IBS Study Trip to Lisbon
Together with the program’s Director of Studies, Prof. (FH) Dr. Peter Dietrich, the students spent time in Lisbon from June 13-17, 2022. Individual travel and accommodation arrangements allowed for flexibility around the core program of the trip. Lisbon was chosen as a common favorite by the students themselves. The student-led organizing committee put together an exciting and varied program including a range of business and cultural destinations, a combination which proved both memorable and educational.
The smell of the ocean combined with economic diversity and cultural highlights
The city of Lisbon lies on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and on the estuary of the Tagus River, which is the longest river on the Iberian Peninsula. Lisbon offers many cultural highlights which are easily accessible by hop-on/hop-off buses or through free walking tours. This way, students were able to experience the city and gain deeper insights into its diverse neighborhoods.
But this being a study trip, the main focus was the economic and business life of the city. On the agenda were a visit to a furniture factory, a presentation by the Austrian Chamber of Commerce (WKO), which represents Austrian companies in Portugal and has a supporting role when it comes to outsourcing operations, as well as a visit to Salsicharia Austriaca, a small eatery selling traditional Austrian sausages. The two owners of the business are originally from Austria and manage to fuse Austrian and Portuguese cultures in their restaurant. A visit like this would not be complete without a tasting of the delicacies on offer at Salsicharia Austriaca, which can be wholeheartedly recommended as an insider’s tip to anyone who plans to travel to Lisbon.
A visit to the university Nova SBE Executive Education provided insights into academic life in Portugal. One of the lecturers teaching at this institution is also a surf instructor and arranged a private surfing lesson for the visiting students at Praia de São João. The travel program was rounded out by a visit to the Castelo de São Jorge as well as the ceramics factory Fábrica Sant’Anna and the soccer stadium Estádio da Luz, the home turf of the team Benefica Lisbon. For the students, the journey was a successful conclusion to their degree program in International Business Studies, a trip that more than made up for the restrictions and social distancing experienced during the covid pandemic.