INTRO: Why this pre-task?

What we ask you to do in this pre-task, has a double goal:

The information will be carefully looked into by our client Visit Antwerp, but the main benefit is for you, students, as you will actually need and use the outcome of your work to make your trip to Antwerp even more rewarding!

In the tourism business, whenever you visit a new place or need to plan a trip, it is essential to do some desk research before you leave and secondly some field research: a scouting or a “fam trip” (familiarization trip) in the place itself.

The scouting in Antwerp, you will do of course during the ACEEPT project week itself, when you will have ample opportunity to explore the city during several scouting trips in your mixed teams.

Even if we ask you to present your desk-research in a paper, the work and time that you invest in this , will pay off and can be fully “recycled” during the project week in Belgium, because you will come…prepared! 

In other words: this pre-task will make your time in Antwerp count double! 

Your Customer Journey of Antwerp

To structure this assignment, you will be using the Customer Journey.

Even if many of you may be familiar with this concept, we are aware that different versions exist, all perfectly usable. In this pre-task, we have included a few essential questions to work with. 

In November you will be travelling to and spending a week in Antwerp:

Even if this week will be organized for you, we want you go through and analyze the CUSTOMER CYCLE.

What if this week was not organized for you, and you would need to organize everything yourself? In other words, for this pre-task, you and your national team take the active role of a first-time visitor to Antwerp, who travels individually and needs to plan and organize everything himself. 

 

Brainstorming phase (not to be included in pre-task)

Do you know anything about Antwerp? If yes, what? (This can be included in paper). If not, what would you like to know?

How would you normally start the research for your trip to Antwerp?

Which info would you need and look up?

What would be essential, useful, or just nice to know? 

 

 

 

CONTENT PAPER:

 

INTRO: Do you know anything about Antwerp? If yes, what?

 

Describe the different stages of the Customer Cycle:

 

Inspiration

• Where to find inspiration and look for information about Antwerp? (not the same thing!)
• Which are the “convincing factors”?

 

Planning

• What does your planning process look like?
• What to plan and what not? Why?

 

Booking

• Which elements of the trip need to be booked in advance? Transportation (to get there) , accommodation, visits, events, restaurants, other...?
• Where and how to book?

 

Stay

• Which type of accommodation would you choose?
  For how many nights?
• What to do during their stay? (activities & visits)
  Are these activities 100% tourism –linked or not?
  How do you get a taste of the “local life”?
• Mention 5 things (places, activities, visits...) you want to do.

 

(Share)

Sharing memories and experiences are a big part of tourism these days... But in order to do this, you need to come to Antwerp first!

Unless of course you were inspired by the other visitors' shared memories and stories? If this is the case, include in paper, if not, you can leave this part out.

 

Conclusion:

Based on this research: describe in 5 lines your “image” of the city of Antwerp and your expectations!

 

The papers from all national teams will be presented to Visit Antwerp.

All papers will be summarized by both Visit Antwerp and a lecturer of Thomas More University: a synthesis of all papers will be presented on Monday, November 20^th, 2023. For this reason, we need your paper in advance.

 

The deadline is Friday, November 10^th
Paper: 5-6 pages (excl. cover and sources)
Please send your paper (both in PDF and in Word) attached to an e-mail, at the following address:

katrijn.krekels@thomasmore.be

In the subject of your e-mail mention “ACEEPT 2023 – PreTask III + your country”.