TOURISM, SUSTAINABILITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE - 1

The course is part of the core educational activities of the Master’s Degree Program in Tourism, Management, and Sustainability. This module, together with the one taught by Prof. Stefano Soriani, constitutes a single 12 CFU course, with shared objectives and teaching methods. The aim of the course is to provide conceptual knowledge to develop the ability to analyse and interpret tourist destinations, recognising their environmental and historical-cultural potential. It also seeks to illustrate how tourism can evolve to become sustainable from both an environmental and social perspective. Specifically, this first module aims to explore how tourism impacts the economy, society, culture, and environment worldwide, addressing the concept of sustainability primarily from a social and cultural perspective. The second module, on the other hand, will focus mainly on environmental sustainability.

1. Knowledge and Understanding:
1.1 Acquire key concepts for a critical approach to interpreting the places shaped by tourism.
1.2 Understand the concept of transformative/sustainable tourism through a series of concrete examples.
1.3 Understand best practices that can be adopted to make tourism a sustainable practice.

2. Ability to Apply Knowledge and Understanding:
2.1 Analyse contemporary tourist destinations.
2.2 Understand the social and cultural impact of tourism.
2.3 Recognise the dynamics of tourism development (past or ongoing) and identify the associated social, cultural, and environmental issues.

3. Critical Thinking:
3.1 Evaluate the economic, environmental, and socio-cultural factors that contribute to the sustainability (or unsustainability) of tourism at different scales.

4. Communication Skills:
4.1 Present acquired knowledge in writing in a logical, coherent, and concise manner.
4.2 Acquire key terminology related to tourism geography, the international Anglo-American academic debate, and best practices in sustainable tourism.

Being able to read, speak, and write in English.

Tourism and Geography
Tourism Demand and Supply
Cultural Geography and Tourism
Urban and Rural Areas as Resources and Obstacles for Tourism
Political Factors as Resources and Obstacles for Tourism
The Economic Benefits of Tourism
Tourism Products (e.g., beach tourism, nature and tourism, slow and wellness tourism, dark tourism…)
The Social Benefits of Tourism
The Social Costs of Tourism
Tourism, Representations of Places, and Social Media
Experiences of Place in Tourism
Transformative/Sustainable Tourism

Lectures' notes and selected chapters from the following texts:
Nelson, V. (2021). An introduction to the geography of tourism. Rowman & Littlefield.
Mason, P. (2023). Geography of tourism: image, impacts and issues.
Smith, J. (2017). Transforming travel: Realising the potential of sustainable tourism. Cabi.

The instructor will ensure that relevant materials from these textbooks are uploaded to Moodle after each lecture.

For all students, both attending and non-attending, the exam consists of a written test with 18 multiple-choice questions worth 1 point each, 3 open-ended questions worth 4 points each, and 1 additional open-ended question for honours. The questions are based on the notes taken in class during the lectures and on all the materials uploaded to Moodle by the instructor throughout the course.

Total number of multiple-choice questions: 18. Value of each correct multiple-choice answer: 1 point. Total score from multiple-choice questions: 18 points. Total number of open-ended questions: 3. Value of each open-ended question: 4 points.Total score from open-ended questions: 12 points.
Maximum total score (multiple-choice questions + open-ended questions): 30 points.
Requirement for honours consideration: The student must achieve the maximum score of 30 points.
Honours: If the student obtains 30 points, the additional open-ended question for honours will be evaluated. If the response demonstrates excellence, honours will be awarded.

Frontal teaching followed and integrated with active participation in class encouraged by the instructor by asking questions encouraging comments and suggestions.

English

It is recommended to enrol in the course’s Moodle page.

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Cities, infrastructure and social capital" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development