“For ten years now, the Master’s degree program in ‘Tourism and Sustainable Regional Development’ has been teaching students based on a concept that is situated at the intersection of destinations and living spaces, which is seen as one of the few possibilities for actually implementing sustainability in the age of overtourism", says Prof. Dr. Harald Pechlaner, head of the program and holder of the Chair of Tourism at the KU. Since its foundation ten years ago, the program’s content was continuously adapted to current developments – especially with regard to questions of sustainability. This is also reflected in the name of the degree program that was originally titled "Tourism and Regional Planning" and was later renamed to "Tourism and Sustainable Regional Development” – which is a unique program in Germany.
"In view of the ongoing debate on climate change and its consequences, the field of tourism also faces new challenges. Students of the Master's program also and especially deal with these 'side effects' of tourism", said KU Vice President Prof. Dr. Klaus Stüwe in his welcome address. For example, students investigated when social and ecological limitations are reached and how to maintain a healthy balance for locals and tourists alike using the example of the Canary Island Lanzarote. In his keynote speech on sustainable traveling, Dr. Frano Ilić (Studiosus Reisen München GmbH) also touched upon the current climate debate. Based on the three pillars of sustainability (ecology, economy and society), he outlined tourism’s dependence on climate and emphasized the responsibility of travelers.
During its 10-year existence, the degree program counted 150 successful graduates who are amongst others active in the fields of destination management, regional and urban development and consulting. The sectors and professional fields in which graduates of the program are employed reflect the degree program’s interdisciplinary character and international orientation, with its six partner universities in Northern and Eastern Europe. In the context of the collaborations with the Finnish Oulu University and the Slovakian Matej Bel University, it is even possible to obtain a double degree.
Further information on the Master’s degree program in “Tourism and Sustainable Regional Development – Management and Geography” is available at www.ku.de/mgf/geographie/tourismus/ and at tnr.ku.de.