Rye explores culinary tourism
Thursday evening, students and faculty from Ryerson's Hospitality and Tourism program had the opportunity to attend World Tourism Day, where chatting about selling food as a cultural experience and networking with the pros proliferated.
The event, held at the prestigious Dominion Club, gave students the chance to participate in a live panel discussion, as well as network with professionals in the hospitality and tourism industry.
Culinary Tourism, tourism that is driven by the food and drink experiences a location offers, was the hot topic of the night on the panel. With experts shedding light on the expanding business opportunities the field offers.
For Jessica Criveller, a first-year hospitality and tourism management student, participating in World Tourism day meant having a chance to get some practical learning outside of the classroom. With a career in culinary tourism in mind, she was happy to benefit from the evening's agenda.
"Ryerson has come a long way. This program has grown as well. I'm definitely proud to say I go to Ryerson," she said. "I think it's excellent on Ryerson's part. This is a huge competitive advantage," she added.
Criveller was also announced as the winner of the evening's photo contest, which asked for photos illustrating the effects of women involvement in tourism industries around the world.
The panel discussion was hosted by Susan Benson, the director of Ontario's culinary tourism.
Benson, along with three other women on the panel, all coming from various backgrounds in culinary tourism, echoed the role of women in the tourism industry and how business programs and corporate boardrooms can benefit from female input.
Ken Jones, Dean of the Ted Rogers School of Business Management, said these events are important as they provide students a chance that is vital to their futures to form relationships with professionals.
"We are a very connected business school and one of my missions is to make it the most connected business school in the country," said Jones.
Ryerson President Sheldon Levy was also present at the Dominion Club and was equally impressed at how World Tourism Day was organized entirely by students for the fifth year in a row.
"What's great about this is that it's a student event. They are student run, with a student focus and we are honoured to be invited," Levy said.
Events such as World Tourism Day help increase visibility of Ryerson programs and also aim to establish and secure Ryerson a spot within Toronto's business circuits. By doing so, the popularity of our business programs is magnified, said Levy.
The theme of this year's World Tourism Day appealed to fourth-year hospitality and tourism management student Maya Daniel.
"I've enjoyed cooking and food for many years. Of course it's of interest to me in the sense that I'd like to learn more about it," said Daniel.
She also looked forward to networking with other Ryerson alumni and hospitality and tourism professionals, adding that World Tourism Day was a great time to attempt to make waves in the field before graduating.
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