Ecuador connects with the world: University of Cuenca’s PREIT‑tour strengthens ties in Belgium

For two weeks, Freddy Espinoza 😊, a member of the PREIT‑tour group at the University of Cuenca, had an unforgettable experience in Belgium participating in the Tour and Tasting event organized by VIVES Brugges 🍽️. There, he shared insights and forged collaborative ties 🤝 with academics from Finland, Bulgaria, Turkey, Hungary, Vietnam, Uganda, and, of course, Belgium.

At the event, Freddy led a workshop on social cartography 🗺️ as a diagnostic tool in tourism and hotel management contexts. Faculty and students from various universities saw firsthand how a simple participatory map can uncover perceptions, conflicts, and opportunities in a tourist destination 🌄.

Beyond the event itself, the international team seized the opportunity to advance ICP Connect: Beyond the Souvenir 🌍—a project uniting VIVES University of Applied Sciences (Belgium), Makerere Business School and Mountains of the Moon University (Uganda), Quy Nhon University (Vietnam), and the University of Cuenca (Ecuador). Together, they outlined the framework for a global course on sustainable tourism and hospitality 🌱, which will soon be rolled out across all partner institutions 🎓.

Freddy also served on the scholarship evaluation committee for the Hotel Management program at VIVES Brugges 🏨, supporting the next generation of hospitality professionals. In Brussels, he attended meetings on North–South and triangular international cooperation near the European Parliament 🏛️, and met with Arie Stoffelen from KU Leuven’s Geography and Tourism Division to explore new partnerships and participate in Belgian cooperation project design workshops.

He also had the chance to explore the educational model of VIVES’ Hotel Management program and tour the Brugges campus facilities 🏫. As part of their practicum, students ran several pop‑up dining events in campus‑managed restaurants—an immersive experience that could inspire similar hands‑on learning initiatives back in Ecuador 🍻🍴.

Additionally, we toured the university residence The Crown 🏰, which will soon welcome scholarship recipients from Ecuador and other Latin American countries under the ICP Connect project, offering them a supportive and vibrant living-learning environment 🌟.

This journey not only strengthened academic networks 💪 but also opened doors for tourism research and professional training to become ever more authentic, sustainable, and truly global 🌐. Here’s to building bridges across continents! 🌉✨