This course provides students with an introduction to the adventure tourism industry. Definitions of adventure tourism, and relevant leisure, outdoor education, and tourism theories and frameworks are discussed and critically examined. Key stakeholders are also identified, along with current and future trends, opportunities, and challenges. The need for sustainable practices and cross-cultural understanding and communication within adventure tourism is also emphasized.

This course provides students with the entrepreneurial skills and know-how to successfully build an adventure tourism enterprise. As most adventure tourism businesses are small-to-medium enterprises, there is a need for students to understand the fundamentals of how to develop an adventure tourism concept and turn it into a successful business enterprise. Emphasis is placed on start-up and investment considerations, strategic planning, concept development, resource management, supply-chain management, employee management and business monitoring and evaluation.

This course provides students with the skills and knowledge to successfully plan and lead an adventure tourism experience. Focus is given to leadership and facilitation strategies, guiding standards and best practices, and the importance of quality environmental and cultural education and interpretation for guests. The need for quality programming and logistics, as well as ensuring guest safety through risk mitigation, emergency planning, and crisis management planning, and public relations is also emphasized. This is in addition to guest management strategies that ensure guests have a positive and safe adventure tourism experience.

This course focuses on the key stakeholders and government policies that influence the adventure tourism industry. This involves a detailed examination of adventure tourism standards, certifications, policies, and regulations, in addition to broader policies and acts that influence the environment within which the adventure tourism industry is situated. As many adventure tourism ventures operate on public lands, the role of public land agencies and their relationships with adventure tourism operators are also closely examined. Additional focus is placed on navigating the permitting process and the importance of developing strong relationships with these land agencies and other relevant stakeholders. The increasingly important role of lobbying and advocacy to raise the profile of the adventure tourism industry and shape relevant policy is also discussed.

This course examines the outdoor products industry and the various steps involved in developing an outdoor product and bringing it to market. Focus is placed on identifying and understanding the outdoor products consumer, before product development processes and product aesthetics and functionality are considered. Students will also learn about the unique characteristics of branding, selling, and distributing outdoor products. Current and future trends of the outdoor products industry are also examined, alongside the diverse career opportunities that exist.

This course will provide students with an understanding of the marketing process as it applies to travel and tourism. While general concepts of marketing for travel and tourism are similar to the marketing of other products and services, the travel and tourism industry has unique characteristics that create a variety of problems and opportunities specific to and important for tourism marketing professionals.

This course, as well as one of the two Directed Electives, may be substituted for courses in our Graduate Certificate in Ski Area Management up to six credits with advisor approval. No thesis or final project is required for the MTM degree.