UN Tourism has welcomed the first students enrolled on its pioneering degree course in International Sustainable Tourism. Developed in collaboration with the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU), the three-year Bachelor of Science in International Sustainable Tourism is designed to train graduates capable of leading the sector toward a more sustainable future.
For the first academic year, 30 students were welcomed to Madrid, representing six different countries (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, Georgia, and Switzerland). The Degree course is designed to equip students equipped with the skills to innovate, to drive change, and to make decisions that promote both economic growth and environmental stewardship.
UN Tourism Executive Director, Natalia Bayona says: “The tourism sector needs skilled people with diverse knowledge and innovative vision, and the Bachelor in International Sustainable Tourism was created to accompany tourism leaders on their journey into the future. With approximately 880,000 jobs in the tourism sector requiring specialised training annually by 2030, this degree programme is not just an educational initiative, but a transformative force. It is essential to cultivate the talent needed to drive the sector forward, ensuring sustainable growth and innovation.”
UN Tourism: Prioritizing Education
Higher education is vital to building a sustainable tourism sector, a priority outlined in UN Tourism’s educational roadmap. As one of the most dynamic and rapidly growing sectors, tourism holds a unique position as the largest employer of global youth, with over 50% of its workforce under the age of 25. However, despite this potential, young people face significant challenges. While youth make up 16% of the global population, more than one in five began this decade without being engaged in education, employment, or training. At the same time, the global tourism sector faces a shortage of skilled personnel, particularly in customer service and managerial roles.
This first undergraduate program from the UN Tourism program represents a critical step towards bridging this gap. International diversity is achieved by targeting students from all over the world and with teaching taking place in Madrid Lucerne and online. Spain and Switzerland are two countries ranked among the top ten in the World Economic Forum’s tourism competitiveness index—Spain being second and Switzerland tenth globally.
The vision of HSLU and UN Tourism is to create a universally accessible programme that empowers the future-oriented transformation of the entire tourism sector.
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