Tourism Management

On paper, tourism is seductive and appealing, sparking associations to romantic beach scenes, azure waves and quality time with our loved ones. But it is also a profit generating business with a focus on growth and economy. As a global industry, it plays an important role for both wealthy nations and developing economies. The tourism industries form a complex ecosystem, which on the supply side consists of a large number of very different private actors with inconsistent and sometimes contradicting interests, and also many public and third-sector stakeholders with their own agendas. On the consumption side, there are many different kinds of tourism and tourists with behavior which impacts destinations in a number of ways, while indulging in tourism experiences.

However, tourism also has a more problematic side as a driver of wear and tear, poverty and negative environmental, social and economic impact. Without responsible tourism management, we risk eroding the destinations that tourists come to see. Thus, we need to develop an understanding of the concept of sustainability and of responsible approaches to tourism development, for example in relation to the environment and the local population. Tourism offers significant economic benefits, such as increased economic activity and job creation, but it needs to be practiced responsibly.

This course has high expectations of your preparation, critical and independent thinking, and active participation in the classroom. It aims to expand your knowledge of the tourism industries. After completing the course, you will have acquired strong knowledge of the practices in the tourism industries as well as an in-depth understanding of their underlying characteristics.

The student will have:
• Basic knowledge about tourism concepts and theories
• A fundamental comprehension of the contemporary tourism industry nationally and internationally
• Knowledge about key aspects of tourism from both a production and a consumption perspective
• Knowledge about the role of sustainability in tourism The student will be able to:
• Apply basic concepts and theories to empirical tourism cases
• Identify and manage self-chosen challenges independently and competently within different types of tourism area
• Assess different kinds of tourism from a production and a consumption perspective
• Analyse and assess the sustainability of tourism practices The student will be able to:
• Assess knowledge about the tourism industry critically
• Assess and apply relevant theoretical paradigms, perspectives and models in connection with tourism
• Critically integrate knowledge about sustainability into strategic decisions in the tourism industry
• Critically evaluate the consequences of the planning and execution of tourism products

Local programme elements offered as elective courses:
Elective courses must total 20 ECTS credits of the total ECTS credits of the programme. It is possible to choose between 9 elective courses, which are described in detail in the following.

The programme offers the opportunity to choose one elective course of 10 ECTS credits and two elective courses of 5 ECTS credits during the 4th semester.

The selection of elective courses takes place by students consulting this elective course catalogue. Afterwards, students submit their preferred electives in a form sent out by the study administration. Students will receive this form via email.

Each student must indicate two preferences for 10 ECTS courses and three preferences for 5 ECTS courses. The student must choose the elective courses before December 1st. Students who have not submitted the form with their choices before the deadline will automatically be assigned elective courses.

NOTE! It is not a first-come, first-served system; the allocation of elective courses will only begin after the deadline for submitting the form.

If the number of students who wish to take a course exceeds the maximum enrolment for the course, the study administration will allocate the spots. Every effort will be made to ensure that students receive their 1st or 2nd choice whenever possible.

The program's Coordinator can be contacted for questions regarding course selection or the selection process: mije@zealand.dk

Most elective courses are taught in English as they include international exchange students. Therefore, some of the following course descriptions are in English. Three courses are offered in Danish, and their descriptions are provided in Danish