To improve insights in the field of Service Marketing, Tourism Faculty, Unika De La Salle presented international professionals from the Netherlands to share tips. Mr. Christiaan Leever was present as the keynote speaker in the colloquium of Tourism Faculty, 08 February 2018 held at Auditorium, by discussing the theme of Comparisons of Service and Preferences in Tourism between European and Indonesian Cultures. Mr. Leever has a lot of experience in the world of tourism industry up to present time serving as a Customer Care Representative for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. In his presentation, he reminded several things which were very important in entering the business world, especially in the field of services. “We must be alert to the culture & preferences of guests/tourists, maintain self-discipline, improve facilities and infrastructure, and upgrade our English language skills,” Christiaan said.

During the event, Prof. Dr. Johanis Ohoitimur, Rector, revealed that the cultural roles should be given special attention because it is very influential in the interaction effectiveness of society and guests. The Rector appreciated the implementation of this public lecture and hoped that this program could be continued by presenting international experts & professionals. Prior to the colloquium, Mrs. Evelyn Leever Pratasik, also delivered a motivational talk on growing your English. She encouraged all students to use English and be better in this international language since a lot of benefits are waiting if one can use English well.

After the public lecture, Tourism Faculty conducted the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Bahu Bay Residence Manado. Through this cooperation, it is expected that Tourism Students can carry out the practice, internships or industry observation in the intended location.

We pay special attention to the world of Service/Tourism Marketing due to the fact that economic experts predicted the world’s economy will strongly depend on service industry by 2025. This encourages us to invite professional & experienced speakers in the service world to make our students realize that their choice in Tourism is the right thing, says Teddy Tandaju, MBA (Adv), Dean of Tourism Faculty.