As his Temple University classmates were struggling through the final stretch of spring senioritis, Christopher Petrucci was boarding a plane to sunny South America — but not to soak up the rays.
Petrucci was one of two American students to win scholarships to attend the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association’s Annual Global Convention, held April 12-14 in Brazil.
Petrucci, a board member of the Philadelphia Gay Tourism Caucus, is studying tourism and hospitality at Temple.
The 22-year-old said he became interested in the field after a high-school adviser suggested it — after he changed his intended college major four times.
“I was always told I have great people skills but I never knew how to apply that to a career,” Petrucci said. “It was not until I finally did some research and was actually accepted into Temple University School of Tourism and Hospitality that I realized the possibilities of the hospitality and tourism industry.”
He joined PGTC as an intern last year and was elected as a 2012 board member.
He is also interning with the Sheraton Society Hill Hotel and has previously interned with Omni Hotel and Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, and worked at Hampton Inn.
A Temple professor suggested he apply for the IGLTA Student Tourism Awards, a program that was launched last year to allow international students to attend the convention.
Two awards were offered in the inaugural year, with six winners being chosen this year — four of whom were from Brazil — from a pool of more than 70 applicants.
Petrucci, who had never been to Brazil, said he initially didn’t anticipate how rewarding the trip would be.
“The opportunity to travel to Brazil for free — I could not say no. I did not realize how much of an experience I would get from going.”
Panels throughout the convention taught guests how to incorporate social media into tourism efforts, establish good relations with media and uncover new markets, among a number of other topics.
One of the most valuable sessions, Petrucci said, was a presentation by the United Nations World Tourism Organization on LGBT travel patterns.
“It was interesting to see the data they collected,” he said. “It helped to show how important and the impact the LGBT community has on travel and tourism.”
The networking opportunities were also beneficial.
Each student awardee was matched with a mentor who imparted his/her own experiences in the field.
“Myself and the other students were so grateful for their time,” Petrucci said. “They were very personal and spoke to us about more than tourism and hospitality.”
After the convention, Petrucci said his career goals have been brought into focus and he now plans to pursue a position at a convention and visitors’ bureau or a destination-management company.
Petrucci said the experience was an eye-opening one that he’s grateful he pursued.
“The opportunity is out there, you just have to do it. I honestly did not see myself in Brazil a year ago. When my professor told me about this opportunity, I said to myself, ‘Why not?’” he said. “I met many people from many different regions of the world and learned that, although believed to be the center of the world, the U.S. is just a small piece of the larger picture.”
PGTC president Carlos Estela said the organization was proud that Petrucci was able to represent Philadelphia and PGTC on the international scale.
“Christopher’s insights and contributions, especially to PGTC, have continued to have a great impact in moving our organization forward. We appreciate the various roles Christopher has enthusiastically taken on and look forward to a long, continued relationship.”