Geography of Tourism

Tourism has grown into one of the major economic and social activities within the last 100 years. In Hawaii more than 8.2 million tourists visited Hawaii in 2013, spending approximately 14.5 billion U.S. dollars. This averaged out to 1 out of 8 people in Hawaii on any day being a tourist (HTA 2014). Tourism geography examines the complex relationship between the stereotype of the tourist destination(s), the tourist as consumer and the impacts of tourism both physically and socially. A portion of the course will be an examination of tourism in Hawaii both with the traditional short-term tourist and evolving forms of the “part-time resident”. Course offered annually in the Spring semester. Fulfills Global Awareness course requirement.