Tourism Theory in Practice (BRL385)

Content

Tourism has been one of the world's fastest growing industries which has led to both challenges and opportunities for destinations to meet the UN's sustainability goals. Today, most parts of society are affected in one way or another by tourism. This especially applies to destination management with regard to its natural, societal, nature management, economies, and local communities.

This course provides an understanding of the tourism system with focus on the destination and stakeholder relationships and involvement through both lectures and a field trip. The objective is to provide an opportunity for students to experience first-hand, the complex practices and processes involved in tourism destination planning and development.

The aim of the course is to engage students in practical application of existing tourism theory. Students are expected to adopt a critical approach to analyzing the sustainability of a tourist destination and to draw on insights gained by hands-on experiences at a specific tourist destination. Thereby propose strategic development directions in line with responsible tourism management policies/guidelines.

Learning outcome

The learning outcomes of this course are as follows:

Knowledge

• Learn and understand the theory of sustainable tourism development, responsible destination management as well as responsible marketing and planning strategies.
• Compare and contrast between theory and practice by identifying practical issues related to a specific destination and to suggest and justify approaches to future sustainable tourism destination development.
• Identify and discuss the sustainability in tourism and the interrelated environmental, economic, and socio-cultural consequences of tourism.

Skills

• Propose strategic destination management directions for sustainable and responsible tourism planning and development.
• Develop practical skills in gathering and analyzing primary and secondary data and formally presenting their finding.
• Critically evaluate the wider impacts of tourism development at a destination.

General competence

• Be able to reflect on the role of tourism in society and to achieve the UN's sustainability goals (11, 12, 15, 17).
• Identify key stakeholders in tourism business and policy and their interactions.

Required prerequisite knowledge

Recommended prerequisites

Exam

Coursework requirements

• Group project description is required to join in the field trip.
• Fieldtrip over 5 days is mandatory. Costs for accommodation are covered by the school. Costs for transportation to the destination and sustenance are paid by students.

• 80% attendance of lectures are mandatory.

Course teacher(s)

Course coordinator:

Course teacher:

Head of Department:

Method of work

• lecture sessions before the fieldtrip to establish the theoretical background and brief students about the course aims, structure and assessment and destination characteristics.

  • Sustainability and destination development
  • Destination challenges (marketing and management)
  • Introduction to the destination and its current challenges
• Mandatory student group submission of project description
• Guest lectures with local tourism stakeholders at the destination which will offer insights into current challenges.
• Debriefing/feedback session(s) after the fieldtrip.
• Web-based learning support and electronic resources will also be provided.

This module has a capped student number: Maximum 20 students. If enrollment is greater than the number of available places, there will be prioritization based on: 1) prior tourism studies, 2) study progression, and 3) grade point average.

Open for

Course assessment

Literature