cook

2. INTRO & Purpose of study
This research was designed as an exploratory (PILOT) study to measure:
competencies of hospitality, event management, and tourism students;
development of skills while serving individuals from a variety of international cultures
their knowledge of various cultures through an 18-day experiential learning project at a major international film festival held in Europe each spring

3. LITERATURE shows:
increased interest in hospitality students to gain international experience by studying abroad (He & Chen, 2010).
students in hospitality and tourism programs need to develop cross-cultural knowledge to prepare for careers in the industry (Bosselman et al., 1989).
traditional study abroad programs have a positive impact on cultural receptiveness, interest in learning languages, relevance to future job opportunities, and personal growth (Bosselman et al., 1989; Novelli & Burns, 2010; Van Hoof, 2005). Data led to improvements in study abroad practices for hospitality and tourism programs, including:
connectivity during the international experience between home institutions and students,
preparation of students for the experience
management of overseas placements, and
the design and marketing of successful study abroad experiences (Cardon et al., 2011; Gibson & Busby, 2009).

4. Why was this study Significant?
it targeted hospitality, event, and tourism students’ perceptions of international cultures while providing such an experience
provided insight into the impact of intense, short-term experiential learning projects
Focused on the development of student cultural awareness and competencies.

5. methods 14 students participated in the study abroad program
They were asked questions pre-, during, and postexperience
The pre- and postexperience questions were developed and administered in a quantitative online questionnaire via SurveyMonkey prior to their departure from the USA.
All students responded to the questions prior to beginning the pretrip discussions.
Students were then ed the postsurvey 1 week after the conclusion of the study abroad experience.
The importance performance analysis (IPA) technique was used.

6. What does the IPA do?
The IPA consists of a pair of coordinate axis where the ‘importance’ (y-axis) and the ‘performance’ (x-axis) of the different elements involved in the service are compared
The combined ratings for those two components then provide an overall view of satisfaction with clear directives on where to focus future resources.

7. importance performance analysis - IPA -

8. The methodology was articulated in 3 steps:
selection of variables to be included in the surveys that were consistent with the survey research & course outcomes;
definition and execution of the survey; and
data-analysis and presentation of results.

9. Findings
The students found that they did learn about the local area and that the experience exceeded their expectations.
Students had levels of satisfaction that were higher than expected in regard to their skill in communicating with different cultures and knowledge of different cultures.
Students did not expect, nor did they receive, enhanced knowledge of the international language during the experience.
Students left the 18-day experience expecting more from their understanding of the culture (Figure 1).

11. Feedback from students
It showed me that just because of language barriers and because of increasingly difficult schedule changes, an event can come together and become a staple event at the [festival]...
Living and working in another country, one that speaks a different language from my own, taught me a lot about the value of communication within our world and, more specifically, our industry.
One of the biggest takeaways for me professionally was that every event is essentially the same at its core.

12. implications
although these types of experiences provide opportunity for developing knowledge and skills in working with different cultures, students are not necessarily interested in this.
Faculty engaged with this short-term international experiences should provide in-depth information helping students understand the local culture. This could be done prior to arriving at a destination as well as during a student’s experience.
These data prove that what faculty think is important, is not necessarily important to students,
Efforts to help STUDENTS learn how to communicate within the culture, could be used to help them understand the culture.
IPA could be used for other programs to identify disparities or build enhancements.

13. SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE STUDIES
The researchers suggest that future studies should be replicated with a larger sample of students.
Additional future research should also focus on long-term international experiences and areas where English is not spoken as a second-language.

14. REFERENCES
Bosselman, R. H., Fernsten, J. A., Manning, P. B., & Kisseleff, M. (1989). The international study abroad experience and its effects on hospitality students. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 13(3),
Cardon, P. W., Marshall, B., & Poddar, A. (2011). Using typologies to interpret study abroad preferences of American business students: Applying a tourism framework to international education. Journal of Education for Business, 86(2),
Gibson, P., & Busby, G. (2009). Experiencing work: Supporting the undergraduate hospitality, tourism and cruise management student on an overseas work placement. Journal of Vocational Education & Training, 61,
He, N., & Chen, R. J. C. (2010). College students’ perceptions and attitudes towards the selection of study abroad programs. International Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Administration, 11(4),
Lusby, C., & Bandaruk, B. (2010). Study abroad in the recreation curriculum: A student perspective. Journal of Unconventional Parks, Tourism & Recreation Research, 3(1),
Mancini-Cross, C., Backman, K. F., & Baldwin, E. D. (2009). The effect of the language barrier on intercultural communication: A case study of educational travel in Italy. Journal of Teaching in Travel and Tourism, 9,
Martilla, J. and James, J. (1977) Importance-Performance Analysis. Journal of Marketing, 41,
Novelli, M., & Burns, P (2010). Peer-to-peer capacity building in tourism: Values and experiences of field-based education. Development Southern Africa, 27(5),
Nyaupane, G. P., Paris, C. M., & Teye, V. (2011). Study abroad motivations, destination selection and pre-trip attitude formation. International Journal of Tourism Research, 13,
Stemberger, L. (2009). Designing a model for international learning assessment. Diversity & Democracy, 12(1). Retrieved from
Taylor, M., & Rivera, D. (2010). Understanding student interest and barriers to study abroad: An exploratory study. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 15(2),
Van Hoof, H. B. (2006). Searching for the Holy Grail of international education: Feedback from hospitality management study abroad participants. FIU Hospitality Review, 24(1),
Xie, P. (2004). Tourism field trip: Students’ view of experiential learning. Tourism Review International, 8(2),