"The best thing I want to highlight is the atmosphere at ETOUR"
ETOUR works closely with Mid Sweden University's tourism programmes. Here you can read about Lanxuan Zhang, a student at the Master's Programme in Tourism with a specialisation in Human Geography, who did her internship at ETOUR during the spring semester.
Why did you choose to do your internship at ETOUR?
Since I plan to continue as a PhD student in the future, I wanted to connect my master's study to a future career by doing my internship in an academic work environment. Therefore, I saw that it could be helpful to do my internship at a research institution.
What did you do during your internship?
I did a report on the image of Sweden as a destination among Chinese tourists, where I examined how Chinese tourists perceive Sweden as a tourist destination in Chinese travel media. In the assignment, I believe that my language skills and travel experiences as a Chinese international student and international tourist were very helpful. I often use travel media to look for travel information, but this was the first time I looked at it from an academic perspective. It was very interesting, and I have gained a lot of new insights into Chinese tourists' travel behavior through the task and by reflecting on my own travel experiences.
Do you have memories from your internship that you would like to highlight?
Yes, there are many good memories. For example, I held a seminar where I presented my work that I will take with me and remember, and something I have also appreciated is having fika with my colleagues. The best thing I want to highlight is the vibe and atmosphere that makes ETOUR a very good place for academic work. The colleagues are nice, my supervisors have been very supportive and I have been able to manage my own time schedule. I think all of this makes me more productive and creative in my work.
What are your plans for the future, both in the short and long term?
In the short term, I would like to continue with doctoral studies. In the long term, I plan to work in the field of human geography, especially interdisciplinary sectors.
Lusine Margaryan, Programme Director for the Master's Programmes in Tourism, about the collaboration between the programmes and the tourism research centre ETOUR.
One of the advantages of Master in Tourism at Mid Sweden University is its close links to ETOUR tourism research center. Students are not only regularly exposed to ongoing research through lectures and seminars but also can sometimes be offered a research-related internship at the center.
This offers multiple strategic and pedagogical advantages for students, the research center, and the broader academic and professional community.
During their one internship semester at ETOUR students apply theoretical knowledge from coursework to real-world research contexts, contribute to research reports or co-author academic articles, honing their academic skills and expanding their professional networks. However, most importantly, interns become an integral part of our staff, get involved in all the day-to-day activities, formal and informal events – they become one of our colleagues. This experience gives them a good insight into what it means to work in academia and helps them decide whether this career path is their cup of tea.
Lusine Margaryan, Programme Director for the Master's Programmes in Tourism