BUas wins big at the Reiswerk Travel Challenge 2025

More than 60 students from universities of applied sciences across the Netherlands (including 11 students from BUas), together with travel professionals, worked from 2 to 6 June intensively on innovative and sustainable solutions for tourism in Benidorm.

Joyce Zengerink and Wesley Put represented BUas as team coaches. We are proud to share that their teams secured both 1st and 2nd place! Their creativity, teamwork, and innovative ideas impressed the jury.

Students were challenged with a business case: How can Benidorm become more attractive to a new and broader audience?

Each team had ten minutes to pitch their final concept to a Dragons’ Den-style panel consisting of Eppo Steenhuisen (Travel Industry Entrepreneur), Hanita van der Meer (ANVR), Rosa Maria Vincente Encinas (Spanish Tourism Board), and Vivian van Wilgen (Costa Experiences).

"From working on the business case to all the challenges and the big final party, everything was great. For me the most memorable moment was the TUI game in Alicante. During this game, we carried out all kinds of assignments as a team throughout the city. It was great to see what role everyone took on, how everyone's different qualities came to the forefront and how we complemented each other perfectly." - Bente, student

Only one team could take first place, and they stood out with their innovative and sustainable business case. The winning concept, Bee-nidorm, led by Joyce and with students Jeffry Slootmaker (BUas), Aurora Bus (NHL Stenden), Roel Henricks (Fontys), Britt Kleefman (Saxion), Daniëlle Rijkenberg (TIO), Teslijn van der Waard (Saxion) and Stephanie Wigchert (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen) focused on sustainability:

Bee-nidorm 🐝
A greener city with a recognisable skyline and the bee as its sustainable mascot. A place where nature and tourism flourish together—both literally and figuratively—with Bee-o-lodges as unique accommodations.

Second place was awarded to Wesley’s team, including BUas students Fie Willemse and Nicole Baak:

The Green Thread through Benidorm ♻️
This concept included various themes such as BeniDomes, BeniMove, and BeniExplore—a combination of accommodation, transport, and activities.

TUI City Game
In addition to working on the business case, there was also time to explore the Costa Blanca. The TUI City Game was the perfect opportunity to discover more of Alicante. Students received a tablet with various checkpoints throughout the city to navigate to. At each location, they played interactive games such as recreating an image, solving a chess puzzle, deciphering Morse code, and finding specific houses on a street. These engaging activities, developed by Justcurious, were designed to help students explore Alicante in a fun and informative way.

The Reiswerk Travel Challenge, which aims to strengthen the connection between education and the travel industry, puts new talent in the spotlight and contributes to the future of the sector.

Congratulations to the winning teams!

This year, NTG, TUI and Corendon were the premium partners for The Reiswerk Travel Challenge, and Sawadee, Avila Reizen, Riksja Travel, SGR, De Jong Intra Reizen, Sunny Cars, ANVR, the Spanish Tourist Office and the Costa Blanca were also involved. This year, Pelikaan Travel is responsible for organising the trip and our students from the Training Company NewWays were involved for our participants. Together, they made this event not only a unique experience, but also a source of inspiration for the entire industry.

"For all students who are unsure about participating in future editions of The Travel Challenge, definitely do it! It is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. You get to meet so many inspiring and motivated people and gain an unique insight into the endless possibilities within the travel industry. During these five days, I really looked at my options within the field and made some great contacts! It's not only educational, but also incredibly fun and valuable for your future." - Bente, student