SUST 102 - Sustainable Tourism and Development

5 Credits

Tourism, which can be understood as individuals traveling to societies and cultures other than their own usual environment, is the world’s largest business with billions of tourists each year. Whether they realize it or not, visitors impact the destinations that they call on during their excursions. There are elements of socio-cultural and environmental impacts associated with tourism whether tourists visit via cruise line, airline, vehicle, or rail to experience attractions, lodging, food and beverage, natural areas, heritage, etc. Marginalized cultures and societies such as indigenous groups are particularly impacted by tourism impacts due to global power inequalities. This course investigates the impacts individuals make on each other’s cultures when visitors and host communities collide with each other during tourism experiences. There is a marked focus on socio-cultural conservation, cross-cultural communication, and the sustainability of diverse indigenous groups at destinations where tourism is prevalent.

Fees

Quarters Typically Offered
Fall Day, Online
Spring Day, Online

Designed to Serve All students interested in primary topics covered during the tenure of this course are encouraged to enroll: sustainability, tourism, cross-cultural communication, diversity, development; and specific forms of tourism such as mass tourism, ecotourism, agrotourism, and heritage tourism.
Active Date 20210403T10:09:49

Grading System Decimal Grade
Class Limit 28
Shared Learning Environment Yes
Contact Hours: Lecture 55
Total Contact Hours 55
Degree Distributions:
ProfTech Course Yes
Restricted Elective Yes
Course Outline

What is tourism, tourism development, and sustainable tourism?
Approaches to sustainability, tourism, and tourism development
Key topics in sustainable tourism (e.g. religion, diversity, communication, community well-being, indigenous knowledge)
Critical perspectives of sustainable tourism development
Market-based socio-cultural conservation through tourism (i.e. how we can leverage tourism to protect cultural diversity during globalization).

Student Learning Outcomes
Learners will examine the application of sustainable tourism in diverse socio-cultural contexts.

Learners will outline the principles of sustainable tourism and development.

Learners will determine the primary impacts tourism exerts on the people, environment, and economy at destinations.

Learners will critically analyze best practices for sustainable development in the tourism sector.

Learners will propose plans for existing tourism locations and infrastructures to reduce social inequalities at the destination level.