Handbook

Travel and tourism are major global industries. Tourism includes a wide range of travel purposes such as business, leisure, pilgrimage, special events, and more, while air transport is a key travel mode through which these travels are enabled and stimulated. Although the interrelations of aviation and tourism seem obvious, aviation and tourism research and education have evolved in relative isolation from one another. This fully online course provides an opportunity for students to explore the relationship between these two interrelated sectors and grow a holistic understanding that can be applied to their research.

As the travel industry is organised through the market economy (with consumers, producers and governments), the course begins with the basic elements of the market. Specifically, demand and supply characteristics of the tourism sector and its interrelationships with the aviation sub-sector, are reviewed, as well as the antecedents of the government’s role in the travel market. This is followed by an introduction of the conceptual models and methods used to understand the societal impact of aviation, including how aviation interacts with the form of development consistent with the principles of sustainability, with the latest thinking and empirical evidence on air travel, tourism and climate change introduced. The final sections of the course apply the concepts learnt to salient, contemporary issues in the travel industry.

Through the contents co-developed in partnership with industry, it is expected that students will gain practical understanding of how the methods and theories in academic research may be applied to identify and solve strategic issues of contemporary significance. This course is intended to be positioned alongside related courses in the Master of Aviation Management program such as Airport Economics and Policy and Econometric methods in aviation. Those completing the Aviation Research Project (AVIA5020) in this domain may also find this course useful.