Overview of Course

Over the past decades, tourism has experienced continued expansion in face of economic turbulence and shifts in trends to become one of the largest and fastest-growing economic sectors in the world. As an important export category, international tourism has helped diversify both emerging and advanced economies, generate millions of direct and indirect jobs, and foster business development. Given its global importance, this course will provide students with an understanding of tourism and the tourism industry; the positive and negative economic, environmental, and sociocultural impacts of tourism and recreation; and ways to plan and manage tourism and recreational activities. This course will also examine current and evolving international issues and trends such as sustainability/Sustainable Development Goals, technologies such as Airbnb and the e-travel revolution, overtourism, climate change, tourist health and safety, and future employment using the various SAS countries as case studies.