Travel and Tourism

This course will explore the conceptual foundations of tourism so that all students in the master’s program will have exposure to a common core of tourism content. Specifically, this class will introduce students to topics such as leisure theory, travelers’ motivations and decision making, the production of tourism and tourism places, globalization of tourism, social theories of tourist practice and experience, tourism policy, planning, and governance, and critical perspectives on tourism. Reading from both the current literature and from classic contributions to the literature will be stressed.

The global tourism and travel industry is experiencing extraordinary growth, with more people travelling internationally than ever before. Furthermore, with advancements in technology and travel, more destinations are open and available for potential tourists. While this bodes well for the travel and tourism industry, the current scenario presents the unique challenge of cross cultural interaction among employees of the travel and tourism industry as well as with guests of foreign cultures. In the increasingly globalized world of travel and tourism, having a high level of cultural intelligence (CQ) is a required to deal with the challenge of constant cross cultural interactions and organizational work.This course will focus on the concept of CQ, and provide students with both a theoretical background of this concept, as well as practical approaches to using this concept within the travel and tourism industry. It will begin by exploring the concept of culture, and how culture is developed and passed on. Following work on culture, students will engage with Hofstede’s cultural dimensions to understand how cultural differences effect behavior within the travel and tourism industry. After developing this foundational knowledge, the class will explore the concept of CQ. Students will gain an understanding of the CQ construct, and the four underlying components of cognition, metacognition, motivation, and behavior that makeup CQ. Students will learn how CQ is different from other similar forms of intelligence such as social and emotional intelligence. The class will conclude by focusing on strategies for increasing CQ, as well as looking at various case studies on how to measure CQ and the benefits of having a high level of CQ for working in the globalized world of travel and tourism.

This course is designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the role, the scope and the business of destination marketing organizations (DMOs) as well as convention and visitor bureaus (CVBs). The trends, issues and challenges facing DMOs and CVBs will be discussed. In addition, an analysis of the planning process in developing tourism destinations in global, community, metropolitan, urban and rural settings. Emphasis will be on stakeholder engagement, product development as well as enhancement of facilities to meet the needs of tourists.

In recognition that international destination events are increasingly important within the context of global tourism, this course provides an in-depth and comprehensive analysis of the worldwide festivals and events industry and its impact on tourism. It provides an overview of the current global festivals and event industry, the impact of current international issues, an understanding of how events and festivals are staged globally, as well as the legal and risk related concerns that come with events and festivals. Characteristics specific to the global aspect of the industry will be examined as well as the essentials of developing an effective inbound tourist experience. Career opportunities and industry numbers are introduced to provide an overview of the industry.

Whether tourists are affected by terrorism, political instability, epidemics, natural disasters, building collapses, crime waves or internal problems such as service failure, it becomes the destination and tourism operator’s responsibility to respond and to do so as quickly as possible. To aid in preparation, this course will focus on crisis reduction, readiness, response and recovery efforts from both natural and human-induced disasters that affect tourism destinations and businesses. In a tourism context, risk management refers to the planning and implementation of processes directed towards managing the adverse effects of crises and disasters on tourism. It also addresses tourism’s potential opportunities for the improvement in systems and procedures. As brand credibility, as well as tourism operator and destination sustainability relies on customer satisfaction, customer safety and security is of paramount importance. In today’s unpredictable work, the concept of ‘risk and crisis management’ is considered an increasingly important topic for all tourism organizations to understand.

Tourism businesses are increasingly utilizing management tools to incorporate sustainability considerations into their operations and decision-making processes. For some tourism businesses these sustainable practices have been incorporated due to ethical considerations of society and the environment, while many are motivated due to pressures from stakeholders, regulators, and customers. Many tourism businesses now recognize that incorporating sustainable practices are not only beneficial for society, but can also provide a long term competitive advantage.This course will begin by looking at the three major areas that make up sustainability: economic sustainability, socio-cultural sustainability, and environmental sustainability. Following this, students will examine how the international tourism industry effects each of these areas of sustainability, and the interconnectedness of these impacts. Students will then investigate the main principles and practices for sustainable tourism development at the local, regional, national, and international level. Students will be introduced to important tools and business skills for incorporating sustainable practices into tourism management and development through exposure to international case studies, as well as international standards and indicators for sustainable tourism practices.

This course focuses on the role that economics and policy play within the tourism industry. The course will focus on specific economic and policy theories that are essential for the tourism industry. Topics include an in depth study of the theory of tourism demand and supply, using a cost-benefit analysis, tax policy impacts, tourism valuation, economic analysis in management, and marketing and policy decisions. The course provides students an environment to become proficient in collecting and understanding economic data and models, determining the value of recreational resources, and analyzing tourism related projects across the private, public, and voluntary sectors of the tourism industry.

This course is designed to introduce you to contemporary elementary applied statistics and to provide you with an appreciation for the uses of statistics in business, economics, everyday life, as well as hands-on capabilities needed in your later coursework and professional employment.

Please note this course must be taken before the Tourism Analytics and the Tourism Economics and Policy courses. It is advised that students take the Quantitative Methods for Business course as early as possible to avoid delay in course scheduling.

This course aims to provide tourism industry professionals with the necessary tools to guide/aid decision making. The course is designed to familiarize students with quantitative data management and analytic skills such as econometric modeling, forecasting, interpretation of results, and development of conclusions, using tourism and hospitality information databases, as well as analytical software. Specific emphasis is given to econometric modeling of tourism assets that have cross and/or spatial dependence, in conjunction with applicable urban economics and finance theories. The course has two main goals: development of skill in the use of advanced data analysis techniques and the development of expertise in the interpretation and communication of their results.

Please note the course Quantitative Methods for Business must be taken before the Tourism Analytics course.

The Applied Project or Internship will be facilitated by STHM’s Center for Student Professional Development. Students will have the opportunity to develop an applied project with their current organization to offer a solution or strategic recommendation. The center will aid those not working in the industry to locate an internship.