Commercial Recreation and Tourism Management Option

The Commercial Recreation and Tourism Management Option is tailor-made for students whose professional aspirations include event planning, managing and marketing tourism venues and organizations, recreational sports programs, resort activities, live entertainment, and festivals... to name just a few.

To help you develop a well-rounded view of the “experience” industry, this option includes a diverse variety of courses focused in:

business
leadership
event design
travel and tourism
marketing
management

With a focus on engaged learning, in RPTM, students have many opportunities to learn hands-on – from learning about the cruise industry while on a cruise ship to visiting the top arenas and live entertainment facilities on the East Coast. Students in RPTM interface with professionals in the for-profit recreation sector and the travel and tourism industry to facilitate networking and on-site experiential learning.

As a graduate, you will be well equipped to:

develop a comprehensive recreation and tourism business plan
create strategic management decisions for for-profit recreation/tourism organizations
manage personnel, programs and facilities
design and deliver events and other life changing experiences for guests and customers in a variety of settings

You will be well prepared for a career that improves the quality of life and place for others.

Guest Activities Practicum

The purpose of the 3 credit Guest Activities Practicum is to provide students with hands-on exposure to the delivery of recreation services and management of those services in a major tourism destination(s). Students will interact with faculty, other students and recreation professionals in the collaboration and sharing of ideas.

The course is designed to increase students' understanding of resort recreation, the issues related to delivering resort recreation services, the management strategies used, and the factors affecting guest experiences. The course format is one which focuses on problem solving, interaction among participating students, faculty, and professionals, and will provide students with the opportunity to actively engage with customers. Students have the opportunity to interface with managers in industry.

Each semester, RPTM partners with a recreation entity such as Marriott Vacation Club or Carnival Cruise line. The course includes a week long engaged learning experience in which students are on site at resorts or at sea on a cruise!

Past locations for the on-site portion of the trip include:

Orlando, Florida
Hilton Head, South Carolina
Las Vegas, Nevada
Palm Springs, California
Newport Beach, California

And cruises to:

Jamaica
Mexico
Belize
Cayman Islands
Bahamas

Course fees are added to the student's bursar account but additional fees for airfare and food may apply.

Commercial Recreation and Tourism Management Option

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