Sustainable Tourism: Stepping away from ABC Tourism (Airport-Barbeque-Church), February 1-17, 2017, AUA, Yerevan, Armenia
The course analyses sustainable tourism, dwelling on three different branches: gastronomic tourism; outdoor sports; and religious/historical tourism with the focus on preservation of cultural heritage. As a case study Armenia will be considered for its sustainable tourism potential. The course combines an introduction to the concept of sustainable tourism, a market study of tourism in Armenia with a practical part where participants will be required to draft a sustainable tourism package for the target country.
The training is organized into four core topics:
- sustainable tourism: definition, feasibility, supply and demand;
- Gastronomic tourism in Armenia
- outdoor sport and religious/historical tourism in Armenia;
- technology & marketing of sustainable tourism in a landlocked tourist destination;
Key concepts to enhance to strategies required by this particular form of tourism will be the role of tour operators, the relations between tourist demand and the host communities, and the pivotal use of IT. The final output, participant's tourist package, shall include a business prospective on a chosen destination, a feasible and reasonable list of activities, a sustainable supply chain for tourist accommodation, transport and activities, and a clear marketing strategy. A special emphasis will be put on the value of social media and digital marketing for the process of commercialization of tourist packages. Participants will be familiarized with developed markets and practices (Italian gastronomic and rural tourism; German outdoor-sport network; European system of Certification and labels).
Learning Objectives and Outcomes:
- You will get acquainted with the core principles of sustainability, sustainable tourism, ecotourism, outdoor sports and sport tourism&events.
- You will learn how to apply sustainable tourism to existent tourist business and practice, from the prospective of a tour operator and of a tourist.
- You will be able to effectively organize a sustainable tourism package (identification of the destination, transport to and from, sustainable supply chain, tourist activities and consequent tourist offers).
- You will improve your IT skill in the field of marketing and commercialization of a tourist offer.
- You will learn how to make your product eligible and recognizable to international eco-tourists and to cooperate with regional and international partners to promote sustainable tourism.
Dates: February 1–17
Hours: 3 weeks, 24 hours
Schedule: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 6:30-9:30 pm
Fee: AMD 80,000
Language of instruction: English
About the Instructor: Dr. Marilisa Lorusso has work experience in mass tourism industry (cruises) and ecotourism. She cooperated with an Italian association (Blue Bike) for the organization of two of the main outdoor sport events in Europe, the 24h Finale Mountain Bike Race and Enduro Race. She has a sound academic background and teaching experience in different countries. She underwent teaching training and upgrades in Italy, Turkey and Tunisia.
Enrollment: To enroll in AUA Extension courses, please go through the following steps (see below for the Armenian version):
- Visit im.aua.am.
- Create an account by clicking New User Registration.
- If you are not a new user and already have an AUA account (having previously taken the AUA e-Math Test or applied to AUA), you should log into the account that you had created at that time.
- If you just registered as a new user, you will get an email asking to activate your account.
- Now, for registering to take a course, choose the Extension tab, then Extension Applications, and apply for the course(s) you choose.
- After you register online, your application will be reviewed and you will receive an email acknowledging your application.
- Closer to the course start date, you will receive another email confirming your enrollment, requesting that you make payment before the course start date. The fee can be paid online via credit card or through the EasyPay terminal (located at the entrance to AUA). Alternatively, you may pay the fee via bank transfer to American University of Armenia Fund, account 001-006402-001, HSBC Bank Armenia, indicating your full name (as in the registration) and the course you are paying for.
- The completed application together with the record of payment completes your enrollment.
Steps for online registration_Armenian
