Trainees from the IES Ribera del Tajo School in Talavera de la Reina (Spain)
As part of an Erasmus Programme, Mértola City Council, through the Local Economy and Tourism Support Centre, and the Instituto IES Ribera del Tago, based in Talavera de la Reina (Spain), took on trainees Ailin Aixa Villarrol Barroso and Inés Fuentes Buitrago, students of the B2 Administrative Management course, between 2 and 23 April 2024.
The two trainees were integrated into the team at the Tourist Information Centre and the centres of the Cláudio Torres Mértola Museum, where they learnt how these places work from the perspective of welcoming visitors and keeping records. They also carried out a thorough analysis of publicity materials and developed and applied a visitor questionnaire, with the aim of understanding the motivation for visiting Mértola and evaluating various aspects.
In their own words, the trainees say that ‘our experience here has been enriching and revealing, allowing us to understand in a tangible way how administrative practices can come to influence the daily running of a town, the quality of life of its inhabitants, tourism… The main objective of our internship in Mértola has been to explore and participate in various activities related to administrative management, from the point of view of tourism, in order to acquire practical skills and knowledge for our future. From the very first day, we have been immersed in our work place, facing the public, in several of the museums that exist here in Mértola, collaborating with and supporting all the tour guides of each one, and above all observing how the resources are managed, how the services are coordinated and how the challenges that arise throughout the working day are dealt with.’
The trainees wrote a report in which they characterised the site and the institutions, presented the museums and other sites of heritage, cultural and natural interest, and presented the visitor questionnaires’ results. They say of this experience that ‘using the questionnaires here in Mértola has been a good experience, because we have met people from all over, interacted with them, and also increased empathy, understanding, tolerance… And also improved our social and linguistic skills with people we don’t know or don’t share our same language.’
In their words, ‘Mértola, a hidden treasure in the south of Portugal, has been an extraordinary destination for our Erasmus. This small town, with its medieval charm and rich history, left us amazed during our stay. Mértola has left a lasting impression on our hearts. The sense of calm and serenity you experience here is mind-blowing, and the connection with nature and history is palpable in every corner. In addition, the friendliness and generosity of its inhabitants, especially all our work colleagues, has made our stay even more special.’