Tourism Research

Tourism Research is a one-of-a-kind degree programme in Finland, as you can study it at the university level only at our university. The programme trains professionals of responsible tourism and explores the phenomena of tourism from different perspectives with a multidisciplinary and critical approach.

Tourism research at our university focuses on sustainable development and represents the so called Nordic School of Tourism Studies. It has an emphasis on responsibility, creativity, and critical thinking in the study, planning and development of tourism.

Our research interests lie primarily in questions of:

responsible tourism planning,
participatory approaches, and
multispecies coexistence and cultural sensitivity in tourism.

We approach the sustainability of tourism in the contexts of:

hospitality,
diverse operating environments as well as
working and learning together.

Already during their studies, our students have the chance to influence tourism and its development. Interaction with society is included in our daily activities, as many of our courses involve project activity and connections to the professional world. Our researchers and research groups cooperate closely with businesses and local communities as well as with national and international researcher networks – not forgetting all species living in natural environments.

Moreover, our graduates have been able to secure influential positions within tourism development in Finland and abroad.

Our tourism research programme is also a part of the Multidimensional Tourism Institute (MTI). MTI is a creative research, learning and knowledge community, jointly run by the University of Lapland and the Lapland University of Applied Sciences. The Institute acts as a trendsetter in the tourism sector, creating a basis for better operating conditions for the entire industry. The competences we offer are new and innovative, as we work in exceptionally close collaboration with the university's social sciences, arts, design and environmental education, and the UAS's business, sports and natural resources departments.

Studies in Tourism Research

Tourism Research is an interdisciplinary subject that allows you to examine tourism from multiple perspectives. Your studies will provide you with extensive knowledge on the challenges of reconciling differing interests in the field and ways to overcome them.

As a university-level subject, Tourism Research is based on science and generation of new relevant knowledge. The programme offers you instruction and tools for creating and applying ideas that can transform the tourism sector and the whole world. These tools will benefit you both immediately and in the long run.

Tourism Research is a good minor subject for students who take interest in tourism as a phenomenon and wish to understand its causes and effects.

Areas of focus

sustainability in tourism
generating new knowledge
tourism research and planning.

You will learn to observe and plan tourism as an economic, cultural and social phenomenon that influences nature and other environment. Sustainability plays a major role in your studies, as you become familiar with economic, ecologic, social, cultural and political sustainability.

Please note that the degree programme is offered in Finnish.

Experience design

Students majoring in tourism research can choose to focus on experience design in their studies. Studies in experience design are carried out through cooperation between the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Faculty of Art and Design. In the Faculty of Art and Design, it is also possible to major in experience design. The studies expand the expertise of tourism research students particularly toward planning and design expertise.

Tourism and design

The experience design programme combines studies in tourism and design. The goal is to understand the customer experience. In design studies, you learn to design for instance experience environments, communication products, and tourism services. In addition to the real and virtual worlds, you learn to consider the personal world of experience in designing.

Excercises prepare you for the job market

The studies in experience design contain diverse practical assignments. For example, you design visual communication for social media, test the clarity and emotional impressions of messages, and combine visual and verbal narratives. In graphic design studies, you learn to create concepts for companies, communities, events, and products. You learn to design concepts that consists of spaces, colours, costumes, business logos, and other visual materials. You learn to utilise and create mental images, distinctiveness, and narrativity. In tourism studies, you apply these principles when ideating and developing experiences.

Master's degree in tourism research

Studies leading to a master's degree in tourism research

During the two-year master's studies, you focus on multidisciplinary knowledge of tourism and the prerequisites for sustainable well-being. You deepen your expertise in the responsible planning of tourism and in reliable research methodologies. The studies consist of a field course, thematic courses, tourism specialist internship, and studies on research and development project expertise. In addition, you engage in interactive thesis seminar work that supports your independent thesis work. Your teachers and supervisors are experienced researchers who have extensive international and societal networks

Areas of focus

sustainable well-being
responsible planning of tourism
multidisciplinary expertise in tourism

These master level studies are offered in Finnish language, but we also offer two international master's degree programmes in English.

Master’s Degree Programme in Northern Tourism

Master's degree studies in English

English-taught two-year Master’s Degree Programme in Northern Tourism is based on a joint 30 credits component organised by the University of the Arctic (UArctic) Thematic Network on Northern Tourism. It offers a comprehensive and international approach to tourism and reflects on the growing global influence and relevance of change in the north. The programme offers education based on research activities of the leading tourism scholars from Arctic areas.

Apply to Master's Degree Programme in Northern Tourism >

Areas of focus

northern tourism
sustainable development
Arctic region.

The studies include a joint UArctic component (30 cr.) specializing in Northern Tourism consisting of a field course and two online courses. The programme also allows students to find a second supervisor for their thesis from one of the UArctic partner institutions.

Further information: admission(at)ulapland.fi

Master’s Degree Programme in Northern Tourism >

Master’s Degree Programme in TourCIM

Master’s degree studies in English

In the English-taught two-year Master’s Degree Programme in Tourism, Culture, and International Management (TourCIM) you will explore the development and management of international cultural products and services. You will also acquire professional experience in working in an intercultural and diverse environment, and deepen your understanding of the principles of sustainability in tourism business.

Apply to Master’s Degree Programme in Tourism, Culture, and International Management (TourCIM) >

Areas of focus

tourism
international management
cultural experiences and heritage.

The studies include an elective module (30 cr.) in your area of specialisation, which allows you focus on your interests in your studies. You can, for example, select minor studies from the courses offered by our university or our international partner institutions.

Further information: admissions(at)ulapland.fi

Master’s Degree Programme in Tourism, Culture, and International Management (TourCIM) >

Student organisation

Jalot Villit

Jalot Villit is a student organisation for tourism research students. In addition to getting involved in interest representation, you can join our conversations and activities over a cup of coffee or on our cabin trips. You will get to know like-minded students who share a genuine interest in the phenomenon we call tourism, as well as versatile expertise and experience in the field.

José-Carlos García-Rosell

University Lecturer
(on leave of absence)
Tourism Research
Tel. +358 40 484 4190

García-Rosell's research profile >

Minni Haanpää

University Lecturer
Tourism Research
Master's degree in Tourism, Culture and International Management (Programme leader)
Tel. +358 40 484 4192

Haanpää's research profile >

Anna-Emilia Haapakoski

University Teacher
Tourism Research
Tel. +358 180 9924

Haapakoski's research profile >

Maria Hakkarainen

University Lecturer
Tourism Research
Tel. +358 40 484 4213

Hakkarainen's research profile >

Emily Höckert

Postdoctoral Researcher
Tourism Research
Tel. +358 40 484 4055

Arctic World Political Imaginations: Exploring sustainable alternatives to unstable World (ARCI)
Profi 7, MESH - Multispecies Hospitality (Research Council of Finland)

Höckert's researh profile >

Salla Jutila

University Teacher
Tourism Research
Tel. +358 40 484 4041

Jutila's research profile >

Monika Lüthje

University Lecturer
Tourism Research
Tel. +358 40 484 4198
Responsible Project Leader, ARCTISEN (NPA)

Luthje's research profile >

Matti Nojonen

Professor
Chinese Culture and Society
Tel. +358 40 484 4130 / +358 44 971 2743

Nojonen's research profile >

Minna Nousiainen

University Teacher
Tourism Research
Tel. +358 40 081 3687

Nousiainen's research profile >

Outi Rantala

Professor
Responsible Arctic Tourism
(Research period 1.8.2024 - 31.3.2025)
Master's degree in Northern Tourism (Programme leader)
Tel. +358 40 484 420

Intra-living in the Anthropocene (Research Council of Finland)

Rantala's research profile >