Tourism student uses her studies to make a difference

Dunoon-based student Cherise Addinsall has taken the skills she has learned at university all the way to Vanuatu to help a small, community-focused tourism venture on the road to success.

The third-year Bachelor of Environmental Tourism Management student is about to complete a dream internship through Southern Cross University’s Centre for Tourism Leisure and Work on the island of Espiritu Santo where she recently stayed for one month to develop the marketing strategy for the Village de Santo resort.

Cherise, who will return to Vanuatu this Monday for two weeks to complete the internship, said she was thrilled to have the opportunity to work in Vanuatu.

“It was a very rewarding experience to be able to make a positive contribution to a local business that demonstrates such commitment to sustainable tourism,” said Cherise.

“The main goal of the internship was to assist the manager of Village de Santo in creating a brand image for the resort and marketing this to potential visitors.

“I was able to establish good connections which allowed me to assist in the development of a new sustainable tourism product including tours of the village and cultural performances for tourists to create income for local people.

“As well as helping develop marketing tools such as the website, I also assisted in creating contracts for tourism wholesalers, designing flyers and special packages for advertising, setting up an online booking system and a presence on Facebook and writing quotes for large group enquiries. One of these was a group of 30 US Navy personnel who stayed at there for a month, which was a big win for the resort.

“Since returning to Australia I’ve secured support from the Rotary Club in Mount Beauty in Victoria, which has helped the community to build a permanent community shelter in the village.

“My 11-year-old daughter, who came to visit me with my husband while I did the internship, has also become involved by fundraising at her school, Dunoon Public School, for musical instruments for the local children. The aim is to create a healthy cultural exchange between the two schools in Australia and Vanuatu.”

Dr Kay Dimmock from Southern Cross University’s School of Tourism and Hospitality Management was the supervisor for the project and travelled with Cherise to the village at the beginning of the internship.

“The Centre for Tourism, Leisure and Work is keen to provide support to small communities by offering the research skills and academic insights of our students to local businesses who are often too busy to be able to give attention to other business activities like marketing strategies.

“For the students it’s about applying the knowledge they have learned in the classroom and building experiences and relationships which will make a positive difference in an environment where the infrastructure may not be as developed.”

Cherise said she had enjoyed putting her studies into practice and said this was only the beginning of a longer-term relationship with Vanuatu.

“Originally I was studying a Bachelor of Environmental Science and Management, but I have 10 years of experience in hospitality, so when I found this degree I realised it was perfect for me and changed courses,” said Cherise.

“The strength of the course is that you get to learn about how businesses can be financially, culturally and environmentally sustainable, and now I’ve had the chance to apply that in the real world too.

“My family have been wonderful and the support from the staff at SCU has been incredible – I feel I have really been looked after.

“My experience at Southern Cross University has been very positive - the staff have gone to great lengths to allow me to get what I want from my studies, and I really appreciate and respect that.”

Photo: Cherise Addinsall (centre) with staff from the Village de Santo Resort in Vanuatu where she did an internship.