Tourism based in the great outdoors is at the heart of a Brock spring course that invites students to create nature-based travel experiences for a growing international market.

Students in TOUR 2P32: Nature-based Tourism will learn about and then develop their own nature-based tourism program, giving them a chance to learn about theory while developing important skills.

Professor of Geography and Tourism Studies David Fennell, who teaches the course, says any type of tourism focused on outdoor experiences in the wild — from a hunting trip or a week at the beach to an ethically managed and sustainable ecotourism venture — could make an excellent project.

Fennell says with around 40 per cent of all international and domestic tourism being nature-based, demand for professionals who can support the industry is rising.

“The students get to put on their nature-based tourism hat and think about what it would look like on the ground as a tour operator,” he says. “They’ll be marked on their philosophy, planning, implementation, how they evaluate their program and how they present the program to the class.”

The course will cover everything from logistics and marketing to ethics and environmental impacts while zooming in on a few niche aspects of nature-based tourism, such as ecotourism.

While ecotourism is a smaller market, Fennell its key principles should be considered for any tourism taking place in natural environments.

“Ecotourism is based on learning about nature and natural resources and focuses on sustainability. The money we spend on it should go towards biodiversity conservation and drive community economic development, which means it must be ethically planned, developed and managed,” says Fennell, who has authored a book on planning ecotourism programs.

Students will finish the course with a broader understanding of the field and a valuable addition to their portfolio for future jobs in tourism, marketing or recreation.

“As the students move through the dynamic and iterative process to develop their philosophy and create a hypothetical tour, they will also be building a program they can be proud of and share in a tangible way,” Fennell says.

For more information on Brock’s Spring/Summer courses or to register, visit brocku.ca/springsummer