French Cultural and Tourism Mobility Program Expands Global Learning Horizons
The Graduate Institute of European Cultures and Tourism launched the French Cultural and Tourism Mobility Program, a nine-day field-based study course held in France from June 19 to 27, 2025. Led by Dr. Yi-De Liu, NTNU Vice President for International Affairs and faculty member of the Institute, seven students visited Bordeaux, Angers, and Paris to explore France’s diverse cultural and tourism landscape through on-site study of heritage sites and destinations.
Developed under NTNU’s framework for supporting international cooperation and exchange, the program reflects the university’s ongoing efforts to expand global learning opportunities and strengthen transnational academic collaboration.
The program was developed jointly by faculty from the Graduate Institute and NTNU’s partner institutions: Université de Bordeaux, Université d’Angers, and L’École du Louvre in Paris. The curriculum centered on themes such as château history and culture, wine tourism, castle heritage, and the revitalization of urban cultural assets through tourism development.
In Bordeaux, faculty from Université de Bordeaux collaborated on the program design, which included site visits to historic landmarks, sensory analysis workshops, and a tour of Château de Poumey to study winemaking and tasting. The Saint-Émilion wine region, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999, is famed for its medieval religious architecture, underground churches, and millennia-old viticultural traditions. Through guided field observation and local research, students examined the relationship between cultural landscapes and tourism development, cultivating critical and analytical perspectives.
Beyond Bordeaux, the program worked with Université d’Angers and L’École du Louvre. At Angers, the curriculum focused on castle heritage preservation and heritage tourism, complemented by guided tours along the Loire Valley. At L’École du Louvre, students learned about collaborative academic programs and engaged in exchanges with local peers. Combining expert lectures with immersive fieldwork, the program offered students a deeper understanding of cultural heritage conservation and the transformation of France’s tourism industry.
Since its founding, the Graduate Institute of European Cultures and Tourism has followed the guiding principle of “European culture as the warp, tourism studies as the weft,” cultivating professionals with both global vision and humanistic depth. Unlike programs centered on hospitality training, the Institute emphasizes the integration of cultural and tourism studies, preparing students to become key contributors to the development of cultural tourism in Taiwan through their understanding of European culture and tourism theory.
The “European Cultural and Tourism Mobility Program” has been running for over a decade, with previous editions held in Italy, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. This year’s program combined theoretical study with hands-on engagement, deepening learning outcomes through inter-institutional collaboration and project-based presentations. The 2025 France program not only broadened students’ international perspectives but also inspired reflection on sustainable cultural tourism development in Taiwan.