#Business

International collaboration for regional tourism development

Thumbnail Fotos: Facebook page Atenguillo Town, Daniel Medina Jackson and Luis Ponciano

Students and academics from ITESO and Royal Roads University, and residents of Atenguillo participate in a project that seeks to consolidate the new raicilla route as a tourist product.

Noticias
MONDAY, APRIL 18, 2022

Daniel Medina Jackson

In many communities around the world, studying the social impact of tourism has become of vital importance in understanding regional development. Ahuacatepec, Jalisco is no exception. Here the distilled spirit made from the Maximiliana species of agave called raicilla (small root) received the coveted appellation of origin in June 2019 and is being marketed for export as a new gourmet product.  

Students studying Hospitality and Tourism, Global Trade and Business, Advertising and Strategic Communication, and Business Administration at ITESO are participating in a Professional Application Project (PAP) that integrates regional and international collaborators working on the new tourism route focused on raicilla as a touristic product. The project has created a network that stretches from the Atenguillo community and municipality in Jalisco to researchers and students from Royal Roads University (RRU) in Victoria, the capital of British Colombia in Canada.   

With this spirit of cooperation in mind, Brian P. White and Eugene Thomlinson, professors at RRU, visited the ITESO campus in Guadalajara making the best of the partnership that has existed since 2017.   

Throughout their long careers in Tourism and Hospitality Administration both academics have participated in this PAP which focuses on the development of regional touristic clusters. They have shared their expertise in the development of sustainable and intercultural projects with students from both Universities. Their arrival in Mexico is part of their research and fieldwork activities promoted under the auspices of the Canadian Government's Outbound Student Mobility Pilot Program aimed at extending these kinds of opportunities for students. 

Eugene Thomlinson y Brian P. White, professors at Royal Roads University.

The Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) component has been fundamental in the development of the PAP that allows students to grasp specialized and specific knowledge and exchange viewpoints regarding Canada and Mexico. Brian White comments that the main benefit for everybody has been the learning experience of working together across diverse cultural perspectives. This includes adapting to and developing administrative capabilities in operating procedures that despite having the same goal of optimizing client service, have certain complex challenges that will constantly be present when applied to the always multinational tourist industry.  

Eugene Thomlinson adds that the dynamics of social collaboration among students have been a very rich learning experience. They have assimilated, not only the subject matter at hand but also the cultural practices of each country. He considers that the ITESO's PAP initiative is a very valuable and compelling work model, yet to be developed at RRU and it has inspired him to innovate in similar academic methodologies.  

This project has channeled an important contribution to the economic and cultural development of 16 municipalities in the State of Jalisco and one in Nayarit State where the raicilla spirit is produced. Professors and students work together on a planned methodological approach to activate regional tourism including cultural festivals, hiking, visiting routes, virtual tourism, agritourism, and a wide variety of experiences such as nature trails and the Tabernas Tour which is a tasting route of local cantinas where different brands may be sampled and bought. 

Alfredo Brambila, Hospitality and Tourism program coordinator at ITESO.

The agave, mezcal, and raicilla regions of Western Mexico and the wine-growing regions of British Columbia, Canada make for a useful comparative analysis for both students and professors. Alfredo Brambila, who is in charge of the Hospitality and Tourism program at ITESO, points out that also in the "Tourism products and services" course students have been able to broaden their perspective on social economy and community participation issues while working with Canadian students using the COIL model. 

Further collaboration between ITESO and Royal Roads University will no doubt continue to strengthen their academic ties with projects focusing on touristic development as well as other topics of mutual interest. It is expected to expand RRU student participation in PAPs and find other avenues for student exchanges, visits, and more online courses.