Master of Science in Sustainable Tourism

Tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors in the world economy with a wide array of prospectus to stakeholders in the industry.  The growth in the tourism sector at the global level has surpassed the growth of world economy according to World Travel and Tourism Council.  In Sri Lanka too the industry has shown a remarkable expansion both in terms of the number of tourist arrivals and earnings, particularly after the end of the war in 2009.  Sri Lanka has recorded the highest number of tourist arrivals in the history in recent years.  The Government of Sri Lanka has set itself a target of more than 2.5 million tourist arrivals in near future. Tourism is emerging fast as one of Sri Lanka’s leading sectors, contributing around 4.6% of the country’s annual GDP.  Increasing number of tourists has resulted in intense expansion of the industry in all aspects.  In terms of foreign exchange earnings, tourism sector has emerged as the third largest foreign exchange earner of the economy.  

The expansion of the industry will be benefited by an array of direct and indirect service providers since it is integrated with many other sub sectors ranging from tour agents and hoteliers in the city, to gem miners and handicraftsmen in the villages.  As per the Tourism Development Authority (TDA) estimations, this industry provides approximately 320 thousand direct and indirect employments.  Therefore, it is evident that a sustainable revenue and employment growth in this sector is vital to country’s economy.  However, past experience suggests that this industry is sensitive to many factors such as the economic prosperity of the tourists and their resident countries and the peaceful environment in the destination country.  Other issues such as environment, social and cultural aspects also need due consideration while achieving the economic objectives. In order to enhance the Sri Lanka’s share in the global tourism market in a highly competitive environment the country has to plan this sector strategically.  For instance, Sri Lanka needs to diversify the range of countries that it gets tourists.  Thus, a planned development of the tourism sector is necessary to ensure the sustainability of this sector in order to manage resources efficiently. The MSc in Sustainable Tourism and Master of Sustainable Tourism degree programmes will cater to the development of human resources in the tourism sector by giving them training in economic, social, cultural, environmental  and managerial aspects of the tourism and the related industries.

Objectives of Degree Programmes

The MSc in Sustainable Tourism and Master of Sustainable Tourism degree programmes have the following objectives:

After the successful completion of the degree programme, students will be able to

• appreciate various forms of tourism and importance of the management of tourism related resources and information;
• analyze effects of tourism and prospects for tourism expansion in a sustainable framework;
• analyze operational, marketing, management aspects of the tourism industry and successfully operate/manage business related to tourism.

Programme Learning Outcomes of Master of Sustainable Tourism

After the successful completion of the degree programme, students will be able to

• appreciate various forms of tourism and importance of the management of tourism related resources and information;
• analyze effects of tourism and prospects for tourism expansion in a sustainable framework;
• analyze operational, marketing, management aspects of the tourism industry and successfully operate/manage business related to tourism.

Target Groups

A candidate who possesses one of the following qualifications is eligible to apply for Master of Sustainable Tourism / MSc in Sustainable Tourism degree programmes:

A Bachelors’ degree in tourism or a related field obtained from a recognized University;

OR

A Bachelor’s degree in any other field obtained from a recognized University with one year work experience in tourism or related fields.

OR

Professional qualifications equivalent to (i) and (ii) above as accepted by the relevant Board of Study with 2 years of working experience in the industry and pass a  qualifying test.

Medium of Instructions and Examinations

The programme will be conducted in English with Sinhala and Tamil medium discussion classes. Students may sit the examinations in English, Sinhala and Tamil. The medium of degree completion will be the medium of examination.

Course Structure

*C-Compulsory, O-Optional.