University of Chester student wins national tourism award

A University of Chester student has won a national tourism award recognising her outstanding contribution while on placement to efforts to achieve World Heritage Site status for Birkenhead Park.

Ellie Morris, who is studying BA (Honours) Business Management and International Tourism Management at the University’s Business School, has been announced as the winner of the Tourism Management Institute (TMI) 2024 Undergraduate Student Award.

In a competitive year of high-quality entries, the 20-year-old has been selected for The David Hughes Memorial Award by judges at the national professional organisation for people studying and working in tourism destination management.

It marks the second time in three years that a University of Chester Tourism student has won this UK Award.

Ellie’s win recognises the difference she made during her four-week Work-Based Learning placement with Birkenhead Park UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) World Heritage Project. The judging panel was impressed with the impact she made in the role in such a short time, managing the communication platforms and undertaking important visitor research. They commented that she demonstrated her success with a quantifiable increase in the Park’s social media engagement as well as delivering valuable visitor survey feedback.

For several years, it has been an ambition of Wirral Council and partners, including the Friends of Birkenhead Park, to seek UNESCO’s recognition of the Park and its immediate surroundings as a World Heritage Site. The Government announced in April 2023 that the Park, known as the People’s Garden, would be included on the UK Tentative List for potential nomination for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Ellie said: “It is a huge honour to win such a prestigious award on behalf of Chester Business School. I am honestly thrilled and grateful to have contributed to Birkenhead Park UNESCO World Heritage Project with the support of World Heritage Project Officer at Birkenhead Park, Marie Le Devehat, and the rest of the Birkenhead Park team. The 2024 TMI Award has inspired me to explore the industry further and I hope this inspires others in seeing that hard work and experience can lead to outstanding team achievements.”

Marie Le Devehat said: “It was a real pleasure to have Ellie with us for a few weeks and I was also very impressed by her ability to pick up things so quickly and to make great suggestions. It is so important for us to have new eyes looking at the project, especially younger people – the aim of the UNESCO WHS programme is to ensure our heritage is transmitted to future generations, and it is great to see them so enthusiastic about it.”

Colin Potts, Programme Leader for International Tourism Management at the University, added:

“As well as being academically talented, Ellie has loads of enthusiasm and is very hard-working. These are ideal qualities for working in tourism. In the Business School we work hard to provide our students with real work challenges and industry connections. Ellie makes the most of every opportunity and I am sure that she will use this Award as a springboard for a successful career.”

The TMI’s Simon Curtis Postgraduate Prize winner for 2024 was Valeria Verkhovska, from Glasgow Caledonian University.

TMI’s President, Tom Pridmore commented: “I am delighted to congratulate Ellie and Valeria as very worthy winners of our 2024 TMI Awards. It is fantastic to see that they have succeeded in delivering such high quality projects which have proved to be so valuable to the respective destinations and to the wider tourism community. This work has given them valuable practical experience which will undoubtedly enhance their career prospects. We at TMI wish them all the very best for the future.”

Both Ellie and Valeria will receive a one-to-one professional mentoring session with a senior member of TMI as well as a complimentary place at the TMI Annual Convention hosted this year by the University of Central Birmingham in October. They also have the opportunity to write a blog to showcase their project and the professional skills and experience they have gained, as well as one year’s associate membership of TMI.

Ellie is following in the footsteps of University of Chester graduates and previous Award winners. Alongside her studies, she is soon to start part-time work with Barton Hill Travel, which has been developing and operating inbound tour programmes of the UK and Europe for special-interest clients, primarily from the USA, Australia and Germany since its formation in 1976.

Annabelle Whitaker, who was awarded the TMI undergraduate accolade in 2022 and graduated from the University this year, has also recently joined Barton Hill and another University of Chester International Tourism Management graduate, Lizzie Worrall-Kay, is with Barton Hill having joined them when she graduated in 2023.

Barton Hill Managing Director, David Lyne said: “We are very fortunate indeed to be working with Colin and the team at the University of Chester to capitalise on the outstanding talent coming through the International Tourism Management programme.”

The Award announcement comes just after the University was ranked first in the North West and fourth in the UK in the Hospitality, Event Management and Tourism category of the Guardian University Guide rankings.