avenTOURa

Encounters with the people of the holiday country and the promotion of the understanding between cultures are central elements of every avenTOURa journey. The work of the Studienkreis für Tourismus und Entwicklung has always been valued highly in our company and the focus of the intercultural training seminars for tour guides perfectly reflect the spirit of our company. After the end of the seminar all participants were enthusiastic about the seminar process and its contents. We are convinced that this investment will have a lasting effect on the preservation and further improvement of the quality of our tours.
Gerd Deininger (CEO, avenTOURa GmbH)

Jordan Tourism Board

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Studienkreis for the wonderful service they provide to tour guides across the world. The Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) has hosted Studienkreis' two Basic Travel Guide Seminars in English in 2006. The refinement of a tour guide's skills and intercultural training and competence one is taught when participating in this course is invaluable. The success and feedback we received as a result of these courses has encouraged us to continue hosting your teachers for more seminars.
Mazen Homoud (Managing Director, Jordan Tourism Board)

Papaya Tours

A tour hinges on the quality of the tour guide. Especially during our Papaya experiential tours which are close to local realities there is a strong need for intercultural understanding. So we were all the more enthusiastic when the Institute for Tourism and Development approached us and told us about their seminars. We had high expectations and we can say that these were fully met. It was an event of exceptionally high quality, with very empathetic and motivated trainers. It inspired everybody and no matter at which level participants were when they joined, each of them got the opportunity to take something home for their personal development. We got more than we expected and friendships developed between trainers and participants. We are already looking forward to the next seminar.
Jorge Hirose (CEO, Papaya Tours, Arequipa)

Studiosus

Building bridges between people and cultures - understanding each other: That has from the very beginning been the most important task of Studiosus educational journeys. To experience the world in all its diversity is more than the admiration of art treasures and natural beauties - the comparison of different ways of thinking and ways of life is an important part. Our tour guide seminar in Turkey in 2001 was a particular challenge for the participants. Both Greek and Turkish tour guides were taking part in the seminar - a unique and successful experiment of the Studienkreis. The intercultural exchange had to build a bridge that spanned not only the differences of the two neighbouring cultures but at the same time of two nations that at the time saw each other with considerable reserve. One sign of the intercultural proximity of the Turkish and Greek participants was the visit to the Greek Orthodox patriarch in the Islamic heart of Istanbul. That the seminar was such a success and generated not only professional learning, but long-lasting friendships over borders and political rifts demonstrates the quality and importance of courses of this kind.
Peter Mario Kubsch (Proprietor and CEO, Studiosus Reisen)

Viventoura

At the beginning, we were a bit anxious because it was the first time that an external party would train our tour guides. But as soon as we met the trainers, we realized that it had been such a good decision. We can proudly say that, after the seminar, our tour guides are more motivated and better trained for dealing with topics like: transmitting information to travelers, discussing positively about cultural differences, social responsibility, coping with stressful situations and much more.
Pablo von Vacano (Head of viventura office Peru)