The hospitality and tourism management program takes four students on a special trip to Mongolia
Traveling with a purpose
One of the main purposes was to experience a tour from the company, Eco Voyage, said Ellison. “The goal was to help them by providing feedback on how to better cater to Western tourists,” she added.
Ellison provided details of how she qualified for the trip. “A QR code was provided at the semester Ohana meeting so we could submit our names to show interest in the trip. Then, HTM professors reviewed the list and called in individuals for an interview. I met with Brother Christensen, the head of the HTM program, and he asked me a series of questions as we discussed the trip,” she added.
Student support programs on BYUH’s website describe the Imiloa Career Program as a first-hand experience of career observation and engagement for HTM students. “It also includes meaningful management internships, career counseling, site visits and field trips, and faculty-led student group travel to global career destinations,” reads the site.
Daily living in Mongolia
Ellison said her preparation for the trip included numerous Google searches and YouTube videos on Mongolia. “I also became friends with lots of the BYUH Mongolian students and talked to them about their home country. I also joined the Mongolian Club, which allowed me to see some of their traditions and eat their food before traveling there in person. As a team, we met every week for about an hour to discuss different aspects of the trip and what to expect. This allowed us to connect as a team before, and to prepare for the trip together,” she added.
Serena Wall, a senior majoring in hospitality and tourism management from Utah said, their time in the city consisted of meeting executives and officials of different tourism companies. “We’d normally leave the hotel at 8 a.m. and travel to meet with the heads of different organizations. An example was meeting the officials of Go Mongolia,” she added.
“I enjoyed meeting with the officials because a lot of them were not much older than we were. A lot of them were young, and it’s inspiring to know that one doesn't have to wait to make a difference until one is further into one’s career,” said Wall.
Eimeo Lee Chip Sao, a sophomore majoring in hospitality and tourism management from Tahiti, said they also spent time in the countryside. “We attended a national festival. We learned how they organized it and, of course, we enjoyed it!” he added. He said they also met event planning companies, counseling companies, Airbnb, and hotels. "It was a lot of work during the entire week,” he added.
Moving forward
"Becoming a good listener was a skill I was able to learn and develop during the trip," said Lee Chip Sao. “Sometimes we have to sit for almost three hours listening to people talk. We won’t be able to remember everything but what differentiates you from someone interested and someone that looks like they’re in the zone is the way you act. If you’re going to yawn, jitter, move too much, especially in presentations, there are ways to hide it.”
Asa Agbayani, a freshman from Laie majoring in hospitality and tourism management, said he plans to make more international travels after being on this trip. Arbayani shared his experience at the Naadam festival made him realize all the planning required to put on the event. He added it made him want to attend more international events, focus on them and learn to plan. ”I’m thinking of things like FIFA or the Soccer World Cup more now than just staying here doing weddings and other stuff. I’d still start small, but now, I have a bigger goal of doing something international. Without this trip, I wouldn’t be able to discover that,” he added.
Patience and cultural sensitivity were needed for the trip, said Agbayani. “I gained the ability to unite with different personalities. Our group is diverse.... I found myself wanting to keep the group together and wanting to have the best time with each other. We were able to get along just fine and even more so, we became really good friends on the trip,” he added.