Personal Statement for Erasmus Mundus Joint Master : Tourism and Culture Development - TourDC

Hi, I need someone to review my

EMJDM scholarship essay

.

This is the prompt:

Please be as precise as you can when writing your Supporting Personal Statement. Do not repeat yourself and do not exceed the word limit. You should make sure that you address the following issues in your personal statement: 400 words

You should outline your motivation for choosing the TourDC programme (i.e. how it complements and develops your previous studies; how it relates to your career path; how it relates to your personal and academic interests).

Explain why you think you are a good candidate for the programme given your previous studies and the courses offered on the programme in both years.

You should highlight your participation in conferences, internships, non-governmental organisations, summer schools, and other activities connected to the area of tourism development and culture.
Explain why you think you should be considered for a scholarship.

Barranquilla's tourism development has played a key role in the growth of this industry in Colombia's Caribbean region. Having been born in this city and studied International Business, I have always wanted to develop a career in which I could catapult its unique cultural experiences to the world. Currently, tourism is at a turning point where present subjects such as sustainability, heritage, and tradition must be taken into account. All this, to generate policies and strategies that are not only conscious and sustainable but also successful at an economic level. For this reason, there must be professionals with technical skills to develop tourism, and at the same time awareness of the current challenges to achieve cohesion between growth, social and environmental consciousness.

My studies in Business gave me the skills to analyze a product like tourism and culture from the field of marketing, finance, and law. This is why courses such as Cities of Culture, Marketing & Management of Culture, and Sustainable Service Management will complement my previous knowledge so I can develop strategies taking into account factors such as urban morphology, the impact of tourism on culture and heritage, specific niches, sustainable consumption, business models and environmental governance.

During my years as a volunteer at AIESEC, I was able to develop local strategies and global alliances to promote the culture of my city through volunteer tourism. I worked hand in hand with NGOs to develop projects that through cultural exchange would showcase the heritage and cultural tradition of Barranquilla. On the other hand, I developed a worldwide network of allies where different cultural projects were promoted worldwide. In my international internship, I had the opportunity to promote tourism in Mexico through car rental, using the initiative of "Magical Towns" led by Mexico's Secretariat of Tourism. This initiative promotes a series of towns that offer visitors special experiences because of their natural beauty, cultural richness, traditions, folklore, cuisine, and art. With these experiences, I had the opportunity to develop leadership, cultural awareness, teamwork, and public speaking skills.

This scholarship would allow me to catalyze my knowledge into a plan of action that will fulfill me personally and professionally, not to mention allow me to work on high impact projects in my community.

I hope that my application will be aligned with the profile of a future professional committed to TourDC initiatives.

Under Covid-19, the tourism industry and the business industry have changed. While the courses offered may still be the same as the previous years, your personal motivation should reflect the changes in these sectors based on the Covid 19 effects on the industries. You are speaking of business and tourism in the old world. In order to show the reviewer that you have seriously considered the classes being offered and its applicability to the new world of tourism and business, you should find a way to present your ideas about how to reactivate tourism and revive business in the post pandemic period using the courses offered during both years.