Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Northern Thailand Winter Break Study Tour

The School of Business and Leadership at the University of Puget Sound is offering a short term study tour to Northern Thailand during winter break. Students participating in this program will have the opportunity to learn about recreation, land use, cultural change, and economic development in the popular tourist destination of Chiang Mai, Thailand. This program is offered in cooperation with Maejo University and includes lectures and discussions on ecotourism in Thailand, survival Thai language instruction, field trips and trekking in the hill tribe country, and sightseeing in Bangkok.

There will be an informational meeting at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 18, in Battin Lounge (McIntyre 109) for all students who might have an interest in this program.

This program is open to all students having an interest in or wishing to learn more about Ecotourism, Asian Business, SE Asia, Asian Studies, and Environmental Studies.

The program will begin with a two week visit to UPS by seven students from Maejo University during the period 19 October to 3 November, 2006. This portion of the program will provide you with the opportunity to meet your new Thai colleagues and teach them about the Puget Sound region. You will be responsible for organizing and implementing at least two trips or activities during this part of the program.

You will depart for Thailand immediately after Christmas (probably December 26) for four days of orientation to Thai language and culture in Bangkok as guests of Dhurakij Pundit University. On December 31, we will travel to Chiang Mai to celebrate the New Year and spend two weeks at Maejo University approximately 10 kilometers north of the city. You will return to the U.S. on January 13.

During your stay in Thailand you will live in university housing and have opportunities to meet and work with Thai students. You will travel to a variety of ecotourism areas in Northern Thailand and gain an understanding of environmental and cultural issues and explore differences between American and Thai environmental approaches.

The program fee of $1995 covers all expenses including accommodation, meals, local and international transportation and tax, field trips and instruction during the program. A passport is required, but American citizens do not require a visa to enter Thailand for a period of up to 4 weeks.

Please contact Professor Jim McCullough in the School of Business and Leadership (mccullough@ups.edu) or phone at 879 2920 if you have any questions.

1 comment:

Kelly said...

It's a good chance to go for such tour in Thailand. Thailand is amazing. There are lots of places visitors can see and take part in mainstream sports like football, badminton, and tennis, and of course golf is a major reason why a lot of people visit Thailand. Equally important to visitors are opportunities for less mainstream activities. With over 3,000 kilometres of coastline it is a natural destination for people (whether novice or professional) to go diving and snorkelling. Also on offer are a range of water sports - jet skiing, surfing, surfboarding and kiteboarding to name a few. Because tourist industry improved so much, Thailand has recently attracted significant foreign investment in Thailand property and it has become one of the Asian economic leaders and is one of the fastest-growing economies in the region.