Overview of Course

This course provides students with an overview of the travel and tourism industry, which is one of the largest and fastest growing industries in the world. Course content will cover historical, behavioral, societal, environmental, and business aspects of travel and tourism. Students will gain an understanding of the organization of this multifaceted industry and the basics of supply and demand of a global industry that is constantly changing and adapting to new innovations such as Artificial Intelligence while faced with increased concerns over negative impacts of tourism on host communities. As we visit new destinations, students will be challenged to observe and interact with the various facets of the tourism industry they encounter and to bring this knowledge back to the classroom where it will be compared to their home country’s context. Students will also learn to understand more about themselves as tourists in terms of their preferences, risk tolerance, motivations, and their impact on host communities. Course content will include educating students about responsible tourism and how to incorporate these principles into their behavior when visiting different ports on Semester at Sea. This course provides foundational knowledge about the workings and impacts of both tourism as an industry and tourism as a facet of modern life. It is a perfect class to take while on Semester at Sea as the course content will help students better understand their interactions with the different aspects of the tourism industry both on and off the ship.