Building bridges: overview of an international sustainable tourism education model

The purpose of this paper is to present and explore a sustainable tourism education model that employed Fair-Trade learning principles and experiential learning philosophies. In collaboration with universities in Mexico and the United States, the model employed an international tourism curriculum that explored issues concerning the environmental, economic, and cultural impacts of global tourism. Field experiences challenged students to think critically about tourism issues from various perspectives in order to gain a holistic understanding of the multidimensional issues. Students met with farmers, fisherman, hospitality providers, tourism outfitters, business owners, government officials, regional non-profits, and local citizens to gain a broader perspective. The summary observation of this paper found the model to be successful in promoting student learning and effective in building bridges across nations through the development of strategic partnerships. The lessons learned involved the importance of administrative support, the significance of faculty engagement, and the importance of building relationships.