IASON KOUFODONTIS
Teaching Staff of ICT, Management, and Tourism
University of the Aegean, School of Business, Chios

_{2021-2022 Fulbright Greek Scholar-In-Residence to the U.S. Host: Kennesaw State University, Georgia, Division of Global Affairs}

Tourism and hospitality management is an interdisciplinary field of study examining economic, social, cultural, political, technological, and other aspects of tourism. Tourism is defined as an activity where people travel to a destination away from their place of origin, for reasons including leisure or business. Tourism management focuses on the organization of tourism-related activities at a strategic macro level, i.e., what should be done at a country or destination to attract tourists while achieving growth and sustainability. Hospitality management focuses on the way businesses and organizations are providing services to tourists and it examines things at a micro level, i.e., how a service provider such as a hotel or a travel agency will become competitive and profitable.

A person interested in studying tourism would ideally seek to combine professional skills and academic background, with the exact balance depending on the orientation towards one of the two major directions: tourism strategy or hospitality business management. Academic studies are offered at both undergraduate and graduate levels. With a relevant degree one could seek a career as a manager in private hospitality businesses or as a specialist in tourism organizations. Someone studying tourism will eventually focus on a specific area of expertise such as hospitality management, tourism marketing, cultural tourism, event management, sports tourism etc. Typically, graduate programs provide a degree that specializes in one of these fields, while undergraduate programs offer a broader range of interdisciplinary knowledge together with the choice to do a major in either tourism strategy or hospitality management.

 ^{_{Photo Credt; Ries Bosch for Unsplash}}