LAR415

This course examines sustainable tourism planning theory and process, including case studies of past and present tourism development in Latin America, the Middle East, and the Pacific Rim nations. Each student will have the opportunity to develop and present regional as well as site specific tourism development plans for select socio-economic and environmental contexts. This course covers both issues and methods in planning for tourism development from the perspective of sustainable development, and this may be generally defined as using resources to meet the needs of society today in such a way as to ensure the availability of resources to meet the needs of future generations. To accomplish this requires the application of a variety of traditional public planning methods, with an emphasis on community participation and ecosystem management models.

Studies in this area of specialization are necessarily interdisciplinary in nature and focus on design and planning issues relevant to development programs in sustainable tourism. Emphasis is given to holistic design and planning methodologies that consider cultural, economic, functional, environmental, and aesthetic impacts on indigenous populations and ecological contexts. Much of the research focuses on alternative tourism and coastal development strategies in developing regions of the world. Faculty and student projects include research in Southwestern United States, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and the Pacific Rim. Strong interdisciplinary relationships have developed with Architecture, Planning, and Business Management, and the opportunity exists to work with students and faculty from these various disciplines in interdisciplinary teams.

Class format will include case studies, group read, write and discuss exercises, independent research and subsequent in class presentations, field trips including site inventory and analysis as well as development of basic conceptual tourism plans for select areas. This course will also be considered a prerequisite for our summer design and planning internships abroad, i.e. Palestine 2010 and Panama 2011. Undergraduate participants will be required to work on the one site specific tourism team planning project and forego participation on the regional project.

Fall, Spring, Summer