SOU to supply 'sustainable tourism' diploma – Medford Information, Climate, Sports activities, Breaking Information – Mail Tribune
13 lovely programs providing BOGO offers on rounds of golf. Don’t miss out!
LOCAL DEALS: The 2022 Golf Card on Sale Now!
Beginning fall time period, Southern Oregon College college students will be capable to take programs towards a brand new diploma program emphasizing environmental sustainability within the tourism trade whereas additionally educating them find out how to be enterprise leaders within the subject.
The college just lately introduced the approval of a Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Tourism Administration, consisting of such programs as “Sustainable Tourism,” but additionally “Tourism Coverage and Planning,” in addition to “Case Research in Company Sustainability.”
The brand new diploma is feasible, partially, via the work of Pavlina McGrady, SOU affiliate professor of enterprise, who has labored on the Ashland establishment since 2016. In that point, she developed the sustainable tourism course and a certificates in sustainable tourism administration.
“That is type of the culminating level with this new program — a full diploma,” McGrady mentioned, “and, I don’t know, hopefully, in a pair years, we’ll work on a graduate diploma, as effectively.”
Requested to outline “sustainable tourism,” McGrady used the identical definition because the World Tourism Group, which defines it, partially, as “tourism that takes full account of its present and future financial, social and environmental impacts.” It’s a definition that displays the trade’s evolution, in keeping with McGrady, and is a motive why SOU sought to create a brand new diploma round sustainable tourism.
“Now can be a superb time to cease, suppose, re-strategize and, possibly, give you new fashions as a result of, beforehand, tourism was primarily specializing in advertising,” she mentioned. “You may market and get extra folks, however you don’t take into consideration the impacts of that.”
She described the state of the tourism trade as at a “tipping level,” with stress from stakeholders and shoppers who need extra sustainable services.
“There’s actually, I’d argue, a once-in-a-generation alternative to reset the trade, globally, as a sector,” McGrady mentioned.
To graduate with a level in sustainable tourism, college students should full 36 credit score hours of required decrease division coursework in enterprise, environmental science and tourism, and 52 credit score hours of required higher division coursework.
“The coed graduating can have this long-term, systemic pondering,” McGrady mentioned. “Any enterprise, whether or not it’s tourism-related or not, can’t be profitable in the long run if there’s no sustainability mindset. The aim ought to be greater than creating wealth; you must take into consideration all the folks, the setting. All these parts make it easier to achieve success and keep in enterprise.”
Will Volpert is the proprietor of Phoenix-based Indigo Creek Outfitters, which affords professionally guided whitewater rafting excursions in Southern Oregon.
However Volpert, who graduated with a enterprise diploma from SOU, has an opinion on what “sustainability” means, each from the enterprise and environmental views.
Whereas “enterprise sustainability” means following an working plan to maintain one thing going with out further assets, Volpert mentioned “environmental sustainability” for Indigo means “responsibly providing excursions … that should not have a damaging affect on the useful resource,” be it the river, entry factors or tenting areas, for instance.
“Sustainable tourism takes under consideration all of those totally different lenses,” Volpert mentioned, “and particularly appears to be like at potential impacts that bringing guests to a rural group might probably have, and determining methods to be sure that it’s a constructive affect. But when there are potential damaging impacts, there’s work that may go into mitigating these.”
Volpert credit his rafting guides as being “the very best stewards of a few of these particular locations we go to.”
Perhaps future guides might have a bachelor’s diploma in sustainable tourism administration.
“We take very well-educated, good, caring folks on these journeys,” Volpert mentioned. “It’s necessary to them that we function in moral ways in which promote the well being and vitality of the locations we go to. Having an worker base that understands the significance of that, down the highway, goes to be actually necessary for locations just like the Klamath River. Not solely do I feel it’s the best factor to do — I additionally suppose it’s good for enterprise.”
Attain reporter Kevin Opsahl at 541-776-4476 or kopsahl@rosebudmedia.com. Comply with him on Twitter @KevJourno.
© 2022 Mail Tribune