Semester 1

In the first semester, you will study the four main modules of the program. Each of these modules contributes to an aspect of tourism destination development.

• Sustainable Destination Development
• Event Tourism - Planning, Marketing, Evaluation
• Managing and Interpreting Natural and Cultural Heritage Sites
• Place and Destination Marketing

You will also visit businesses, cultural heritage managers and event organizations as well as regional tourism destinations.

Semester 2

In the second semester, you will learn about research methods and you will complete a research project that focuses on an aspect of destination development at an international or local tourism destination.

• Theory and Research Methods
• Degree Thesis in Tourism

Guest lectures and seminars headed by representatives from the regional tourism branch and from international partner universities as well as alumni are regularly held so that current students can learn more about international research in tourism, the employment market as well connect with former students to talk about opportunities.

Upon completion of this program, you will receive a Master of Science in Tourism Studies. You can use this degree to apply for PhD studies in Sweden.

Program objectives

Following a successful completion of this tourism program students shall have attained:

• An extended knowledge of theory development and the research frontier in tourism and especially in destination development.
• The ability to assess global changes and interpret these in a local situation and understanding of how destinations and businesses are linked and interplay with processes at different levels of scale.
• The ability to critically assess the prerequisites and consequences of different strategies for sustainable tourism destination development
• The ability to critically observe social processes and issues and be able to discuss both in written and oral form these in a tourism studies perspective.
• The capacity to formulate questions which are founded both in theory and method.
• The capacity to collect, handle and analyse empirical data. This also entail the presentation of a thesis in which relevant concepts and theories are elaborated.

Upon completion of the program, you may apply for a PhD position within Tourism Studies or similar fields at any Swedish university. You may also apply for a full Bologna Master Degree at some of our partner universities in Europe.

Tourism is a major growth industry internationally, and there is an urgent need for knowledge on how to develop destinations in a sustainable manner. The courses in the TDD Program prepare you to work within the tourism and marketing fields, and can lead to countless job opportunities, including positions as:

• Junior Online Marketer
• Tourism Officer
• Destination Development Consultant
• Operations Manager

You will most likely find work in destination-marketing organisations, at hotels, in activity companies, and within local and regional tourism-planning organisations throughout the world.