Luxury Travel Consultant and NHM Donor Visits Campus
Luxury Travel Consultant and NHM Donor Visits Campus
OXFORD, Miss. – One of America’s leading luxury travel consultants, Jim Strong, came to visit with the NHM department to support the department, speak to students, share his knowledge of the travel industry and inspire travel-related careers. During his time here, Strong got to meet with members of the NHM faculty and staff to discuss the topic of the future growth of the department and Strong’s support for student travel.
Strong’s unparalleled experience and travel insights are sought by exclusive clientele that includes prominent names in sports, business, and entertainment. Strong travels extensively throughout the world selecting and vetting unique hotels, villas, and destinations for his clients so that their travel always becomes a celebration of life’s moments. He is a Certified Travel Counselor and an Accredited Cruise Counselor. Strong serves on many industry advisory boards such as Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Accor Hotels, IHG Hotels, Aman Hotels & Travel + Leisure Magazine. He currently enjoys working as part of 3 generations of the Strong family in focusing the company towards the future of Luxury Travel.
Strong presented “Travel 2023 and Beyond: The World of Luxury Travel” and over 50 students attended his presentation. He also visited NHM 221 Foundations of Tourism and Travel class to share his expertise on the fundamentals of tourism and hospitality.
Pamela Gordon, Hospitality Management Master’s student from Oxford, MS. states, “My biggest takeaway from Mr. Strong’s presentation was that there is a whole big world that is just waiting for me to discover. I learned that there is a huge market for luxury travel.”
Another fellow student, Dylan Barker of Madison MS. said, “Mr. Strong instilled within us a curiosity and a will to explore and travel the world. He made it clear during his presentation that travel is accessible to everyone regardless of class or status. I remember during his presentation he said, “Traveling abroad will change your life, you only have to find the courage to step out of your comfort zone and do it.”
Strong is the author of two luxury travel books and creator/producer of an off-Broadway play called, “Craving for Travel”. Recently he was featured in the BBC documentary, “Hotel for the Super-rich and Famous” about the Corinthia Hotel in London. He also was featured in the wide-release major motion picture documentary on the Carlyle Hotel, “Always at the Carlyle”.
Strong describes the working environment of a hospitality career as “rewarding, heartfelt and humbling along with crazy and ever-changing. There are so many new places, hotels, and innovations in travel coming in the future years that it will always keep everyone excited.”
The School of Applied Sciences as well as the Department of Nutrition and Hospitality Management is grateful for the continuous support and wealth of information that Mr. Jim Strong has to offer to our students and our program.
By: Reese Colaluca