Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation’s (APU) School of Global Hospitality and Tourism (SoGHT) organised an educational visit to Ladang 15, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), where students gained hands-on experience in agro-tourism, customer service, and farm-to-consumer operations through interactive learning activities.

Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation’s (APU) School of Global Hospitality and Tourism (SoGHT) continued to champion hands-on learning through meaningful industry and community engagement initiatives. 

On 9 April 2026, a group of 17 diploma students from the Tourism Management, Hospitality Management, and Event Management programmes participated in an educational visit to Ladang 15, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Seri Kembangan, Selangor as part of their experiential learning journey.

The visit was organised by SoGHT Senior Lecturer, Ms Siti Fariza Muhamad Amin and accompanied by Mr Mohamad Imaduddin Zainal Abidin. 

The programme was further supported by Ms Nurul Azwana Yahya, Senior Agriculture Officer, and Mr Mohd Nazrul Anis, Assistant Agricultural Officer from Ladang 15, who helped ensure the visit was both educational and engaging for the students.

Carefully designed to align with the module’s learning outcomes, the trip provided students with valuable real-world exposure to retail service operations within an agro-tourism and educational farm environment.

Through direct observation and interactive activities, students gained practical insights into customer service management, service delivery processes, and service quality standards relevant to tourism and retail operations.

During the visit, students experienced farm-to-consumer service workflows first-hand by harvesting fresh corn directly from the fields, observing service sequences, and learning how customer engagement and service recovery were implemented in practice. 

The programme also introduced students to fresh sugarcane juice, sweet yam, and organic vegetables, further enhancing their understanding of food and beverage service operations within a tourism-related retail setting.

Beyond technical learning, the visit strengthened students’ observational, analytical, and reflective skills, encouraging them to connect classroom theories with real industry practices. 

Such experiential learning opportunities reflected APU’s commitment to nurturing industry-ready graduates who were adaptable, customer-focused, and equipped with practical service competencies.

Reflecting on the experience, students Umme Ashfakum Maney and Mst Ananna Islam Badhon shared that the visit had completely changed their perception of agriculture and food production, especially after harvesting corn directly from the farm for the first time.

“From supermarket shelves to real farms, today changed how we viewed corn forever. It was also a genuinely fun and memorable experience,” they said.

Meanwhile, Clarissa Eviliana and Li Sixuan described the trip as a refreshing escape from the classroom environment. Being surrounded by nature and witnessing how crops were cultivated up close gave them a greater appreciation for the journey from farm to table.

“It was a very meaningful experience. Walking through the cornfields under the hot sun made us realise how much effort farmers put into producing our food. It taught us not to take food for granted,” they shared.

Hikmah Lauthan and Mariyam Shaistha Ibrahim Niyaz Moosa added that visiting a real cornfield for the first time had been both exciting and educational.

“We enjoyed the experience very much, especially as it was our first time visiting an actual farm. It was refreshing to learn outside the classroom while having fun harvesting corn together,” they said.