Lucerne/Madrid – The Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU) and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) are offering a new bachelor’s degree program in International Sustainable Tourism. Starting in the fall of 2024, sustainable tourism professionals will be trained. The study program includes a stay abroad in Spain.
The Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU) and the World Tourism Organization(UNWTO) have jointly launched the new Bachelor’s degree program International Sustainable Tourism. According to a release, students acquire qualifications for sustainable tourism along the entire tourism value chain.
He said it is the first HSLU degree program to include a study abroad experience. For example, students spend the first two semesters in Madrid – the UNWTO headquarters – to gain intercultural experience. In the second year, courses are taken online, and in the third year in Lucerne. The course of study also includes an internship.
To advance the challenge of sustainable development in tourism and make travel more sustainable, all stakeholders must contribute, it says. This requires professionals who bring economic skills from the tourism world and are trained in the field of sustainability – “whether in hotels, airlines or cruise lines, tour operators or tourism associations,” the statement said.
UNWTO joins forces with a university for the first time to establish a degree program. “Together we can increase the number of skilled professionals, strengthening their importance as drivers of development and equal opportunities,” UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili is quoted as saying.
The fact that a UN organization such as the UNWTO sought cooperation with the HSLU is seen by the quoted initiator and project manager Urs Wagenseil as a “seal of approval for the Swiss university degree and the HSLU”. ce/heg
