Study Brisbane is going the extra mile to welcome international students to the city, as volunteer Airport Ambassadors will be on site to greet up to 15,000 foreign students arriving between now and the end of March.
One hundred people including students and members of the community have volunteered to be at the airport 23 hours a day for two months in order to welcome thousands of international students from all over the world including China, South Korea, Brazil, India, the USA and Japan.
One hundred people have volunteered to be at the airport 23 hours a day for two months in order to welcome thousands of international students
Brisbane’s Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said: “I want all international students to feel at home. From the time they choose to study in our city they are sons and daughters of Brisbane.”
“The volunteer Airport Ambassadors is another way we are rolling out Brisbane’s welcome mat to international students and showing we are a truly friendly and caring city” he added.
In addition to receiving new arrivals, Airport Ambassadors will provide students with a free copy of the 2014 International Student Guide and information on the City Welcome Festival on 1 March.
With international education accounting for the city’s biggest export market– currently 75,000 international student enrolments generate AUS$5.1 billion in course fees and other spending each year– Brisbane is no stranger to such imaginative ways of welcoming its international students.
The city also holds Student Friendship Ceremonies, giving students the chance to meet potential employers and retain links with the city long after graduation.
Quirk further endorsed international students saying they help build a “cosmopolitan, vibrant city” and strengthen Brisbane’s network with cities around the globe.
