Introduction to Tourism and Society

Tourism is one of the world’s largest industries and experiencing incredible growth. Travel and tourism directly contribute $1.4 trillion (U.S.) to the global economy. One in ten of the world’s total jobs are in travel and tourism and that number keeps on growing. In this course you learn where the persisting growth of tourism is coming from and what the effects this has on the social and natural environment. You’ll be challenged with more critical reflections of an industry steeped in comfort and enjoyment. You’ll discover that tourism is more than just a powerful and positive economic force. Tourist activities namely affect the environment of travel destinations and influence cultures worldwide. Tourism is very sensitive to global transformations such as changing consumer behavior, economic developments, climate change, epidemics, or acts of terrorism.
To explore and reflect on the development of tourism around the world, you'll be exposed to a variety of weekly insights. These include historical backgrounds, distinct approaches in the geography of tourism, common concepts and models used in these approaches, familiarization with different systems observations of tourism, and exposure to environmental, social and economic implications of tourism.
Based on weekly reflection exercises, you'll be challenged to form your own argument for a specific tourism development of your choice. You'll also help others in providing and receiving meaningful feedback on their critical reflections of tourism phenomena.

Please note: This course can only be followed online. To gain access to this online course, follow the instructions in Brightspace after registration.

After successful completion of this course students are expected to be able to:

• Recognize the historical development of global tourism up until today
• Identify different systemic observations of tourism as a complex phenomenon
• Observe the sheer size of social and environmental impacts of tourism
• Apply different approaches in the social study of tourism