Editor for this page: Samantha Hogenson Bray

For students, researchers, teachers and trainers, and those with research needs. Directories on this page:

• Higher Education and Research Groups
• University Programs
• Community College Programs
• Training

These directories are far from complete. Please submit new entries by entering a comment or e-mailing info@destinationcenter.org, 50-word maximum.

Higher Education and Research Groups:

Center for Responsible Travel (CREST) has an Academic Affiliates program that
includes experienced and highly-regarded professors whose classes and research involve sustainable tourism.

Commission on the Geography of Tourism, Leisure and Global Change shares news, events, and links to geography academics around the world via the International Geographical Union (IGU). Provides research, publications, links and announcements from academic professionals’ study. The site also offers a forum for the Tourism Geography Commission.

The Studienkreis für Tourismus und Entwicklung (Institute for Tourism and Development) is a German think tank dealing with research, development, and education in tourism, including an annual “dialogue” on particularly sensitive issues with top management and media (German and English).

Tourism Reset is a multi-university and interdisciplinary research and outreach initiative that seeks to identify, study, and challenge patterns of social inequity in the tourism industry.

University programs:

Aalborg University in Copenhagen, Denmark, offers a specialized masters in Global Tourism Development, with courses in Global Tourism and Transnational Mobility and Sustainable Development and Tourism.

Arizona State University has an online master’s program in Sustainable Tourism. The University also has a Center for Sustainable Tourism that provides community engagement and research.

Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand offers a Bachelor of International Tourism Management with one of two majors being Sustainable Tourism Management.

Brock University in Ontario, Canada, has a Department of Geography and Tourism Studies, which offers a specialized undergraduate degree in Tourism and Environment with the option to stream in Tourism Management that combine knowledge of environmental issues and      sustainability with an in-depth understanding of sustainable tourism management. The     department also produces research.

Bournemouth University in England offers a BA in Tourism Management, MSc in Tourism Management, MSc in International Hospitality and Tourism Management, and MSc in Tourism Marketing Management, with opportunities to specialize in cultural, natural, and other types of sustainably minded tourism.

California State University’s College of Business offers a BS in Sustainable Hospitality Management with concentrations in either Sustainable Hotel, Resort and Event Management or Sustainable Ecotourism Management.

Campus Fondo Verde is an online campus with a Division of International Education and offers a wide variety of courses, undergraduate, and postgraduate studies in sustainable tourism, ecotourism, management, social responsibility, environment, among others.

Capilano University in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada has several types of undergraduate and certificate degrees in tourism management, which include emphases in sustainability, community engagement, global consciousness, and engaged and experiential learning.

Charles Sturt University in Australia offers a BS in Outdoor Recreation and Ecotourism, with an optional Certificate IV in Outdoor Recreation in partnership with Wodonga TAFE.

CQ University offers a graduate certificate in Sustainable Tourism Management, which emphasizes learning how to manage tourism in natural and protected areas and how to apply sustainability concepts.

East Carolina University in Greenville, NC hosts the Center for Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engineering, which includes the study of tourism, alongside a MS in Sustainable Tourism and Hospitality. The Center focuses on collaborative research in areas of sustainable energy and ecological systems.

Eastern Michigan University offers a Geography Major – Geotourism Concentration and a Tourism Geography minor.

Edinburgh Napier University offers several distance-learning, undegraduate and postgraduate programs in the areas of Tourism, Hospitality, Festival, & Events Management, which include a MSc in International Tourism Destination Management, MSc in Crowded Space Design Managament Risk Analysis and a MSc in Global Hospitality Management

George Mason University in Manassas, VA, offers a BS program and minor in Tourism Management. Focusing on varying components of sustainable tourism, the program has been designated a GMU “Green Leaf” academic program—one which focuses on learning about sustainability.

The George Washington University, in Washington, DC, offers a Master of Tourism Administration (MTA) Program through the School of Business with a concentration in  Sustainable Tourism Management, a graduate certificate in Tourism Management, and undergraduate and distance-learning programs covering sustainable destination development. The associated International Institute for Tourism Studies performs research.

Leeds Beckett University (U.K.) offers a MSc in Responsible Tourism Management in the School of Events, Tourism and Hospitality.

Michigan State University has a masters and PhD program in Sustainable Tourism and Protected Area Management.

Missouri State University offers through the Department of Geography, Geology and Planning a minor in Sustainable Tourism Development.

Monash University in Australia offers a master of International Sustainable Tourism Management.

Mount Royal University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada offers a Bachelor of Health and Physical Education – Ecotourism and Outdoor Leadership. The program requires two expedition components.

New York University‘s Tisch Center for Hospitality & Tourism offers a BS in Hotel and Tourism Management and a MS in Tourism Management, both with integrated studies of sustainability and ecotourism. Graduate certificates are also offered in tourism management and restaurant, events, and convention management.

Polytechnic of Leiria in Portugal offers a Master in Sustainable Tourism Management, broken up into two blocks, theoretical and applied research work.

Ryerson University operates the Ted Rogers Institute for Hospitality & Tourism Research, focusing on sustainability, food, m-commerce, and visiting friends and relatives. The university also hosts Canada’s oldest hospitality program through its Bachelor of Commerce.

San Diego State University’s Sustainable Tourism Management Certificate program has courses in Wilderness and Leisure Experience, Cross-cultural Perspectives of Tourism, Global Travel and Tourism Management, Tourism Planning and Environmental and Cultural Interpretation.

Sustainability Management School in Switzerland offers a BBA, MBA, masters, and an online MAM in Sustainable Tourism Management.

University of Central Florida‘s Rosen College of Hospitality Management offers an online certificate in Destination Marketing and Management, with an emphasis in economic, socio-cultural and environmental impacts of tourist development at destinations, and a master’s in  Hospitality Tourism and Management.

University of Florida offers a MS in Tourism and Recreation Management. There are three specialization options of Tourism Analytics Specialization, Destination Development and Crisis Management Specialization, and Online Hospitality Business Management Specialization, which explores business resilience and the social and environmental impacts of tourism.

University of Northern Texas has a masters program in International Sustainable Tourism.

University of Otago, New Zealand, Department of Tourism offers a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Tourism (BCom in Tourism) with emphasis in ecotourism and sustainable development. The university also offers several graduate degrees and a wide range of research options. Visit the website for publication listings, ongoing research by students and professors, international collaborations, events, links, conferences, and affiliated organizations.

University of Quebec at Montreal, Canada, School of Business offers a Master in Tourism Development Program along with undergraduate and distance-learning programs in French covering sustainable destination development.

University of Surrey in England offers a MSc in International Tourism Management.

University of South Florida’s Patel College of Global Sustainability offers a masters with a concentration in Sustainable Tourism. The program focuses specifically on coastal habitat and marine environment issues related to tourism. The university also offers a two-year Sustainable Tourism Certificate online and in person.

University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada offers a Bachelors of Arts in Tourism Development (BA) and a MA Tourism through either the Department of Geography and Environmental Management for a Master of Environmental Studies (MES) or the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies for a Master of Arts (MA).

Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands offers a MSc in Tourism, Society and Environment with four optional trajectories of Development, Natural Resources, Global Change and Experiences. The university also offers a Professional Certificate in Tourism in Transition: Exploring a Sustainable Future encompassing three courses: Sustainable Tourism: Society & Environmental Aspects; Sustainable Tourism: Rethinking the future; and Tourism and Climate Change.

Wakayama University in Japan has a Graduate School of Tourism which offers a Masters and a PhD in Tourism. The Masters program includes studies in three main areas: Tourism Management, Regional Revitalisation, and Tourism & Culture. These areas are also taught as courses in the Faculty of Tourism.

Westminster University in London, England, offers a BA in Tourism with Business, BA in Tourism Planning and Management, BA in Tourism and Events Management, and a Masters in Tourism Management.

Western Sydney University in Australia offers a Bachelor of Tourism Management, Bachelor of Social Science (Heritage and Tourism), and a Bachelor of Social Science (Geography and Urban Studies). The core of the degrees provide an in-depth introduction to the business underpinnings of tourism (accounting, marketing and management) alongside a consideration of its natural, social and cultural environments.

Community College programs:

Centennial College, Toronto, ON, Canada offers a 3-year post-secondary Hospitality & Tourism Management degree, with a philosophy of global citizenship.

Hocking College in Nelsonville, Ohio, offers an associate degree in Ecotourism & Adventure Travel, includes subject areas of environmental issues, outdoor leadership skills, wilderness travel skills, natural history and cultural interpretation, resource and business management, assessment of ecotour-related ventures, and sustainable resource management.

Short Courses & Trainings:

Biosphere Tourism offers various certifications, including a Biosphere Training Program with courses backed by the experience of the Responsible Tourism Institute. Some courses are offered in both English and Spanish.

The Colorado State University’s Center for Protected Area Management (CPAM) and the Office of International Programs of the U.S. Forest Service offer the annual Seminar on Tourism and Protected Areas that is ideal for participants who work for governmental or NGO conservation and tourism organizations; in academia; in the private sector; and in community-based and indigenous tourism and conservation initiatives in or near protected areas.

The Global Sustainable Tourism Council offers a training program followed by the official GSTC Sustainable Tourism Training Program (STTP) Exam, leading to a Certificate in Sustainable Tourism by the GSTC to demonstrate knowledge of sustainable tourism standards and practices.

IHE Delft offers wide range of short, intensive and highly specialized courses which are aimed at upgrading and refreshing the knowledge and skills of mid-career professional and senior experts. The focus and content of short courses vary from specialized and technical matters to challenges and approaches in management.

Madrid’s Complutense University offers an online course on Sustainable Tourism and Green Jobs with a focus on Tourism and Sustainable Development, Tourism and Environment, Tourism, Culture and Society, Tourism and Socioeconomic Development, and Employment Sites in the Green Economy. The course is in Spanish.

Open University of Mauritius with the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) offers a MOOC on Sustainable Development in Business consisting of 4 modules and a certificate upon completion.

RISE Travel Institute offers the RISE Pilot Program, a 10-module online certification program exploring different aspects of sustainable travel with topics such as biodiversity, animals in tourism, voluntourism, and indigenous tourism. After successfully completing the program and a capstone project, students receive a Certificate in Sustainability and Anti-Oppression in Travel.

SDGAcademyX creates and curates graduate-level courses on sustainable development for learners around the world. Courses are related to Climate Change, Oceans, Sustainability, Water Management, etc., and its duration ranges from 4 to 10 weeks.

The Sustainability Academy offers affordable specialized online education and coaching in the field of Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility.

TrainingAid is an international tourism training company specialized in sustainable tourism. It offers online and in-person courses focusing on practical and accessible skills development opportunities for travel and tourism industry professionals. The main topic areas include business development, destination marketing and management, and effective tools and solutions for smart and sustainable growth of the tourism sector.

The Travel Foundation offers accessible, practical, and fun online sustainable tourism training for stakeholders across the travel industry. Three types of courses are offered: free, partner, and sponsored.

The UNWTO launched the Tourism Online Academy with three courses available on Introduction to Tourism, Industry Management; Get Certified: Introduction to Tourism-Industry Management; and Fundamentals of Tourism – Industry Management. The organization also has a YouTube channel called Academy Webinars with discussions on sustainability, statistics, wine tourism, SDGs, among others.

University of East Anglia has a course in Environmental Justice to help students understand how climate change, biodiversity loss and deforestation affect people and exploring justice in environment management. This course runs multiple times over the year.

Webinars:

On Tourism & Sustainability has a webinar series through which main topics are rebuilding tourism considering case studies in Thailand, Nepal, Ecuador; rethinking tourism, among others.

World Travel Market offers webinars related to several topics such as destination strategy, how to adapt to change quickly, tourism opportunities in a post-viral world, etc.

The World Travel & Tourism Council offers webinars on COVID-19 & the Future of Travel.

Publications—Journals, Research, Academic Books

The following peer-reviewed journals touch upon destination stewardship. Via these links, brief overviews of journal contents are available for free, as well as the option to download full articles for a fee:

• Journal of Ecotourism
• Journal of Heritage Tourism 
• Journal of Sustainable Tourism

Tourism Research Links are offered through René Waksberg’s directory for tourism researchers, consultants, and managers. The site lists tourism schools, journals, organizations, and research institutes.

Does your free entry belong in this directory? Please submit new entries by registering and submitting an entry, or by e-mailing info@destinationcenter.org, 50-word maximum.