CSUMB students make their mark in Malta

By Mark Muckenfuss

Two Cal State Monterey Bay Otters recently made a splash in Malta, at the World Travel and Tourism Council’s global summit. 

The pair were part of an international contingent of 100 students invited to the annual event as part of the WTTC’s new Youth Movement Initiative. The initiative’s goal is to engage 100,000 students worldwide as part of an effort to understand the interests of the next generation of tourism professionals. 

Only five students from the United States were among the student group, and four of those were from the Cal State University system. CSUMB’s Jaron Johnson and Anakin Michael were joined by Elva Gonzalez of Long Beach State and Kristine Rumbaugh of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Paige Viren, executive director of CSUMB’s Sustainable Hospitality and Tourism Management program, helped organize the CSU coalition, which also included professors Pavlína Latková of San Francisco State and Brianna Koster of Cal State Long Beach.

“It was exciting and a little nerve-wracking,” Michael, a senior majoring in sustainable hospitality and tourism management, said of the experience, which allowed students the opportunity to meet and mingle with some of the world’s leaders in the tourism industry. “It's a little daunting to know you are representing the school as a whole.”

According to Viren, CSUMB’s students comported themselves well. In fact, Johnston was chosen to be one of three student panelists to present the ideas of the youth group to the entire summit audience. He called the experience “an extraordinary opportunity” to advocate for young people interested in working in tourism. 

“One of my biggest takeaways was realizing that our voices truly matter,” Johnston said. “Having leaders approach me afterward to share their perspectives and build connections showed me the impact we can make when given a seat at the table. I am so excited that this participation will open doors for the next generation of leaders.”

Viren said the CSU’s participation in the WTTC summit resulted from people she met at a California Travel Association summit in Napa, just six weeks ago. Viren was there to receive the organization’s Sustainability and Stewardship Award, and several of her students, Michael among them, received scholarships from the agency, which covered the cost of attending the Napa summit.

“Two WTTC people were there,” Viren said. “They said their global summit was going on and they didn’t have anyone from the U.S. for the student contingent. They said, ‘Do you think you could find some students and have them apply?’”

Ted Balestreri, who received an honorary doctorate earlier this year from CSUMB, was also at the event. He has been part of the WTTC since 1997. Viren said he offered to help with any travel costs not covered by the WTTC for the students chosen to go to Malta. 

After a lightning-fast application process – students had to submit a paper and a video in less than three weeks – Michael and Johnston were selected to attend. 

Prominent speakers at the Malta summit included former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The presidents of Hilton and the Accor Group – which operates a number of branded hotel chains in Europe – were among those who spoke to the student group. 

WTTC President and CEO Gloria Guevara said attracting younger people into the travel industry is critical. 

“Travel and tourism’s future growth depends on attracting and developing the next generation of talent,” Guevara said. “That starts with understanding what young people expect from their careers and how they want to engage with our sector. Our ambition is to inspire more young people to see our sector not simply as a place to work, but as a place to build meaningful and rewarding careers.

“We were pleased to have four students from California State University participate in the program,” she added,  “and we hope to welcome even more students from CSU to next year’s global summit in India.”

Michael said he feels privileged to have taken part in the launch of the initiative.

“This is just the start of the youth initiative,” he said. “They’ve told us we will be invited to the next summit, so we’re looking forward to that.”

He and the other students who participated are trying to make the most of the WTTC’s interest. The students are planning to hold regular Zoom meetings, he said, to discuss ideas they might pitch to the council. 

“We’re looking to continue the momentum this moment has given us,” Michael said. “We want to find a way to show the WTTC that we’re really committed to this.”  

Viren said the inclusion of the youth initiative was not just an afterthought, but a popular component of the summit. News reporters who attended an exclusive party aboard the private yacht of one of the council members told her there was significant buzz among the guests about the new program. She hopes CSUMB can continue to be involved. 

“This is huge in terms of exposure for our program,” Viren said. “I’ve gone to different global things, but this is exclusive and invite-only. You can’t just attend.”

The initiative also fits well with the goals of Sustainable Hospitality and Tourism Management at CSUMB. 

“This youth movement is really what we’ve been working on,” Viren said. “I think it aligns well with our program.”