Tourism Destination Management

Explore the Tourism Destination Management program at Unity, where your passion for travel meets environmental consciousness. Regenerative tourism and travel is a groundbreaking approach aligning responsible business, social equity, public policy and environmental sustainability.

Whether you aspire to launch an eco-conscious travel business or work on impactful tourism projects that help repair the earth and repair ecosystems, you’ll be uniquely positioned to address critical issues like climate change, biodiversity loss, and cultural preservation.

Join us to shape the future of travel, making it not just a personal adventure but a global force for good. Start your journey today!

Program Overview

To be sustainable, travel experiences must balance natural resource consumption with environmental protection, economic growth with destination resilience, and tourists’ experiences with local needs. Regenerative tourism can be a tool that promotes sustainable resource use while meeting local needs and visions for the future, creating a net positive benefit to the destination.

Destination developers seeking to use regenerative tourism as a tool must be familiar with tourism planning, project and people management, sustainable natural resource principles, visitor use trends, leadership, communication, and more. Learners in Tourism Destination Management will engage with content from the fields of business, economics, sustainability, development, and tourism and hospitality.

They will develop skills in data-driven decision-making, and project planning, design, management, and evaluation. Learners will explore how the tourism and hospitality industry is entangled within other industries (e.g., food systems, transportation), cultivate a set of best practices and project management skills useful for planning, evaluate current and future visitor trends to inform decision-making, understand the impacts of climate change to tourism (and tourism to climate change), and learn to balance local development, sustainable resource use, and economic security using regenerative principles.

Program graduates will be prepared to apply their skills in a variety of occupations, such as destination planners, tourism managers, and tourism coordinators.

*Source: O*Net & U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Unity Environmental University cannot guarantee employment. Salary data represents averaged earnings for the occupations listed and includes workers at all levels of education and experience.

Experiential and Immersive Coursework

Tourism for Environmental and Social Sustainability

How can tourism be used as a tool to achieve sustainable development goals within a local area? In this course, students will examine best practices for tourism development, management, and evaluation procedures. 

Global Supply Chain Operations: Greening Your Business

The web connecting suppliers, manufacturers, warehouses, and retailers can be intricate. In this course, students will unravel the mysteries of global logistics, operations, and market strategies. Students will gain an understanding of the design, control, and operation of supply chains through the lens of sustainability management.

Minimal Impact Ecotourism

You can be a part of the solution and help preserve tourist destinations for generations to come. By delving into the core impacts of ecotourism on societies, economics, and the environment, students will gain a profound understanding of the challenges faced by these sensitive ecosystems.

Degree Requirements and Courses

The BS in Tourism Destination Management degree requires 120 credits. You may transfer up to 90 credits from outside institutions. For more details, view our full course catalog for a better look into your program, then apply online for free to get started.

• What is Tourism Destination Management?

  Tourism Destination Management is about making tourism, including eco-tourism and adventure tourism, good for the environment and the people who live in tourist destinations. It focuses on making sure that when people travel, they don't harm the places they visit. Instead, tourism helps local communities and protects nature. This way, tourism can be a positive force for everyone involved.
• What courses will I be taking?

  General Education Core: 37 credits
  Environmental Professional Core: 13 credits
  Elective Courses: 28 credits
  Program Core: 42 credits

  • FINC 201 Business Administration: Enterprise Accounting
  • FINC 401 Impact Investment for a Sustainable World
  • MGMT 201 Corporate Sustainability: Frameworks and Standards
  • MGMT 303 Strategic Management for Social Change
  • MGMT 403 Global Supply Chain Operations: Greening Your Business
  • MKTG 301 Environmental Marketing and Branding
  • POLI 301 Global Politics and Policy Topics
  • TOUR 101 Tourism as an Integrated System
  • TOUR 201 Ecological, Sustainable, and Ethical Tourism
  • TOUR 202 Tourism for Environmental and Social Sustainability
  • TOUR 203 Minimal Impact Ecotourism for a Sustainable World
  • TOUR 204 Current and Future Trends in Tourism
  • TOUR 306 Tourism for Sustainable Development
  • TOUR 401 Innovative Products in Regenerative Tourism and Hospitality

  For course requirements and a better look into your program, view our full course catalog. Then apply online for free to get started.
• How much does it cost?

  Your online education should be affordable and manageable. Our team of distance education concierges will work with you through the admissions process to help you plan and pay for your degree. Learn more about the costs here.
• How fast can I finish?

  Our comprehensive 120-credit program can be tailored to fit your schedule and goals! Completion time is flexible, determined by the number of credits you choose to take each term (8 terms/year) and less time with transfer credits. Without transfer credits, you can anticipate the following completion times:

  • 48 credits/year: Fast-track your education in only 2.6 years
  • 30 credits/year: Achieve your degree in 4 years
  • 24 credits/year: Complete in just 5 years

Experts in the Field

At Unity Environmental University, our faculty is composed of a wide range of environmental science experts who in addition to teaching, conduct their own research and various fieldwork.

Dr. Lydia Horne

Subject Matter Expert

Embark on a journey into the heart of ecology with Lydia—Maine's native explorer turned environmental expert! From childhood adventures in the woods to a career unraveling nature's mysteries, Lydia's story is a testament to the passion for conservation that began in her backyard.

Armed with an M.S. in forest resources and a Ph.D. in ecology and environmental sciences, Lydia dives into the impact of climate change on Maine's coastal tourism. As a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Northern Colorado, she delves into how students grasp complex concepts, shaping the future of STEM education.

Ready to blend outdoor exploration with cutting-edge environmental studies? Lydia is your guide to a world where learning comes alive!