Program
Academic Content
Unit 1: Tourism Destination Development and Strategic Planning (12 credits)
Unit 2: Principles of Analysis and Sustainable Development in Tourism (12 credits)
Unit 3: Tourism Industry Development and Management (12 credits)
Unit 4: Managerial Tools and Competencies (12 credits)
Unit 5: Final Project (12 credits)
Unit 1: Tourism Destination Development and Strategic Planning
- 1. Destination Planning and Management (3 credits)Destination Planning and ManagementDestination Planning and Management (3 credits)This course examines the emerging theme of destination management that has developed as a holistic and synthesizing approach to understand the management of tourism issues in a destination context. It is still developing as a focus of tourism research and education but it has the potential to help managers focus on the specific issues germane to their own locality or country.The course will introduce the concept of destination management and illustrate the different tools and techniques which managers can utilize to help address the management of tourism in a targeted and effective manner in conjunction with other stakeholders (e.g. the private and public sector, communities and visitors). Destination management enables mangers to see the linkages between different elements in the tourism system at a destination level and this course will draw together many of these strands with appropriate examples and case studies of best practice, utilizing appropriate academic literature and best practice from recent UNWTO work in this field.The course will stress the importance of destination management as a discipline necessary to staying competitive in the globalised tourism sector where every country and its multitude of destinations are now competing for visitors.Course Objectives:1 – To introduce the concept of the destination and how it can be developed as a tool to manage tourism in destinations.
2 – To highlight the application of theory and practice of specific management techniques to understand the means by which destinations can remain competitive.
3 – To challenge existing thinking on destination development and the future of destination growth.
4 – To enable course participants to gain an in-depth appreciation of what action and interventions they may take to ensure destinations retain a state of sustainable growth and development
Instructor: Stephen Page
- 2. E-Business and the Tourism Industry (3 credits)
Course Objectives:
1 – Understand what are hoteliers doing to reach their customers on the web.
2 – Understand why are they spending their budget on some Internet marketing practices over others?
3 – Understand where is the most business coming from on the Internet.
4 – Identify main trends in online marketing in hospitality.
5 – Learn how to define an Strategic Road Map and a Revenue Based Model for a hotel chain.
Instructor: Javier Gonzalez-Soria y Moreno de la Santa
- 3. Tourism Market Intelligence: Tools, Techniques and Trends (3 credits)
With the tourism industry’s rise in economic power, it is becoming increasingly more important for businesses and policy makers to have an understanding of market trends, tourism indicators (arrivals, receipts, expenditures and outbound tourism) and opportunity recognition. The combination of these skills and ability to apply them to business decisions can be deemed, “market intelligence.”
Market intelligence adds to a competitive edge and effective policy making by helping leaders maintain the quality of their product, adjust promotional activities to changes in demand and overcome macro issues such as global recession.
Throughout this course, students will focus on benchmarking analysis and demand models from theoretical and practical points of view.
Course Objectives:
- Identify and analyze tourism market trends;
- Increase and disseminate knowledge on specific market segments and generating markets, in particular the ones with the fastest growing trends;
- Perform market segmentation and benchmarking analysis;
- Assess the amplitude of seasonality of tourism demand;
- Forecast tourism demand as aggregate and for individual markets;
- Critically interpret the results of the analysis;
- Estimate and assess the relationship between promotion and demand;
- Define means and strategies to maximize the effectiveness and return of tourism promotional activities.
- 4. Strategic Marketing in Tourism (3 credits)
The aim of this module is to provide students with a balance of concepts, principles and processes drawn from the study of contemporary tourism marketing. The module aims to develop competent, adaptable and independent marketing oriented managers capable of providing strategic marketing direction in the tourism industry.
Course Objectives:
- To exhibit a critical awareness of current problems and challenges facing tourism marketers.
- To select and demonstrate advanced skills in problem solving in the area of tourism marketing.
- To analyse and evaluate tourism marketing opportunities in areas such as consumer behaviour and segmentation.
- To apply and develop the concepts of the marketing mix.
- To integrate and synthesise concepts, processes, and principles in managing the tourism marketing effort
Instructor: Ingy Abdel Kader Shaaban
Unit 2: Principles of Analysis and Sustainable Development (online)
- 1. Tourism Policy Analysis (3 credits)
Course Objectives:
- Describe the public policy and sustainable destination management process and its relationship to international affairs.
- Identify public and private sector organizations involved in tourism policy formation.
- Identify major tourism policy and sustainable destination management issues and their influence on public and private sector travel-related organizations.
- Identify alternative solutions to tourism policy and destination management issues.
- Elaborate on a specific tourism policy formation comparative project.
Instructor: Jorge Guardiola,
Author of online material: Kristin Lamoureux
- 2. Tourism Economics and Impact Analysis (3 credits)
Course Objectives:
- To introduce the concepts and definitions in which tourism, as an economic activity, is grounded.
- To understand how the tourism activity is measured both from a demand and supply perspectives and to identify the challenges in that process.
- To explain the tourists’ behaviour and the new trends which are crucial to ensure an effective management of tourism destinations.
- To understand the consumer theory applied to tourism.
- To understand the production process in tourism.
- To employ data and case studies to assist in the understanding of the concepts, theories and situations explained in this module.
Instructor: Blanca Delgado,
Author of online material: Isabel Cortés Jiménez
- 3. Cultural Tourism (3 credits)
- 4. Sustainable Tourism (3 credits)
Unit 3: Tourism Industry Development and Management (online)
- 1. Service Quality Management and the Tourism Industry (3 credits)
Course Objectives:
- To introduce the concepts and definitions related to Quality, including developer agencies and applied standards.
- To understand how the commitment to quality has become the focus of the competitive strategies of companies and tourist destinations.
- To learn how to interpret and implement every requirement of UNE-EN-ISO 9001:2008, which is the most recognized quality standard worldwide in a tourist entity.
- To understand the organization of certification worldwide, the role of Accreditation and Certification Bodies, and the methodology for conducting certification audits.
- To know a specific model of tourism certification unique in the world: The case of the Spanish Q.
Instructor: María José Gutierrez,
Author of online material: Loreto del Río Bermúdez
- 2. E-Marketing for Tourism (3 credits)
- 3. Events and Tourism (3 credits)
Course Objectives:
- Explain why planned events are important to culture, society, the economy and environment.
- Present the essential elements and foundations of event management.
- Discuss the nature and importance of event tourism to destinations, and of tourism to individual events.
- Provide a systematic approach to the planning, development and marketing of event tourism.
- Employ case studies of successful events, cities and destinations in demonstrating effective event tourism policies, strategies and actions.
- Profile different kinds of event tourists, and explain the theory and research necessary to understand demand for events.
- Specify ways to develop tourism generated by business events, sports, and festivals.
- Show how to conduct evaluation and impact assessments employing a triple-bottom-line approach.
Instructor: Pascual Rivas,
Author of online material: Donald Getz
- 4. Transport Issues in Tourism (3 credits)
While tourism transport demand is usually a derived demand and heavily dependent on factors outside the control of transport operators, the tourism industry itself is equally dependent on the ability of a transport system to provide for the desired capacity of movement to a destination at an appropriate price, particularly during periods of peak demand. This course therefore explores the close relationship and inter-dependence between tourism and transport and how its management can be used to facilitate destination development.
Transport is vital to the destination and impacts upon the visitor experience. In addition to the journey to and from the destination, tourists also require mobility around the destination area. This course explores how demand for tourist mobility can best be met in different types of destination areas.
The final interface between transport and tourism explored by this course is where the transport vehicle itself becomes a tourist attraction.
Course Objectives:
- To introduce the significance of the tourist transport system to gain a holistic view of the tourism-transport relationship and its importance to economic development.
- Understand the importance of different modal forms of transport and the role of integration across modes to improve the visitor experience.
- Appreciate the economic and regulatory framework within which transport operators make management and planning decisions.
- Understand the differing roles and potential conflicts of interest between transport operators, regulators, planning authorities and consumers.
- Evaluate sustainable transport policies and assess their wider impact.
- To provide a holistic understanding of the current issues which are impacting on transport provision and management in relation to tourism.
- To evaluate the contribution of tourism transport to climate change and CO2 emissions and assess strategies to reduce this impact.
- To outline future strategies which impact transport and tourism such as the emergence of ‘slow travel’.
- Assess the role of transport as a tourist activity in its own right.
Instructor: Diego Becerril,
Author of online material: Derek Robbins
Unit 4: Managerial Tools and Competencies (on-site)
- 1. Dynamic Leadership (3 credits)
- 2. Human Resources Management and Development (3 credits)
Course Objectives:
Provide a basic understanding of the Human Resource Management field, including knowledge of job analysis, human resource planning, recruiting, employment selection, performance appraisal, compensation, incentives, and benefits.
Convey the applicability of the course material to the hospitality industry. We will use cases, examples, and graded exercises that will require students to apply what they learn to problems faced by hospitality managers.
Provide a strategic perspective on HRM, showing how HR practices combine with each other and the organization’s strategy and environment to impact the performance of the organization. This material will include how HRM helps achieve organizations’ goals, how to evaluate the impact of HR interventions, and issues related to international HRM.
Instructor: Michael Sturman
- 3. Strategic Management (3 credits)
Course Objectives:
Upon the completion of this course, students should be able to:
- Identify and evaluate critical issues in the hospitality and tourism industry,
- Analyze the external environment of hospitality and tourism organizations,
- Analyze the task environment of hospitality and tourism organizations,
- Analyze the internal environment and competitive advantage of hospitality and tourism organizations
- Propose appropriate strategies for hospitality and tourism organizations to respond to the critical issues,
- Demonstrate knowledge of strategic management theories and concepts employed in the hospitality and tourism industry,
- Prepare and present a case study project on a tourism and hospitality organization.
Instructor: Dr. Fevzi Okumus
- 4. Entrepreneurial Development in the Tourism Industry (3 credits)
Through using new combinations of resources it is possible to extend an organization’s competitive advantage and help in the development of new business through market and process innovation. The course will consider entrepreneurship from the individual level and the perspective of how an entrepreneur and organization builds its social capital, develops partnerships and extends their reach through marketing, social media and networking.
We will discuss how regions and cities can promote entrepreneurship as a tool for economic development through capacity building and partnership. Best practices from the OECD, the European Union and the United States will be discussed in terms of how these practices can be implemented to help local policy makers, development organizations and the companies that partner with them to stimulate growth.
Course Objectives:
- Develop understanding and appreciation for the differences between established companies and new ventures.
- Learn the tools for educating and facilitating entrepreneurs in the tourism sector.
- Encourage the development of an entrepreneurial mindset, important to successful startup performance, new venture creation, social entrepreneurship and corporate venturing.
- Develop an understanding of the importance of social media and personal branding for entrepreneurs in the area of hospitality
- Understand the use of social media and web 2.0 applications as tools for individuals and organizations.
- Introduce and discuss basic concepts and theories of entrepreneurship and the function of different entities in the entrepreneurial support structure for both domestic and international endeavors in the area of tourism development.
Instructor: Dana Redford
Unit 5: Final Project
The final project serves as a capstone in which the students must apply all knowledge and understanding of the tourism industry and management acquired in the master. Each student chooses a topic of special interest that is related to his or her current work or career goals. This includes but is not limited to a publicly traded company, government organization or a recently developed project. After selection an institution, the students realize a complete financial, strategic and organizational analysis along with a vision of the future and a recommended course of action.
All students are assigned a mentor who provides guidance on structure and content. To complete the unit, the analysis must be defended publicly before a panel of three experts, professors and/or business professionals in the tourism industry.
