The University of Southern Maine Tourism & Hospitality Program has been thrilled to host a group of Greenlandic students and faculty from Campus Kujalleq, a tourism and hospitality college in Qaqortoq, Greenland, this summer as part of academic programming designed to empower students as leaders in sustainable tourism.
Ten Greenlandic students have been enrolled in a USM course called Best Practices in Sustainable Tourism Management and have been participating in experiential place-based programming with industry partners in and around Maine in June and July to internationalize and indigenize their curriculum. Students recently concluded their academic programming with ESOL and Tourism & Hospitality courses in collaboration with our partners at Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness, and are now gaining experience with on-site job placements with industry partners designed to support their professional experiences and interests.
Students have learned about the sustainability of the tourism industry in Maine with a wide range of experiences, including lobster boat tours, foodie tours and much more! Students have also been working with our Wabanaki partners to learn more about indigenizing their tourism offerings and community programming in Greenland.
This program has been made possible with initial support from the U.S. Department of State as part of the Arctic Education Alliance, an initiative that has been designed to support long-term educational partnerships between the U.S. and Greenland in sustainable tourism and land and fisheries management. This educational partnership has evolved at the request of our Greenlandic partners and in anticipation of an influx of North American tourists in the near future, following the completion of three new international airports in the next year.
It is our hope that this partnership continues to grow and evolve in the coming years. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to everyone who has made this program possible and to the Greenlandic students and staff for being willing to make the most of this experience! We look forward to our future together!
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