From June 8 to June 15, 2024, the Head of Quality of HOTEL SCHOOL Hotel Management College, Dr. Mikus Dubickis, went on teaching mobility to the European Institute of Higher Education (Instituto Europeu de Estudos Superiores, iees.pt) in Medelo, Portugal, to lead a workshop on innovation and creativity for the development of new tourism products for local and Erasmus mobility students.

“Effective use of theoretical principles in the context of practical examples in the study process allows students to achieve very high-quality results in a short time, using the knowledge they already have at that moment. The workshop was a good opportunity for the students to both repeat and use already known product development theory in a different context, and to learn new concepts“, acknowledged M. Dubickis after the seminar.

As follows, after the workshop the students recognized that when creating new products, it is essential to understand the needs and potential demand of the target audience. The full use of the brainstorming method is not as simple as it seems, because during the training the phases of idea generation and evaluation merge: that is why it is important that the group work is moderated by an experienced leader. Students also appreciated the opportunity to work in an international environment, as it is a way to practice intercultural communication and learn to express themselves better. Some of the participants admitted that they will use what they have learned when creating their own tourism business and products.

M. Dubickis’ teaching mobility was implemented in the framework of the project no. 2022-1-LV01-KA131-HED000055754, co-financed by the European Union.