etourism curriculum finland

eTourismCurriculum Finland – e-business skills in tourism

Juho Pesonen, Ph.D., Head of ResearchUniversity of Eastern Finland, Centre for Tourism Studies,Savonlinna

IFITT Finland, Helsinki, 8.6.2014

Working in the tourism industry is not getting any easier

10.04.2023 Juho Pesonen 2

E-business capabilities of tourism companies are increasingly important in destination competitiveness

10.04.2023Juho Pesonen 3

People working in the tourism industry should understand the effects of information and communication technologies have on their job.


Goals of eTourismCurriculum Finland

•Bring together Finnish universities teaching eTourism.

•Find out how eTourism is taught in Finland at the moment.

•Develop curriculum to match needs of the Finnish tourism industry.

•Provide courses according to the curriculum in Finnish universities.


Working group:

• Savonlinna tourism centre of expertise• Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences• Savonia UAS• Jyväskylän UAS• Kajaanin UAS• Mikkelin UAS• Satakunnan UAS• Rovaniemen UAS• Karelia UAS• University of Eastern Finland, Centre for Tourism Studies

and Finnish University Network for Tourism Studies• University of Eastern Finland, Aducate


Vision

• Graduating students know and understand key technologies that affect their work and how to use them.

• Entrepreneurs can improve their skills in eTourism topics important for them.

• Finnish universities work together to generate know-how to develop national tourism industry

• A dynamic curriculum that fulfills the current and future needs of the tourism industry.


Workgroup actions

• Six meetings in 2013 and 2014• Online working in DropBox and Google Docs.


Curriculum, 35 ECTS:• E-business in tourism, 5 ECTS• Managing eTourism, 5 ECTS• Electronic distribution in tourism, 5 ECTS• Online marketing in tourism, 5 ECTS• Tourism business online visibility, 5 ECTS• Gamification in tourism marketing, 5 ECTS• Future applications and trends of tourism technology, 5

ECTS


E-Business in TourismGoalsThis course provides students a wide perspective on the topic of e-business in tourism. This course covers all the important topics in the field and creates an understanding of the connections and contents between different e-business topics, thus providing an overview of e-business in tourism. This course also provides context for other e-business in tourism courses. After the course the student knows the central concepts of e-business in tourism, how different topics are connected to and affecting each other and what is the role of various online tools in marketing and managing the information and communication technologies used in tourism companies. Also the unique features of the tourism cluster and their effects on the e-business are discussed, as well as the connection between offline and online marketing.

Themes• Synergies of offline

and online marketing

• Risks and risk management

• Connections between various e-business topics

• Customer focus in e-business

• Critical e-business concepts

• Technologies in different parts of the tourism business domain


Managing eTourism

Goals

The students understand the strategic management dimension of electronic business in tourism and knows how to apply knowledge of the topic in different scenarios. Student can responsibly manage and complete a project from beginning to the end. He or she can find creative solutions to unexpected situations in project implementation in different parts of the project and proactively take into account changes in micro and macro level. The student can examine both internal and external electronic tourism business. The student knows how to observe, collect and analyze tourism business intelligence and utilize it as part of the company and network value chain. He or she understands the importance of enterprise resources planning as part of the tourism business and can build and maintain regional, national and international networks as well as actively engage them.

Themes• Enterprise

electronic business strategy

• Enterprise architecture

• Business intelligence

• Knowledge management

• E-business in tourism company strategy

• Privacy and security

• Administrative systems

• Revenue management


Electronic distribution in tourismGoals

This course concentrates on the distribution of hospitality and tourism products. After this course the student has the skills and knowledge needed for successful channel management. Topics include: distribution agents and intermediaries, channel requirements and optimization, pricing integrity, competitive distribution analysis and justification, and integration of marketing in distribution channels.

Themes• History• Supply and value

chain• Booking channels• Free sale vs.

quotas• Fixed pricing vs.

dynamic pricing• Business travelers’

needs• Guarantee,

confirmation, changes

• Channel management

• New technologies10.04.2023 Juho Pesonen 12

Online marketing in tourismGoals

The student understand how to utilize the Internet in tourism marketing. He or she understands and knows how to use online tools to gain marketing advantage and customer insights. The students learns how social media can be used in tourism marketing and customer service. Previous experience from product development, customer service and advertisement are utilized in online environment.

.

Themes• Social customer relationship

management• Customer insight• Customer segments and the

Internet• Experience marketing and

consuming• Social media insights, trends

and services• Benefits and risks of social

media for tourism businesses• Marketing analysis and web

analytics• Social media as a marketing

and customer service channel

• Technology enhanced tourism experience


Tourism business online visibilityGoals

This course focuses on content marketing and the role of interesting, educating and entertaining content for the online presence of a tourism business and on the tools used to create content. The students learns to produce, publish and manage online content from the business perspective and understands the importance of stories, product information, multimedia content, and other online content in creating an online presence for a tourism business. The online content is central in driving customers to websites because it is closely connected to search engine optimization. The student learns how content affects search engine optimization and how organic and paid search engine marketing works. Also uses and functions of databases are studied in the course.

Themes• Organic and paid search

engine optimization (SEO)

• Optimizing websites and campaigns in search engines

• Multimedia content• Creating, publishing

and managing online content

• Product descriptions in online reservation system

• Online shops and reservation systems

• Stories and product information

• Databases and engaging customers 10.04.2023 Juho Pesonen 14

Gamification in tourism marketing

Goals

The student understands the possibilities and limitations of mobile and computer games as part of tourism marketing. He or she has knowledge on how games can be used in brand strategy as well as relationship management tool and can conceptually design a mobile application aimed at particular market segment.

Themes• Mobile games• Mobile

applications• Game concepts• Relationship

marketing with games

• Location based transmedia storytelling

• Augmented reality


Future applications and trends of tourism technologyGoals

This course has a strong future orientation to the new technology and it’s applications in the field of tourism business. After the course student is aware of the trends of the global tourism business and understands the significant role of new technology in the development of tourism business. Student has a broad understanding of the possibilities that new technologies offers to tourism and is capable to innovate new application concepts based on the future technology. Student has a basic knowledge of design and innovation process of new technological applications in tourism business

Themes• Trends in tourism business

• New technology

• Innovation process and practices


What happens next?

•First courses online Spring 2015.• Integration of tourism business into curriculum.

•Developing pedagogical methods for online teaching.


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