Course Topics
The course deals with theoretical concepts as well as scientific frameworks and methods for analysing, evaluating and managing current tourism trends. The following list of topics is indicative. Further topics which show up until the start of the course can be added. Frameworks of regenerative and transformative tourism; Tourism family business & lifestyle entrepreneurship; Network analytical frameworks in tourism; Artificial Intelligence in tourism exemplified with artificial neural networks; Destination image & segmentation; Asymmetric effects of guest satisfaction; Tourism benchmarking; Climate change and tourism. The frameworks, methods and theories discussed are critically reflected upon and their limitations are highlighted. The second part addresses practical tourism perspectives. The following list of topics is indicative. Further topics which show up until the start of the course can be added. Mobility trends in tourism; Demographics & tourism labour market (shortages & grievances); Networking between tourism stakeholders; Touristic use cases for unusual locations & destinations; Artificial Intelligence use cases in tourism.

Teaching format
Classroom lectures, analysis and discussion of academic papers, case studies, written coursework (non-attending students only), and executive summaries & presentations (attending students only)

Educational objectives
Knowledge and understanding The student acquires specific competences and skills to deal with management issues from the perspective of the management of tourism enterprises, the development and promotion of tourism destinations as well as the planning and management of integrated tourism systems and individual services in strategic, organisational and administrative terms with an international and intercultural perspective. The student acquires the ability to identify and analyse the environmental and social problems induced by tourism and to understand their interdependencies and contexts by applying theories and methods and developing explanatory approaches. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding The student acquires the ability to understand and analyse the problems characteristic of the tourism sector by applying theories and models and using suitable instruments for the management of tourism enterprises. The student acquires the ability to apply models to analyse the tourism market. The student acquires mastery of the management of human resources and the ability to prioritise corporate culture. The student also acquires knowledge of accounting and the financing of business development projects. The contextual, multidisciplinary approach enables students to consider operational, sectoral, economic and social requirements and environmental problems in decision-making processes in a holistic manner. Areas of knowledge application encompass both micro, meso and macro levels, and include the acquisition of skills that are in demand in both policy advice and strategy development in companies. In addition, there are skills that have their foundation in behavioural economics, decision theory and consumer behaviour research, skills that are particularly important in empirical analysis as well as in ex-ante forecasts and scenarios in the context of future-oriented issues. The skills developed can be applied in regional, national and international contexts. The development and promotion of competences also includes the ability to present complex, socially relevant issues and results in a precise and coherent manner, but in an understandable way and in a target group-oriented way. Judgement acquire the ability to compare empirical models and findings in the study of tourism companies, associations, consortia and destinations. Communication skills The graduate of the Master's programme will be able to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, the specific contents of the individual areas and to assess the effects of his/her communication by using different specialist languages, depending on the recipient and the communicative and didactic intentions involved. Written and oral skills are developed in particular in those educational activities that serve to prepare the Master's thesis, in the discussion of business cases and in the interactive lectures, which include group discussions and a comparison of individual analyses. Learning ability identify thematic links and establish relationships between different cases and contexts of analysis. systematically present a new problem and generate appropriate taxonomies. develop general models based on the phenomena analysed.

Additional educational objectives and learning outcomes
The aim of the course is to provide students with concepts, models and techniques to analyse economic and non-economic factors necessary to identify, understand and evaluate current trends and issues affecting the tourism sector. The course applies management and marketing theories with the aim to evaluate complex business problems and to formulate sustainable strategies for tourism businesses and destinations to face contemporary issues and take advantage of the latest trends. Knowledge and understanding: • of concepts, models and techniques to exploit market opportunities in tourism according to latest trends • of current trends and issues in the development of sustainable tourism • of current and new formats relevant for sustainable competitiveness of tourism businesses and destinations Applying knowledge and understanding: • Ability to recognize the major current issues and latest trends shaping the tourism sector. • Ability to apply theories and models to formulate strategies for tourism businesses and destinations to face current issues and take advantage of the latest trends. • Ability to recognize and apply effective strategies, tools and practices to establish collaboration among tourism stakeholders for the development of smart tourism. Making judgments: • Acquire the ability to gather and interpret relevant data to forecast change in the global tourism environment and to make judgments for successful strategies • Making judgments on the competitiveness of tourism destinations and firms in a dynamic environment • Have the ability to integrate knowledge and handle complexity for formulating decisions about the impact of global environmental and digital factors on the international tourism market and the market opportunities that may arise. Communication skills: • Communication skills to present in a consistent and convincing way the development of competitive and sustainable strategies for tourism firms and destinations • Communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions related to the identification and exploitation of market opportunities in tourism. Learning skills: • Ability to establish interdisciplinary understanding and links among the heterogeneous required readings about management and marketing trends and issues in an autonomous and independent way • Ability to apply a historical approach to contextualize, interpret and forecast the (future) evolution of the tourism landscape.

Assessment
A) Attending students: Written exam with review questions and one essay question, as well as a case presentation by student groups with an executive summary: - Written exam (50%) - Presentation & discussion of cases and executive summary (50%) B) Non-attending students: Written exam with review questions and one essay question, as well as a written home assignment (20 pages including a literature review) - Written exam (50%) - Written assignment (50%) The written home assignment must be submitted no later than two weeks before the exam date. Non-attending students must contact the instructor no later than one month before the exam session to agree on the topic of the coursework. Presentations (only for attending students) and assignments (for non-attending students) are only valid for the current academic year.

Evaluation criteria
Assessment criteria applied: - Knowledge and understanding of texts (20%) - Ability to make connections between texts (5%) - Ability to apply knowledge (20%) - Independent judgment and critical thinking (30%) - Transfer of acquired knowledge to practical contexts (25%)

Required readings

·      Fuchs, M. & Pikkemaat, B. (2004). Destination Image Analysis: A Cross-Cultural Segmentation Approach. Tourism: State of the Art II,

·University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK, June 27-30 2004, pp. 127-148.

·      Fuchs, M. & Weiermair, K. (2004): Destination Benchmarking - An Indicator-System's Potential for Exploring Guest Satisfaction. Journal of Travel Research, 42 (3): 212-225

·      Fuchs, M. (2004): Strategy Development in Tourism Destinations: A Data Envelopment Analysis Approach. Poznan Economics Review, 4 (1): 52-73.

·      Höpken, W. & Fuchs, M. (2022). Business Intelligence in Tourism, in Z. Xiang et al. (eds.), Handbook of e-Tourism, Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022, 497-524.

·      Fuchs, M., Höpken, W. & Lexhagen, M. (2014). Big Data Analytics for Knowledge Generation in Tourism Destinations – A Case from Sweden, Journal of Destination Marketing and Management, 3(4):198-209.

·      Fuchs, M., Eberle, T. & Höpken, W. (2025). Google Maps data for Tourism Real-time Monitoring and Analytics: The case of Cultural Tourism, Sweden, Stylos, N. & Zwiegelaar J. (eds.) Big Data Marketing and Management in Tourism and Hospitality, Edward Elgar Publishing (146–167)

·      Gretzel, U., Fuchs, M., et al. (2020). E-tourism beyond COVID-19: A call for transformative research. Information Technology & Tourism, 22, 187–203

·      Akhoundoghli, M & Boluk, K (2025). An examination of Degrowth Frameworks: Localizing, Socializing and Regenerative Tourism, Tourism Analysis, 30(1) 23-43.

·      Fuchs, M. (2023). A Post-Cartesian Economic and Buddhist view on tourism, Annals of Tourism Research, 103, 688, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2023.103688

·      Ghoshal S (2005) Bad management theories are destroying good management practices. Academy of Management Learning Education 4(1):75–91

·      Dierksmeier C, Pirson M (2010) The modern corporation and the idea of freedom. Philosophy & Management 9(3):5–25

Supplementary readings

·      Dolnicar, S. (2020). Market segmentation analysis in tourism: a perspective paper. Tourism Review, 75(1), 45-48.

·      Slevitch, L. (2024). Kano Model Categorization Methods:

Typology and Systematic Critical Overview for Hospitality and Tourism. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 1-31.

·      Assaf, G. & Josiassen, A. (2016). Frontier Analysis: A State-of-the-Art Review and Meta-Analysis, Journal of Travel Research, 55(5), 612-627.

·      Fuchs M., Sigala M. (2022) Strategic use of information technologies in tourism: A review and critique. In: Xiang Z., Fuchs M., et al. (eds) Handbook of e-Tourism. Springer, Cham., 1109-1145,

·      Höpken, W., Eberle, T., Fuchs, M., Lexhagen, M. (2019). Google Trends Data for analysing tourists’ online search behaviour and improving demand forecasting, Journal of Information Technology and Tourism, 21:45–62

·      Law, R., Lin, J., Ye, H. & Fong, D. (2024) AI research in hospitality: a state-of-the-art review. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 36(6) 2049–2068.

·      Eber, Z. F., Baggio, R. & Fuchs, M. (2018). Network analysis of a multi destination region: The case of Halland, South Sweden, Journal of Information Technology & Tourism, 20, 181-189.

·      Kronenberg, K. & Fuchs, M. (2021). Aligning Tourism's Socio-Economic Impact with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. Tourism Management Perspectives, 39, 1-12.

·      Minett D, Yaman R & Denizci B (2009) Leadership styles and ethical decision-making in hospitality management, International Journal of Hospitality Management, 28, 486-493

·      Fuchs, M., Fossgard, K., Stensland, S. & Chekalina, T. (2021). Innovation and creativity in nature-based tourism: A critical reflection and assessment, In V. Haukeland, & P. Fredman (Eds.) Nordic Perspectives on Nature-based Tourism, (pp. 175-193), Edward Elgar.

·      Fuchs, M. & Kronenberg, K. (2025). Assessing Cultural Tourism’s and Creative Sectors’ Contribution to build a Circular Economy, Salvador, E. & Pappalepore, I. (eds.). Responsible Consumption and Production in the Cultural and Creative Industries, Routledge, New York, pp. 75-93.

·      Higgins-Desbiolles, F. (2024) The end of tourism? Journal of Tourism Futures, 10 (3): 476–485.

·      Bellato, L. & Pollock, A. (2023). Regenerative tourism: a state-of-the-art review, Tourism Geographies, 27(3-4), 558-567

·      Sun, YY., et al. (2024) Drivers of global tourism carbon emissions. Nat Commun 15, 10384

 

Further information
Teaching materials, such as PowerPoint slides, required readings and further readings can be found in the Reserve Collection