「観光と技術における国際会議」参加学生の感想
Date.
16/06/13
6月2日(木)、「なら100年会館大ホール」(奈良市)において、「観光と技術における国際会議」が開かれ、グローバルビジネス学部インテンシブコースの学生14名が参加しました。
この会議は国連世界観光機関と国土交通省観光庁の主催によるもので、世界各国から集まった団体、企業、学者の方々による講演が行われました。
当日、緊張の面持ちで会場に集合した学生達は、会場で世界中から集まった聴衆に交じって客席で熱心に講演を聞いていました。講演はすべて英語で行われたため、必死に聞き取ろうと途中身を乗り出して聞き入っている学生もいました。
またこの日はラウンジにおいて、企業のブースが10ヶ所設置され、我が校もポスターを張ったりパンフレットを並べたりし、途中のコーヒーブレイクでは訪れる人々に大学やクラブの紹介をしました。
このような国際会議に出席することによって、世界中の人々との交流を堂々とした態度で行う姿勢を身につけるための良い経験になったと思います。
学生一人一人の感想を追って載せますのでご期待ください。
【参加学生の感想】
I was a little nervous, but looking forward to participating in the International Conference, because the theme was "Tourism and Technology". Actually I want to work with relation to tourism, so this conference was helpful for me to expand my future vision.
Through social networks, we can get useful information and travel anywhere easily. Especially Japan focuses on developing technology as a transforming tool. In my opinion, Japanese and also all human beings have a difficulty to communicating with foreigners, but modern technology can solve it.
I think Japan will become a big country as a destination for tourists in the future. Also, the 2020 Olympic is coming soon, so I think it is a good opportunity for Japan to discuss tourism. I was really surprised and interested in new technology such as voice translation systems for a lot of languages and the glasses with which we can see specific traditional buildings from all directions.
The world is changing very fast with new technology, so it is difficult to keep up with it. Therefore we need to not only to follow new technology but also invent it ourselves.
YouTube is very useful for tourists to get real information about local areas because they are movies. Therefore each tourist company uses digital videos to give the customers some information which they can see easily as an advertisement. Facebook and Twitter are also good for us to write comments or real reviews in them written by tourists themselves.
A senior executive officer in Narita International Airport Corporation said that innovation in his company is creating new technology for improving experience by passengers and supporting inbound tourism which is increasing recently.
The speeches were almost all made in English, so I couldn't understand some words they explained. They spoke fast and it was complex for me, but I could understand some presenters. What is the difference? I could understand the presenters from Asia though I couldn't understand those from U.S. I thought that the difference is the background in which we learn English . It sometimes appears on intonations or dialects.
I noticed that there are many kinds of English which means there is a gap caused by how they learnt English, so I recommend you to join this kind of international conference. It will be a great opportunity in order to get used to such differences.
The main focus of the conference is about the improvement of the digital media, which is used in the tourism and technology field. There were 3 sessions discussing about how they attract travelers to visit their respective countries, how they maintain their markets on top and their plans for the development of their companies.
I felt so happy and excited throughout this conference. Each person gave me an idea about where I should focus once I enter this field. I haven't started my studies for this specialized field yet, but with these kinds of opportunities given to me, I started to have my own vision and a clear image of the path I should take from now on.
It was a nice experience but I couldn't understand almost half of the topics that the native speakers discussed, because they spoke too fast for me to follow. After getting used to their speed, I was able to get some important information.
They talked about the innovation of tourism and technology. They use digital media in applying their ideas for the new business models. They had a lot of recommendations. I was interested in the smart glasses which are so cool and useful for us. If I wear them I can do anything such as spraying something on the objects and operate furniture electronically, so I think they will help our lives. In the future, I want to work in many countries.
I got interested in the evolution of technology, because I'm using digital media in my daily life. In the conference, they mentioned about a large variety of digital media and applications.
I'm interested in the Nok Air Company in Thailand. Nok Air Company, prioritize the people's satisfaction and welcomes them with the friendly culture of Thailand. In Nok Air we can use cellphones and wifi system on board. I think it is a very convenient and nice service.
I want to work in the tourism field and become the bridge that will connect Japan and Thailand. And also I want to be active in the global world. For this I want to do my best and improve my English ability.
A lot of speakers used computers during speaking. Their ways of using computers were so nice. I found that I can insert movies in PowerPoint. I was surprised at that, because when I make some PowerPoint presentations, I always thought it's not interesting to just put some pictures on that, so I will use that technology when I make PowerPoint presentations from now on.
Their speeches were so nice. Their ways of speaking were very adult and cool. In the future, I want to speak like them, so I will join a lot of councils to learn their ways of speaking and how to use computers. I think these experiences improve my English skills well.