It is predicted to be a record year for the tourism industry with global industry growth forecast at 2.8 percent – directly producing $2 trillion to the global economy and around 100.3 million jobs, according to research by the World Travel & Tourism Council. Continuing to help meet demand for qualified professionals in this evolving industry, the Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources in Colorado State University’s Warner College of Natural Resources has launched a new, nine-month master’s degree in tourism management.

This cohort-based program begins fall 2012 and features innovative course work in sustainable tourism practices, strategic management and quantitative analysis, communications and conflict management, eco-tourism and tourism marketing. Tourism courses are offered through online content delivery and condensed classroom learning experiences that emphasize interactive discussion with fellow cohort members, faculty and industry professionals from around the world.

“Globally, the tourism industry supports more than one billion arrivals annually and contributes as much as 5 percent of the total economic activity worldwide and employing nearly 7 percent of the