Home News & Features U.S. May Soon Have First Master’s Degree in Sustainable Tourism

U.S. May Soon Have First Master’s Degree in Sustainable Tourism

1358
0
SHARE

GREENVILLE, N.C.—Eastern Carolina University’s (ECU) Center for Sustainable Tourism may be small but it may soon do something that no other U.S. university has done: create a Master of Science Degree in Sustainable Tourism. Late last month, the request to establish a new program was approved by the Faculty Senate. It is currently being reviewed by the University of North Carolina-General Administration office. The target date to offer the degree program is this fall. According to Alex Naar, sustainable tourism outreach coordinator at East Carolina University’s Office of Innovation, Engagement and Economic Development in partnership with the Center for Sustainable Tourism at ECU and the North Carolina Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development, the program will work to train a new generation of tourism professionals and academics who have both an understanding of the fundamentals of tourism as well as sustainability.

“Once the program has been established, we will be able to immediately integrate students into programs that are going on in the state, including programs at hotels,” Naar says.

The new degree program is just part of the Center’s focus. Its mission is three-fold:

• To advance the state of academic research and analysis that advocate sustainable practices in the travel and tourism industry.
• To communicate these results to businesses, government planners, destinations, and communities throughout North Carolina, the nation, and globally to influence public policy and business decisions.
• To help university students understand the broader sustainability issues challenging the travel and tourism industry, train them for careers in sustainable tourism business management, and help them secure internships and jobs in the industry.

Summit Focused on Sustainable Tourism

The Center, which was established in 2007, recently co-hosted a mini-summit on sustainable tourism and last November held a Climate, Weather and Tourism workshop. More than 100 academics and tourism business leaders from across the state of North Carolina attended the workshop. It was held as part of a Renewable Energy in Tourism Initiative (RETI) that was developed with the support of the Center, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the University of Colorado’s Energy Initiative, and Miles Media. Sustainable Travel International has since joined RETI.

“We have quite a collection of individuals here who have an interest in climate research,” says Patrick Long, director of the Center for Sustainable Tourism. “Over the long term, the changing climate will have a significant impact on tourism businesses.”

Long says the Center is in the midst of applying for a federal grant from the Economic Development Administration to expand RETI. If expanded, the program would seek to provide technical assistance to small businesses interested in renewable energy and facilitate the organization of a Renewable Energy in Tourism Summit. Already, RETI has resulted in Best Practice manuals and the launch of www.renewabletourism.com.

Online Data Tracking System

In partnership with the Asheville, N.C., Chamber of Commerce, the Center is establishing an online system for 1) identifying baseline data regarding sustainable practices in tourism businesses including energy, water, and waste management, among others, and 2) measuring the actual progress over time which these businesses are making collectively. This information will ensure a more accurate assessment of sustainable actions and allow for more credible data to support investment in sustainability and marketing efforts to the traveling public.

An initiative to examine the impacts of tourism has been established in order to provide quality information to developers, elected officials, community planners, public managers and residents in high-amenity tourist-based communities striving to estimate, understand and manage the changes they are facing and, through effective decision-making, contribute to the long-term economic, environmental and socio-cultural sustainability of their communities. Working with residents and second home owners, business operators and public officials, the Center currently is evaluating residual economic and environmental impacts of tourism.

On its website, the Center provides valuable sustainable practices information to lodging establishments throughout North Carolina. Tip sheets developed in partnership with the North Carolina Division of Tourism and the North Carolina Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance include lists of green product and service providers. The Center also has a growing contact database which includes organizations representing pollution prevention, renewable energy, nature and cultural based tourism, and local agriculture.

Click here for more information on the Center for Sustainable Tourism.

Glenn Hasek can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.

LEAVE A REPLY