Overview

The course examines destinations as aggregating units for the development of competitive and sustainable tourism offers. The main goal of the module is to provide an advanced theoretical background of destination management and governance. The course analyses the roles and functions of governments and Destination Management Organisations (DMO), the interaction dynamics of different stakeholders, the role of different resources and competences in reaching sustainable competitive advantage, the challenges of planning and developing sustainable and competitive tourism destinations and products, the development of crises management and resilient strategies. Interactive classes will be structured in such a way to analyse theoretical models and to discuss them through the use of examples.

The module examines destinations as aggregating units for the development of competitive and sustainable tourism offers. The main goal of the module is to provide an advanced theoretical background of destination management and governance. The module analyses the roles and functions of governments and Destination Management Organisations (DMO), the interaction dynamics of different stakeholders, the role of different resources and competences in reaching sustainable competitive advantage, the challenges of planning and developing sustainable and competitive tourism destinations and products, the development of crises management and resilient strategies. Interactive classes will be structured in such a way to analyse theoretical models and to discuss them through the use of examples.

Assessment Strategy

-excellent -A- to A+ (70%+): Outstanding performance. The relevant information accurately deployed. Excellent grasp of theoretical/conceptual/practice elements. Good integration of theory/practice/information in pursuit of the assessed work's objectives. Strong evidence of the use of creative and reflective skills. -good -B- to B+ (60-69%): Most of the relevant information accurately deployed. Good grasp of theoretical/conceptual/practical elements. Good integration of theory/practice/information in pursuit of the assessed work's objectives. Evidence of the use of creative and reflective skills. -satisfying -C- to C+ (50-59%): Much of the relevant information and skills mostly accurately deployed. Adequate grasp of theoretical/conceptual/practical elements. Fair integration of theory/practice/information in the pursuit of the assessed work's objectives. Some evidence of the use of creative and reflective skills. -threshold -D- to D+ (40-49%): No major omissions or inaccuracies in the deployment of information/skills. Some grasp of theoretical/conceptual/practical elements. Integration of theory/practice/information present intermittently in pursuit of the assessed work's objectives.

Learning Outcomes

• Critically discuss the complexity of sustainability in the creation of destination competitiveness.

• Discuss theoretical models and how they can be applied to the management of tourism destination.

• Evaluate existing strategies for destination resilience.

• Identify and justify the adoption of planning and development strategies for tourism destinations while ensuring the wellbeing of the host communities.