This presentation shows the work done by Finnish eTourism Curriculum workgroup. eTourism Curriculum Finland aims to develop eTourism teaching in Finland by providing a wide variety of courses on the topic.

1. IFITT Finland, Helsinki, 8.6.2014
eTourismCurriculum Finland – e-business skills
in tourism
Juho Pesonen, Ph.D., Head of Research
University of Eastern Finland, Centre for Tourism Studies,
Savonlinna

2. Working in the tourism industry is not getting
any easier
Juho Pesonen 31.8.2014 2

3. E-business capabilities of tourism
companies are increasingly important in
destination competitiveness
Juho Pesonen 31.8.2014 3

4. People working in the tourism industry should
understand the effects of information and
communication technologies have on their job.
Juho Pesonen 31.8.2014 4

5. Goals of eTourismCurriculum Finland
•Bring together Finnish universities teaching
eTourism.
•Find out how eTourism is taught in Finland at
the moment.
•Develop curriculum to match needs of the
Finnish tourism industry.
•Provide courses according to the curriculum in
Finnish universities.
Juho Pesonen 31.8.2014 5

6. Working group:
•Savonlinna tourism centre of expertise
•Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences
•Savonia UAS
• Jyväskylän UAS
•Kajaanin UAS
•Mikkelin UAS
•Satakunnan UAS
•Rovaniemen UAS
•Karelia UAS
•University of Eastern Finland, Centre for Tourism Studies and
Finnish University Network for Tourism Studies
•University of Eastern Finland, Aducate
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7. Vision
•Graduating students know and understand key technologies that
affect their work and how to use them.
•Entrepreneurs can improve their skills in eTourism topics
important for them.
• Finnish universities work together to generate know-how to
develop national tourism industry
•A dynamic curriculum that fulfills the current and future needs of
the tourism industry.
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8. Workgroup actions
• Six meetings in 2013 and 2014
•Online working in DropBox and Google Docs.
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9. Curriculum, 35 ECTS:
•E-business in tourism, 5 ECTS
•Managing eTourism, 5 ECTS
•Electronic distribution in tourism, 5 ECTS
•Online marketing in tourism, 5 ECTS
•Tourism business online visibility, 5 ECTS
•Gamification in tourism marketing, 5 ECTS
•Future applications and trends of tourism technology, 5 ECTS
Juho Pesonen 31.8.2014 9

10. E-Business in Tourism
Goals
This course provides students a wide perspective on the
topic of e-business in tourism. This course covers all the
important topics in the field and creates an
understanding of the connections and contents between
different e-business topics, thus providing an overview
of e-business in tourism. This course also provides
context for other e-business in tourism courses. After
the course the student knows the central concepts of e-business
in tourism, how different topics are connected
to and affecting each other and what is the role of
various online tools in marketing and managing the
information and communication technologies used in
tourism companies. Also the unique features of the
tourism cluster and their effects on the e-business are
discussed, as well as the connection between offline and
online marketing.
Themes
• Synergies of offline
and online marketing
• Risks and risk
management
• Connections between
various e-business
topics
• Customer focus in e-business
• Critical e-business
concepts
• Technologies in
different parts of the
tourism business
domain
Juho Pesonen 31.8.2014 10

11. Managing eTourism
Goals
The students understand the strategic management
dimension of electronic business in tourism and knows
how to apply knowledge of the topic in different
scenarios. Student can responsibly manage and
complete a project from beginning to the end. He or she
can find creative solutions to unexpected situations in
project implementation in different parts of the project
and proactively take into account changes in micro and
macro level. The student can examine both internal and
external electronic tourism business. The student knows
how to observe, collect and analyze tourism business
intelligence and utilize it as part of the company and
network value chain. He or she understands the
importance of enterprise resources planning as part of
the tourism business and can build and maintain
regional, national and international networks as well as
actively engage them.
Themes
• Enterprise electronic
business strategy
• Enterprise
architecture
• Business intelligence
• Knowledge
management
• E-business in tourism
company strategy
• Privacy and security
• Administrative
systems
• Revenue management
Juho Pesonen 31.8.2014 11

12. Electronic distribution in tourism
Goals
This course concentrates on the distribution
of hospitality and tourism products. After
this course the student has the skills and
knowledge needed for successful channel
management. Topics include: distribution
agents and intermediaries, channel
requirements and optimization, pricing
integrity, competitive distribution analysis
and justification, and integration of
marketing in distribution channels.
Themes
• History
• Supply and value
chain
• Booking channels
• Free sale vs. quotas
• Fixed pricing vs.
dynamic pricing
• Business travelers’
needs
• Guarantee,
confirmation, changes
• Channel management
• New technologies
Juho Pesonen 31.8.2014 12

13. Online marketing in tourism
Goals
The student understand how to utilize the
Internet in tourism marketing. He or she
understands and knows how to use online
tools to gain marketing advantage and
customer insights. The students learns how
social media can be used in tourism
marketing and customer service. Previous
experience from product development,
customer service and advertisement are
utilized in online environment.
.
Themes
• Social customer relationship
management
• Customer insight
• Customer segments and the
Internet
• Experience marketing and
consuming
• Social media insights, trends and
services
• Benefits and risks of social media
for tourism businesses
• Marketing analysis and web
analytics
• Social media as a marketing and
customer service channel
• Technology enhanced tourism
experience
Juho Pesonen 31.8.2014 13

14. Tourism business online visibility
Goals
This course focuses on content marketing and the
role of interesting, educating and entertaining
content for the online presence of a tourism
business and on the tools used to create content.
The students learns to produce, publish and
manage online content from the business
perspective and understands the importance of
stories, product information, multimedia content,
and other online content in creating an online
presence for a tourism business. The online
content is central in driving customers to websites
because it is closely connected to search engine
optimization. The student learns how content
affects search engine optimization and how
organic and paid search engine marketing works.
Also uses and functions of databases are studied
in the course.
Themes
• Organic and paid search
engine optimization (SEO)
• Optimizing websites and
campaigns in search
engines
• Multimedia content
• Creating, publishing and
managing online content
• Product descriptions in
online reservation system
• Online shops and
reservation systems
• Stories and product
information
• Databases and engaging
customers
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15. Gamification in tourism marketing
Goals
The student understands the
possibilities and limitations of mobile
and computer games as part of
tourism marketing. He or she has
knowledge on how games can be
used in brand strategy as well as
relationship management tool and
can conceptually design a mobile
application aimed at particular
market segment.
Themes
•Mobile games
•Mobile applications
•Game concepts
•Relationship
marketing with
games
•Location based
transmedia
storytelling
•Augmented reality
Juho Pesonen 31.8.2014 15

16. Future applications and trends of tourism
technology
Goals
This course has a strong future orientation to the
new technology and it’s applications in the field of
tourism business. After the course student is aware
of the trends of the global tourism business and
understands the significant role of new technology
in the development of tourism business. Student
has a broad understanding of the possibilities that
new technologies offers to tourism and is capable to
innovate new application concepts based on the
future technology. Student has a basic knowledge of
design and innovation process of new technological
applications in tourism business
Themes
•Trends in
tourism
business
•New
technology
•Innovation
process and
practices
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17. What happens next?
•First courses online Spring 2015.
•Integration of tourism business into
curriculum.
•Developing pedagogical methods for online
teaching.
Juho Pesonen 31.8.2014 17

18. www.uef.fi/mot
Kiitos mielenkiinnosta!
Juho.pesonen@uef.fi
www.uef.fi/mot/
www.matkailututkimus.fi
www.facebook.com/uef.mot