Tourism, development and sustainability 5 op

Open university students and geography students, especially students who will specialize to Tourism Geography. Students who aim for a Minor in Geography and/or Tourism.

After the course, the student understands and can apply the principles of sustainable tourism in different contexts;

- he/she understands the importance of sustainable development in tourism in different contexts and from different viewpoints (spatial, stakeholder, sector).

- student acknowledges the utilization of tourism for diverse development purposes and has basic understanding about its potential pitfalls, especially in the Global South framework.

- The student can analyse and compare the impacts and meaning of different tourism activities to sustainable development.

The course focuses on the idea of sustainable tourism and sustainable development with emphasis on tourism in Global South. The course examines the conceptual and practical dimensions of sustainable tourism, its relationship with sustainable development in general and the applicability and problems associated with it.

The course’s basic concepts include the following: tourism and sustainable development, sustainable tourism, tourism impacts and sustainability at different scales (local-global) and environments, the roles of different actors (stakeholders) in sustainable tourism, tourism development plans and policies, methods to measure sustainability in tourism and tourism development, the role of sustainable tourist.

These concepts will be discussed both theoretically and in practice, highlighting their relevance in the Global South dimension and utilizing examples in different contexts. Some topical issues relating with the main theme sustainable tourism, such as pro-poor tourism and climate change will be covered in the Global South contexts. In addition, the student chooses one relevant topic to which she/he familiarizes.

Increase knowledge about the role and meaning of tourism in relation to development at different scales, and in different contexts, in the sustainability framework. Sustainability will be examined throughout the tourism system, at different scales and in diverse environments, with central focus on the development issues in the Global South.

...

Virtual lectures/ppts, reader, short weekly learning diaries, group discussions, and a final assignment, which is also peer-evaluated. Most of the course is virtual, and realized in Moodle environment. Virtual lectures, readings, small tasks, group discussions and assignments. Seminar attendance is compulsory.

Teachers Outi Kulusjärvi, Jarkko Saarinen