Peter Kibe Njuguna | Greece, University of West Attica

I am Peter Kibe Njuguna, a PhD student at Kenyatta University pursuing Hospitality Management. Greece, a leading world tourist destination, has also enabled me to conceptualize the industry I work for from different perspectives. I used my time in the country to develop my PhD research proposal, synthesize literature and conceptualize the research gaps. I also interacted with the University of West Attica (UNIWA) research output, which helped me conceptualize how international research should be. I subscribed to databases I could not access back in my home university. 

I am very grateful that I also had the opportunity to teach undergraduate students in the Department of Tourism Management. I shared with them my research interests and the differences and similarities between East Africa’s tourism industries and the tourism industry in Greece. It was also an excellent opportunity to mentor young and upcoming professionals in the industry. 

I was also lucky to be invited to attend the 2nd International ERASMUS Staff Week at the University of Piraeus. This was incredibly eye-opening, especially the insights from the presentations from the partner network. The theme was: “Internationalization through European Projects, research, and innovation”. We were exposed to various ways of seeking inter-university collaborations for impact-led research, with live examples of what such collaborations have led to. 

I am grateful for the Erasmus+ Programme, which allowed me to experience Greek tourism firsthand, a dream of so many Kenyans. This mobility has opened doors for me regarding research and made me connect with other researchers in my field.