Meet lecturer Martijn Smeenge

Where do you work within BUas? 

Since joining BUas, I have always worked for the Academy for Tourism, with a great love for everything related to destinations (partly inspired by my fascination with geographical place-names😉).

Since when do your work at BUas? 

Since June 2007, so I'm pretty much part of the furniture now. But I think I'm still part of the youngest half of all AT colleagues!😉

Why or how did you start working at BUas?  

After completing my master's degree in Leisure Studies at Tilburg University, I had no idea what I wanted to do, except that I wanted to work in the leisure sector. Then the opportunity arose to start working as a junior researcher for the then Visitor Management research group in the field of coastal tourism on a three-month mini contract. One thing led to another and, thanks mainly to Ben Offringa and Margreet Toonen, I gradually moved into teaching. At FBTR, I spent many years as coordinator of the Tourism Marketing and Communication (MTMC) specialisation track; a wonderful time! I have since discovered that interacting with students makes me very happy and that teaching suits me perfectly. Something I never would have thought during or even immediately after my studies!

This year you are ‘Lecturer of the Year’ of the Academy for Tourism, can you tell us what this means to you? 

Better yet, I won this honorary title for the second year in a row! Not that I’m going to shout it from the rooftops, but I am incredibly proud of it! No matter how you look at it, this is a wonderful recognition from the people you do it all for: the students!

When do you run into alumni at or for school? 

I think it's great to stay in touch with our alumni in some way or another, or even to work with them. This can take the form of guest lectures or company visits, but sometimes alumni also return as external examiners for final exams. BUas is a university of applied sciences, which is why I firmly believe in collaboration with the tourism and recreation sector. After all, that is what we do it for. The best thing for me is when a student has worked on an assignment for a company, graduates with that assignment, continues to work there and then, as the icing on the cake, returns to BUas as a client for a new student team!

What is the memorable moment you had with students? 

That immediately brings to mind the field trips... I've been lucky enough to visit Beijing three times with students. During one of those field trips, we were able to spend some time wandering around the Forbidden City. When we wanted to continue with the programme at the meeting point, we first had to pose for about 20 minutes for all the Chinese people who wanted to take photos with us. Suddenly, we, a group of 15 mainly blonde girls and myself, at 2 metres tall, were the big attraction! A more recent memorable trip was during an Erasmus+ project in Kuopio, Finland, in the autumn of 2024. It was amazing to see how students from Finland, Barcelona and BUas, who had never met before, interacted with each other during that week and formed a real community! And something completely different: I think graduation ceremonies are a real highlight every year! That's what it’s all about. It's wonderful to see everyone so happy, proud and dressed to the nines!

What do you learn from alumni? 

Oh, all sorts of things! Our alumni often serve as a bridge to our professional field, keeping me up to date and sharp.

What piece of advice would you give alumni? 

You could pull out all the clichés here... but just do whatever feels right for you. As a member of the Graduation Team, I often tell students during graduation information sessions that they should find an assignment (or client) that matches their personal preferences, because it's better to work on something you really enjoy and find interesting. Well, I think that also applies after you graduate! And last but not least: stay connected with BUas!
 

Would you have a question for our alumni? 

I mentioned earlier that I consider cooperation with the tourism and recreation sector to be extremely important. What will your contribution to our Academy for Tourism be?