The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program provides awards through an annual competition to U.S. scholars and professionals to lecture and/or conduct research at institutions in more than 125 countries in a wide variety of academic disciplines. Program duration ranges from a semester to an academic year.

Professor Milman is one of approximately 1,100 U.S. faculty and professionals who will travel abroad through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program this academic year. His grant runs from February through July 2014.

The study “Postcards as representation of a destination image: The case of Berlin” examined the images of 150 postcards from retail outlets in Berlin to evaluate their accurate portrayal of Germany’s capital city. In this content analysis study, Dr. Ady Milman, a professor at the Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the Â鶹ԭ´´, examined postcards being sold in high-traffic tourist areas of Berlin – a city that welcomes approximately nine million visitors each year.

Milman identified three categories of postcards, including realistic photographs, iconic images, and nonspecific graphics, such as the name “Berlin” spelled in various layouts. The study featured two rounds of analysis, including measuring the level of realism and Hunter’s typology of photographic representations for tourism- a highly consistent means of depicting tourism destinations.

The analysis concluded that a majority of the postcards did not feature authentic representations of Berlin.

“Most of the postcards displayed a vague view of contemporary Berlin, with no clear communication of the city’s current identity,” said Milman. “A majority of the postcards used images of Berlin’s heritage, as well as mascots, which provided multiple meanings and a confusing representation of the destination.”

The study showed that many of the postcards lacked images of human beings, natural or cultivated landscapes, and the city’s attractions. Instead, the photographs primarily focused on the city’s heritage, especially elements of the Cold War, which does not reflect contemporary Berlin.

Many of the photographs also featured various images of bears. Milman pointed out that while a bear is displayed on the city’s coat of arms, some of the bears featured in the postcards, such as panda and polar bears, are not indigenous to Berlin, and are therefore, not authentic representations of the city.

According to Milman, postcard images should have a natural or man-made symbol that embodies the destination.

“If you look at other popular destinations, they have a clear symbol that indicates the destination,” said Milman. “The Eifel Tower represents Paris; an image of the Great Wall indicates China; and a photograph of Big Ben signifies London. But some destinations, like Berlin, lack a unique and clear identity.”

Milman recommends in his study that local authorities, tourism industry leaders and operators need to work together to develop exclusive images of the destination. He also suggests that tourism marketing organizations around the world should take into consideration the authenticity of the images featured on the destination’s postcards to represent the destination in a more realistic way.

The delegation plans to build a convention center, hotels and attractions in their region and hopes to collaborate with Rosen College on these and other tourism planning, education and research initiatives.

The visit was organized by Rosen College’s Dr. Fevzi Okumus, and during their stay, the guests toured the Orange County Convention Center, Visit Orlando and several area convention hotels and theme parks.  Hotelier Harris Rosen and Professors Dr. Abraham Pizam, Dr. Tad Hara, Dr. Robertico Croes, Dr. Ady Milman and Mr. Ron Logan also had the pleasure of meeting with the delegation.

Rosen College is proud of its global partnerships and continues to develop international outreach initiatives.

Of course, what day is complete without a little free time to explore the park? Before calling it a day, Dr. Milman’s students took a moment to experience Manta, SeaWorld’s newest roller coaster where guests fly face-down in a horizontal position.

Site visits such as this bring real-world applications to the students and help distinguish the Rosen College curriculum from other hospitality management programs.

Director of Operations, Tim Carrier, and Training Coordinator for Park Operations & Internships, Gary Larsen, welcomed, guided and informed Rosen College of Hospitality Management students during  behind-the-scenes tours, which were described as “interesting and informative” by the class.

Dr. Milman shares, “The students [were] extended a great hospitality and the tour…targeted our class’ curriculum topics.”

He expressed appreciation to the SeaWorld team of their willingness to partner with Rosen College as it aligns with one of Â鶹ԭ´´’s major goals to position itself as a partnership university and work closely with the community.

AirTran Airways Manager of the Atlanta Command Center, Mr. Michael Bernardo, shared industry insight with Â鶹ԭ´´ students in mid-April.

Bernardo works with the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the busiest airport in the world, and flew down to provide a guest lecture for Dr. Ady Milman’s Airline Management class at the Rosen College of Hospitality Management.  He discussed a variety of topics including airline deregulation, mergers and bankruptcies, dealing with irregular operations, crisis management, fuel costs, fees, and hub operations.  This was his first time speaking at a hospitality college.

Bernardo began with Allegheny Airlines in 1972 and recently completed his fifth year with AirTran Airways in April 2011. “There is a small group of us in the industry and we stay connected.  I’m happy to make myself available to the students and share that information,” he said.

Bernardo’s passion for his profession was effortlessly communicated to the class and, while interviewed, he shared one of his favorite quotes, “Go out and do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.”

Dr. Milman described the presentation as “informative, interesting, energetic and targeted the Airline Management class’ curriculum.” The students provided positive feedback after the presentation and recommended that Bernardo speak to future classes.

To view an AirTrain Airways video featuring Bernardo, please see “” on YouTube.