Educational Objectives

The LM-49 Degree Program in "Planning of Sustainable Cultural and Nature-based Tourism " aims to train professionals capable of combining knowledge and skills in management and marketing with a high cultural profile, derived from an understanding of territorial disciplines with a dual sociocultural and economic focus. Graduates will be able to define the specificities of sites and cultures for the purpose of sustainable and inclusive tourism development. The acquired training will enable graduates to integrate their knowledge of methodologies and processes related to the tourism development of cultural and landscape assets with skills in planning, promoting, and managing tourism systems in diverse regional contexts, in order to build an integrated offering of cultural and environmental heritage.
Special emphasis will also be placed on fostering the development of innovative tourism products (ecomuseums, greenways, food and wine trails), and emphasis will be placed on the use of modern methodologies and techniques (derived from ICT) aimed at communicating, managing, and organizing widespread cultural and naturalistic activities.
To achieve these objectives, the LM-49 Degree Programme offers a multidisciplinary curriculum that encompasses both cultural and naturalistic aspects of the territory, as well as an appropriate level of English proficiency throughout the two-year programme. Courses focus on developing skills related to the tourism development of geosites, geoparks, and mineral parks, protected and ecologically significant areas, biodiversity in the Mediterranean environment, and volcanic areas, which are the cornerstone of the programme's innovation. Humanistic subjects provide specialized skills in the tangible and intangible cultural aspects of the territory, the sustainability of archaeological tourism, the development of ancient and modern historical heritage, the phenomenology of entertainment and cinema as an intangible cultural resource, and the food and wine sector, which is currently experiencing strong growth and is well-represented among the programme's stakeholders.

-English language (English for tourism) taught in English.

Alongside the aforementioned courses, the first year will include subjects that study human behaviour, the dynamics of social relationships and communication processes (with particular reference to new digital media), customer choices, as well as respect for the environment and the importance of sustainable use, including through knowledge of relevant case law.
During the second year, the territorial subjects will be complemented by those related to tourism management and economic policies, essential for developing skills related to the planning and management of tourism systems, market and flow analysis, private and public enterprise, and the transformation of resources (cultural and naturalistic) into offerings.
Most of the courses offered require a minimum of 3 credits dedicated to hands-on laboratory activities aimed at integrating theoretical courses with practical development and communication activities.
Furthermore, to allow students to directly engage in management and/or planning activities related to tourism, the course includes 12 credits of internships at public and private organizations, companies, and institutions related to tourism or cultural, naturalistic, and productive activities that interface with the tourism phenomenon (museums, associations, territorial consortia, publishing groups, etc.).

Finally, further training activities complement the course objectives by offering in-depth study of linguistic, IT, and professional aspects.

The Master bachelor’s degree in "Planning of sustainable cultural and nature-based tourism" aims to train figures able to merge knowledge and skills in management and marketing with a high cultural competence, thanks to modules focused on the territory both from a cultural and economic perspective. Students will be able to define the specificities of sites and cultures in terms of a sustainable and inclusive tourism. The acquired skills will enable graduates of the course to integrate knowledge of methodologies and processes related to the tourist exploitation of cultural and landscape assets with design skills, Promotion and management of the tourism system in different territorial contexts, and with a view to building an integrated offer of cultural and environmental heritage. 

Special attention will also be paid to stimulating the construction of innovative tourism products (ecomuseum, greenways, taste routes) and to the use of modern methodologies and techniques (drawn from ICT) aimed at communication, Management and organization of widespread cultural and nature activities.

To achieve these objectives, the course proposes the provision of a multidisciplinary offer that provides for the presence, throughout the two year, of disciplines of the territory understood in the dual cultural and naturalistic meaning, as well as the achievement of an English language level appropriate: 

- teaching aimed at acquiring skills related to the tourist exploitation of geosites, geoparks and mining parks, protected areas and ecological interest, biodiversity in the Mediterranean environment and volcanic areas, which are the backbone of innovation on the supply side;

- humanistic disciplines aimed at providing specialist expertise in the tangible and intangible cultural aspects of the territory, the sustainability of archaeological tourism, the enhancement of historical heritage, ancient and modern, the phenomenology of entertainment and cinema as an intangible cultural resource, the wine-gastronomy sector, today in strong growth and well represented in the context of stakeholders associated with the course.

-English for tourism (provided in the language).

The first year will be marked by disciplines that study human behavior, the dynamics of social relations and communication processes (with reference to new digital means of communication), customer choices, as well as respect for the environment and the importance of sustainable use, including through knowledge of relevant case law.

In the second year, however, the disciplines of the territory will be supplemented by those relating to the management and economic policies of tourism, which are essential for training skills in the design and management of tourist systems, Market and flow analysis, private and public enterprise and to transform the resource (cultural and natural) into an offer.

Most of the disciplines provided provide a minimum of 3 ECTS dedicated to laboratory activities "on the field" aimed at integrating theoretical lessons with practical activities of valorization and communication.

In addition, to enable students to engage in management activities and/or projects related to tourism, the course provides 12 ECTS of internship at public and private institutions, companies and institutions related to tourism or cultural activities, naturalistic and productive in interface with the tourist phenomenon (museums, associations, territorial consortia, editorial groups etc.).

Further Training Activities, finally, complement the objectives of the course by proposing in-depth activities on linguistic, computer and professional aspects.