Master's Degree in Sustainable Tourism in the works at Eastern Carolina University

Eastern Carolina University’s Center for Sustainable Tourism is currently working on establishing a new and entirely unprecedented Master of Science Degree in Sustainable Tourism; the first of its kind in the United States. The program is structured to train a new generation of tourism professionals and academics who have both an understanding of the fundamentals of tourism as well as sustainability.

Plans are currently being reviewed by the University of North Carolina-General Administration office, while the target start-date of the program is set for the Fall 2009 semester.

“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,” said Alex Naar, Sustainable Tourism Outreach Coordinator at East Carolina University.

Established in 2007, the Center for Sustainable Tourism at ECU was established to advance the state of academic research and analysis that advocate sustainable practices in the travel and tourism industry while working with communities to influence public policy and business decisions. It also aims 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.

The Center held a Climate, Weather and Tourism workshop in November 2008 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.

“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.”

According to Long, 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.

For more information, visit www.sustainabletourism.org and  www.renewabletourism.com (RETI).