Spring 2020
Nik Hafermaas, Rob Ball, Elan Cole
visitBerlin, NYC & Co
Traveling is a collection of choices, behaviors and actions. Travel starts the moment you’ve identified the need or desire to ‘go’ and begun the process of inspiration and selection of a destination. Transactionally, travel ends the moment you return. But the impact of travel – from the emotional and experiential afterglow to the environmental, social and economic effects – can persist far into the future.
12 students from Graphic Design, Product Design, Interaction Design and Illustration were challenged to uncover compelling insights and create new solutions to address critical ‘tourism’ issues in both NYC and Berlin in early 2020.
Assembled in 4 teams, they explored these cities through their team lenses: Art, Architecture, Music and Food. Students looked at behaviors that drive both locals and visitors towards mutually and independently rewarding relationships, before, during and after the actual journey.
And the notion of ‘exploration’ that includes locals and drives their own curiosity about where they live. Supported by DMO’s vistBerlin and NYC & Co, students gained an important perspective on the changing role and purpose of tourism’s stewards while creating their own manifesto of how to foster the sense of authentic discovery.
The Future of Tourism is a Pact Between Travelers, Locals and Destinations:
Based on Curiosity, Respect and Mutuality.
1. Be Farsick, Not Homesick
• Long to See Places With Fresh Eyes
2. Fall in Love, And Stay Connected
• Aim For Sustainable Relationships
3. Follow the Artists
• Art is the Truth of a City
4. Break Out of the Selfie Ghetto
• There is More to Travel Than Your Hashtag
5. Eat to Understand
• Food is the Entry Drug to Culture
6. Get Lost With Confidence
• Thrive in the Unforeseen
7. Table Manners Count
• Treat Every Destination Like Your Mother’s Kitchen
8. Let the experience take control
• Patience is part of the party
9. Bounce yourself
• It’s All in the Fit
10. Be a Part of the Perfect Mix
• Connect, Engage, Reciprocate