Department of Tourism Management

The city of Patras and the University

The city of Patras is located at the North-western part of the Peloponnese, lying about 210kms to the west of the capital city of Athens. A highway connects the two cities and a coach takes about 2 hours to make the trip. It is a sea-side city of about 210.000 inhabitants, with a spectacular sunset, close to the foot of Mount Panachaikon of 1928ms. The city center is easy to enjoy on foot, there is a castle, an ancient Roman odeon, an archaeological museum and many beautiful beaches, both to the west (sandy beaches) and to the east (pebble ones). One can actually enjoy the sea just 2kms from the city center, towards the north side. The city’s port is the main portal connecting Greece to Italy by ferry. For winter sports lovers, the ski resorts of Kalavrita and of Parnassos are relatively close. Olympia (the site of ancient Greece’s Olympic Games) lies about 120kms to the south, whilst the Oracle of Delphi is about 125 to the north-east. More information about Patras can be found here:

Patras @ web-greece.gr
Patras @ visitgreece.gr
Patras @ greeka.com

Welcome Note

Dear students,

Welcome to the Department of Tourism Management of the University of Patras – Greece.

As exchange students, you are already fully aware of the importance of tourism for your country. For Greece, tourism is also important both for job and for income creation. Just some brief information on tourism – related data regarding Greece for you. For 2018 the tourism sector directly contributed about 17€bn. to the economy. It is estimated that the multiplier (how many more € are generated indirectly for each € directly derived from tourism) for tourism – related activities is 2,65. Thus, it is estimated that the total contribution of tourism to the economy was at about 63€bn. In job terms, tourism activities created about 650.000 workplaces in 2018, that is, about 17% of total employment in Greece. This is without having taken into account the indirect contribution of tourism in jobs creation.

Despite the importance of tourism, however, it is estimated that just about 30% of employers in tourism businesses have any kind of formal training and/or education in the field. This leaves huge room for improvement and this is where our graduates have a lot to offer and are simultaneously presented with opportunity..

Our Department is the only one in the prefecture of Western Greece offering tertiary education studies, at undergraduate and postgraduate studies (both MSc. and doctoral levels) and thus is a lever for tourism development of the region.

Our curriculum is up – to – date and is undergoing periodical revision and our academic and administrative staff are always available to offer any guidance and assistance you might require.

Studying with us for at least one semester, you will also have the opportunity to explore Patras, a lively and easy to navigate city of about 175.000 residents and more than 33.000 University students, which has a lot to offer. In the broader area you will also be able to explore great beaches and also mountains, archaeological sites such as ancient Olympia and Delphi, as well as the beautiful Ionian islands.

We hope that you will enjoy both your time studying with us, as well as your time spent in Patras.

Again, we extend a very warm welcome!

Dr. A. Rafailidis
Head of the Department

Mission and Course Content

The Department of Tourism Management of the University of Patras was founded in May 2019 and welcomed the first students in September 2019. However, it is a descendant of the successful former Department of Tourist Business Management and retains the relevant expertise and experience, bringing along new ideas and a well-conceived new programme of studies

The Department aims at a two-fold goal:

Providing students with thorough and modern education and training (a) in tourism management for businesses and other organizations, as well as (b) in the fields of tourism policy, strategy and development at the local, regional, national and international levels.
Offering an interdisciplinary approach to the field of tourism management, within the ever evolving political, economic, social, technological and cultural environment, with the use of current methodologies and research tools.

The strategic goals of the Department are correlated to those of the University of Patras and include:

Providing high-level education and training, with emphasis on student-oriented learning, on the continuous (yearly) revision and update of the curriculum and on the standardization of academic processes. The goal is for graduating students to be able to:
- have theoretical and practical knowledge on issues related to tourism management and on other relevant fields comprising the particular subject,
- have adequate knowledge to become productive managers of tourism firms and organizations,
- have knowledge on the fields of tourism data management and relevant computing techniques,
- use cutting edge technologies relevant to tourism,
- be able to plan and manage alternative tourism,
- autonomously develop knowledge and skills related to tourism management, so as to be able to continue studies at the next level.
Producing high-level research, through promotion of research cooperation and projects and through the use and dissemination of research findings.
Promoting excellence and innovation, through acknowledgement and reward of relevant accomplishments of all members of the University community.
Promoting extroversion and international presence, through:
- organization of national and international conferences,
- participation of faculty in scientific committees for national and international journals and conferences,
- participation in exchange programs for students, faculty and other staff,
- participation of faculty in national and international research programs and development plans,
- planning of training seminars open to the University community and to society.
Improving the linkages with the market, with science institutions and foundations and with alumni.
Improving administrative efficiency and improving of existing infrastructure, with emphasis on student care.

Curriculum Objectives

The objectives of the current curriculum are based on extensive study of the available international literature and expertise in an effort to take into account the economic and social nature of tourism, the sectoral perplexities of the tourism offering, the complex nature of relevant scientific research, as well as the need to plan for tourism at the regional and national levels.

The current curriculum aims at providing structured education and training in the field of tourism business (and organizations) management, with the use of interdisciplinary courses and tools, combining theory with practice and teaching with research. To achieve this end, both the Microeconomic (business – level) and the Macroeconomic approaches (regional and national level) are used and combined for the better understanding of the field.

Learning outcomes

It is expected that the curriculum of the Department of Tourism Management provides the required education and training for graduates to successfully work in all potential tourism – related field. More specifically, graduates are generally expected to be capable of the following:

Run a tourism business, either as self – employed or as employees and/or managers.
Use management methodologies relevant, for example, to offerings, pricing, distribution and promotion of tourism services.
Efficiently manage the human resources of a tourism firm or organization.
Design and conduct tourist market and tourist policy research and surveys.
Plan and implement strategies for tourism development of target destinations, guided by economy, society and the environment.
Develop special and alternative tourism by identifying suitable destinations.
Use scientific thinking and methodologies in analyzing trending and future tourism – related issues.
Develop statistical and information technology methodologies for studying tourism – related data and for decision – making.
Lead in technological and / or organizational change related to the rapidly evolving international tourism and business environment.
Work as managers in every field of tourism, such as:
- in planning and managing a tourism firm of any size, applying scientific management,
- in planning tourism development policies at local, regional and national levels,
- in marketing tourism services (needs identification and/or creation, pricing, promotion and offering),
- in efficient implementation of hospitality – related projects,
- in creating hospitality offerings, especially in hotel and restaurant management, in conference and events management, as well as in entertainment,
- in supply – chain management and in purchasing management,
- in the implementation of information systems for data processing for tourism firms and organizations,
- in the implementation of information technology and of communication technology in the tourism sector,
- in conducting studies for the creation of new firms, and for the improvement and modernization of existing firms,
- in collectively designing and implementing projects for tourism development, as well as for research and development for new tourism offerings,
- in quality management for tourism firms.

Career Prospects

Graduates of the Department of Tourism Management will have the skills and knowledge set to be able to successfully work in a wide range of businesses and organizations, such as:

tourism businesses like hotels and other hospitality firms, airlines, shipping firms, travel and tourism agencies, conference and event organizing firms,
public sector agencies, like the Ministry for Tourism, the Greek National Tourism Organization and other public entities, as well as at the municipal and regional tourism agencies, as managers for tourism policy planning, tourism strategy and tourist destination planners,
sectoral tourism agencies, such as the Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE), the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels, the Hellenic Association of Travel and Tourist Agencies (HATTA) etc.
development firms, as councils for tourism and for tourism development,
academia and schools, as teaching staff, researchers and trainers,
accounting offices of tourism – related, or other, firms.

Curriculum

The academic operation of the Department of Tourism Management of the University of Patras begun in the academic year 2019-2020 (Government Gazette 70/7.5.2019 A’).

The successful completion of the Department’s Undergraduate Program leads to a level 6 degree in Bachelor of Tourism Management. The program includes 240 ECTS and is implemented in 8 academic semesters, with several courses on offer for exchange students.