Published: 

9 May 2022

Department of Tourism

angol zászló

Head: Dr. Géza Szabó, associate professor

In today’s economy one of the determining phenomena of globalisation processes is tourism, which, since the 1950’s, increases economic performance and mobilise an ever growing segment of population. Due to this, the geographical range of tourism products and their extreme diversity can be realised everywhere on Earth. This spatially and conceptually extended as well as differentiated group of phenomena carried by tourism and recreation industry has highly important geographical and other disciplinary relations. Therefore, the main fields of activity of the department are the exploration and analysis of the scope of spatial and thematic relation systems and the practice-oriented, comprehensive investigation of educational and developmental tasks associated with tourism.

Education

The major task for the colleagues of the department is to cover the basic and specialised courses in the BSc and MSc training of Geographer and Teacher of Geography students. Within this, the tourism specialisation trainings are connected to the department with high priority in BSc and MSc trainings. Further on, our colleagues carry out educational activities in the higher level vocational trainings (Tourism-Catering, Viticulturist - Wine Producer, Regional and Settlement Development), and they are involved in teaching in the Recreation MSc training of the Faculty of Sciences. The members of the department participate in the in the BSc Tourism-Catering training and the MSc Tourism Management training at the Illyés Gyula Faculty of the University of Pécs, and they are also involved in teaching specialised courses. Our department is the organiser of the Heritage Manager Expert training, founded in co operation with the Faculty of Humanities. In order to strengthen international relations, our department has built and co-ordinated ERASMUS co-operation for MSc students with 10 European partner countries; and an effectively functioning CEEPUS programme was launched together with 13 Central European Universities (GEOREGNET) for BSc, MSc, PhD students and tutors as well. In the PhD training of the Doctoral School of Earth Sciences, our department is represented in a separate tourism geography project group.

Researches:

Research activities at the department include a wide range of tourism geographic fields. The major subjects (in national and international context) are the following:

  • The exploration of the connection between regional development, rural development and tourism;
  • The research of the regional and thematic products of tourism;
  • The research of the management activities supporting tourism, such as destination management organisations and clusters;
  • Tourism planning and development activities.

Assorted references:

  • 2000: Tourism Development Strategy of South Transdanubia, including the tourism brand development of the region.
  • 2002-2007: The destination brand development of South Transdanubia, research of the tourism core areas and their development strategy.
  • 2008: Research of the tourism core areas of the Northern Plain Region, the creation of its destination development strategy.
  • 2006-2011: The brand development of the city of Pécs, researches on guest flow and demand.
  • 2007-2008: The wine marketing strategy and wine tourism brand development of the Pannon Wine Region.
  • 2010-11: The researchers of the department were actively involved in the elaboration of the DATOURWAY programme (Transnational Strategy for the Sustainable Territorial Development of the Danube Area with special regard to Tourism), and also its pilot project entitled “Béda-Karapancsa” (HU-SER-CRO) – Economic opportunity (via tourism) in ecological milieu”
  • Transnational and cross-border research activities, basically with Croatian partners (IPA programmes)