A New era of Sustainable Tourism Education
CAST Mozambique is fostering a collaboration between IMC Krems and Universidade Eduardo Mondlane Mozambique to develop a new curriculum on sustainable tourism and design more practice-oriented courses on sustainable rural tourism. This project will empower communities, help diversify rural livelihoods, and contribute to curriculum development and skills development at UEM.
Strong Need
There is a strong need for a more sustainable and community-centred tourism curriculum in Mozambique, which stems first of all from the nature of tourism in Mozambique, which, to date, is still largely focused on “sun sea sand” holidays along the 2,700 kms of coastline. Mozambique has enormous potential (cultural heritage, flora & fauna), however, it does not yet experience a large share of the tourist market, with the situation having become even more challenging in times of COVID-19. In addition, the sector is still hugely dominated by foreign investment, mainly from South Africa, contributing little to the balance of payments and poverty alleviation in the country.
RURAL TOURISM
Rural tourism thereby remains a neglected field – despite its worldwide recognised potential to deliver both tangible and intangible benefits and create new and alternative livelihoods for those experiencing poverty. This lack in rural tourism development goes hand in hand with a lack in higher education training to develop rural and sustainable tourism, with nearly no courses in the country focused on rural areas, particularly at MA level.
CAPACITY BUILDING
This project seeks to target these challenges with the help of capacity building in Higher Education in Mozambique for sustainable rural tourism development. It does so through fostering a collaboration between IMC Krems and Universidade Eduardo Mondlane (UEM/ ESHTI) Mozambique to enable the sharing of practises in regards to sustainable rural tourism education and development in order to contribute to curriculum development at UEM, as well as skills development within sustainable rural tourism research and teaching.
MASTER'S PROGRAMME
Part of the project is the development of an MA curriculum on sustainable tourism (the first Master’s programme in Mozambique) and the design of two new, practise-orientated and jointly delivered (between IMC and ESHTI) courses on sustainable rural tourism, which also support rural entrepreneurs and help diversify rural livelihoods. The project therefore enables a closer collaboration with marginalised communities to shape the curriculum and benefit from training in sustainable product development and marketing.
STRENGTHEN
In the case of Mozambique, community-based tourism and agritourism bear underused potential for linkages and livelihood diversification particularly in rural areas dominated by agricultural production. The proposed project contributes to strengthening these linkages in creating higher education initiatives that enable students to learn about the issues and sustainable development of tourism in those areas. In addition, it empowers communities in developing viable sustainable tourism businesses and marketing strategies, so to utilise tourism’s full potential to contribute to the SDGs, alleviate poverty in Mozambique, and to ultimately “leave no one behind”.
PARTNERSHIP
The IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems (Austria) and its Institute Tourism, Wine Business and Marketing have partnered with Universidade Eduardo Mondlane (UEM) in Mozambique to promote sustainable rural tourism development. The collaboration involves capacity building in higher education, research on authenticity and sustainability in tourism, and the development of best practices for older people living in urban and suburban areas.
IMC University of Applied Sciences
The IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems (IMC Krems) (Austria) and its Institute Tourism, Wine Business and Marketing represent a higher education and research institution focusing on application-driven research with an international focus and integrating business expertise into teaching.
The team at the Institute Tourism, Wine Business and Marketing as part of the Department of Business concentrates mainly on three lines of research: consumer studies and innovation management, tourism marketing and technology research as well as regional economics and agrobusiness research.
Current research projects have been concerned with the authenticity of tourism products and experiences, centring on the arts and culture sector, as well as sustainable tourism development and digitalisation in tourism businesses and regions. The team has furthermore carried out eye-tracking studies in order to evaluate consumer behaviour at the point of sale, and to gain academic insights into aspects of sustainability in the wine business and wine tourism, as well as the development of international wine markets. National and international projects have aimed at complimenting existing cyclotourism initiatives and projects, as well as to identify best practices in building transport equity for older people living in urban and suburban areas in Poland and Austria. A showcase project funded by the Austrian Partnership Programme in Higher Education and Research for Development (APPEAR) has aimed at capacity building in higher education in Mozambique for sustainable rural tourism development.
Claudia Dolezal
Overall project coordinator, trainer
Christian Maurer
Academic and project advisor, trainer
Larissa Neuburger
Trainer
Desiree Schnauer
Project assistant
Overall project coordinator, trainer
Prof. (FH) Dr. Claudia Dolezal is a professor in the Institute for Tourism, Wine Business, and Marketing at the IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems, specialising on Tourism and Sustainable Development, Social Change and Destination Management. Her background is in tourism, international development and social anthropology with research conducted in Southeast Asia, Latin America, Africa and Europe. Her research focuses on regional, rural and sustainable tourism, specifically on the role that tourism plays for community empowerment, social change and the achievement of the UN SDGs in destinations. Claudia has published particularly on the topics of community-based tourism, sustainable development and social change in tourism. She delivers international keynotes and lectures, capacity building, and is a keen speaker at conferences. She is an editorial board member of “Tourism Geographies”, “Advances in South-East Asian Studies (ASEAS)” and “Tourism Planning and Development” and editor of the 2020 Routledge book “Tourism and Development in Southeast Asia” and the 2022 published “Handbook of Niche Tourism”.
As project lead of CAST Mozambique, Claudia oversees the direction and progress of the project and is involved in all work packages.
Academic and project advisor, trainer
Prof. (FH) Mag Christian Maurer is Head of the Institute for Tourism, Wine Business, and Marketing and Programme Director for the Master Programme Marketing at the IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems.
He is best-described as an active and passionate researcher and teacher, who is consistently striving for innovation and implementation of new approaches and tools in tourism development. Characterised by his teaching approach, Christian strives to combine theory and practice, thus being a champion of integrating “real-life projects” into teaching. As a true ambassador in the field of e-tourism, he is a sought-after presenter at international conference events.
Convinced that the seeds of passion for research should be linked to Higher Education in Tourism, in 2013 Christian initiated the now-annual International Student Conference in Tourism Research (ISCONTOUR), exemplifying his conviction in academic research as the key to a more clear and complete picture of the impact of environmental, political, economic and social change on tourism systems. He is well-published and has presented at numerous international conferences and workshops demonstrating his expertise and ongoing contribution to strengthening ties between tourism education and industry through research and practice orientation.
Trainer
Dr. Larissa Neuburger is a Senior Lecturer for Marketing at the IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems. In this position she is an instructor for different marketing focused classes and project-based lectures in the Bachelor and Master programs of the university. She finished her PhD in May 2021 at the University of Florida in the research area of e-tourism with a special focus on immersive technology and virtual travel. Her research interest includes e-tourism, tourism marketing, social media and immersive technologies (Augmented & Virtual Technology) in the context of tourism experience. Dr. Neuburger publishes regularly in academic journals and peer-reviewed books and presents her research at different national and international conferences. She is a member of the International Federation of Information Technology for Travel and Tourism (IFITT), the Travel and Tourism Research Association (TTRA) and a research fellow at Tourism RESET. Since the beginning of 2023 Dr. Larissa Neuburger is editor in chief of the academic journal ‘Journal of Tourism Science’. Beside her academic career she also has work experience in the marketing area and tourism industry.
Project assistant
Desiree Schnauer, BA is a scientific project assistant at the Institute for Tourism, Wine Business and Marketing at the IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems. Desiree brings experience in accounting, budgeting and controlling, especially project controlling of funding projects. Her focus is on project management, where she provides both commercial and technical support in the organisation, implementation and follow-up of projects. She brings in-depth knowledge in the field of business informatics and is available for all technical questions in the areas of software, the development of relevant tools and video editing. In the field of online marketing, her main focus is on social media and website development.
As a scientific project assistant of CAST Mozambique, Desiree supports in the area of project management and realises the technical implementations required in the project.
Universidade Eduardo Mondlane
Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM) is the oldest and largest public university in Mozambique, located in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. It was founded in 1962 as the Mozambique University of General University Studies and in 1976 it took the name of the founder of Frelimo, Eduardo Mondlane. He was an academic anthropologist who was assassinated in 1969.
UEM is a comprehensive and multidisciplinary institution based on training, research and extension services. It has eight faculties, including the Faculty of Agronomy, the Faculty of Economics, the Faculty of Engineering, the Faculty of Law, the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Science, and the Faculty of Social Sciences.
UEM is a leading institution of higher education in Mozambique. It is ranked among Africa’s top 35 universities (Aicu 2021). The university is committed to providing high-quality education and research that meets the needs of Mozambique and the world.
Helsio Azevedo
Coordinator in Mozambique
Daniel Zacarias
Research Coordinator
Sónia Deolinda Lourenço Cossa
Training Coordinator
Luisa Eduarda Pereira Mosse
Project assistant
Coordinator in Mozambique
Prof. Dr. Hélsio Azevedo is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Education at Eduardo Mondlane University. He has a degree in Tourism, a Master’s degree in Environmental Planning and Management and a PhD in Geography. He specializes in tourism destination studies with a focus on tourism planning and diagnosis in urban areas and conservation areas. In recent years he has developed studies related to community empowerment for the promotion of agro-tourism and the inclusion of young people in tourism opportunities in island environments. He is currently a member of the Communication and City Research Group (Citicom-UFMT), the Space, Subject and Existence Group (IESA-UFG) and the Research Group on Tourism and Contemporary Socioterritorial Dynamics (USP). He works in teaching, research and extension in the fields of tourism, the environment and geography and also is an ad hoc tourism and environmental consultant. He is a member of the scientific board of the following journals: Tocantinense de Geografia, Sociedade e Território, Sapiência: Sociedade, Saberes e Práticas Educacionais and Ateliê Geográfico (UFG). As coordinator of the CAST project in Mozambique, Helsio leads the entire Mozambican team and coordinates with the Institute for Tourism, Wine Business, and Marketing at the IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems in achieving all the project packages.
Research Coordinator
Prof. Dr. Daniel Zacarias is a, Assistant Professor at the Higher School of Hospitality and Tourism (ESHTI) of the Universidade Eduardo Mondlane (UEM), in Mozambique. His background is in Geography, Water & Coastal Management and in Ecology & Evolution and as such he has a broad range of research interests. In the context of tourism, his research interest range from public polivy analysis, community response and visitor’s satisfaction with emphazis on visitor-resident’s interactions. Daniel is an active research, having published papers, book chapters and an edited book and is also a consistent reviewer for journals such as Biological Conservation, Ocean and Coastal Management, Global Ecology and Conservation, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights and PLoS ONE. He is a member of the Research Group on Tourism and Contemporary Socioterritorial Dynamics.
Training Coordinator
Sónia Deolinda Lourenço Cossa, is a Lecturer at Eduardo Mondlane University, at the Inhambane Higher School of Hotel and Tourism, working in the Hospitality Department. She has a degree in Tourism, master’s degree in Strategic Management of Tourist Destinations, whose dissertation topic was on Strategic Marketing in Combating Seasonality. She is currently a doctoral candidate in Tourism Management with the thesis on the theme “Solidarity Economy in the Tourist Territory of the Municipality of Inhambane (Mozambique): a Study of Integration with Local Economies”. Throughout her academic career, she participated in scientific events, developed solid experience in pedagogical management and she developed technical and professional skills in the hospitality sector, having participated as a trainer in the areas of accommodation and restaurant and bar services aimed at local communities and in some cases, managers of hotel establishments. Associated with the subjects she teaches, she also worked with local communities to encourage cooperatives and associations for the development of agritourism and this relationship has become more solid due to current research on the integration of local economies in tourism.
Project assistant
Luisa Eduarda Pereira Mosse, is an employee of the UEM-Escola Superior de Hotelaria e Turismo de Inhambane, has a degree in Management from the Eduardo Mondlane University and currently coordinates the Department of Administration and Finance of ESHTI. In this project she is responsible for the administrative process of the project in Mozambique.
Project News
Find out the latest news and activities of CAST Mozambique!
PhD Scholarship
The APPEAR project is offering a PhD scholarship for research on agrotourism/rural tourism development in Mozambique. The scholarship is open to students and professionals from APPEAR partner institutions in eligible countries. The successful candidate will receive a monthly scholarship instalment of 1,100 euros per month for up to 48 months. Travel costs to Austria, for field studies in the home country, and for returning home after completion of the studies are also financed. Additional grants are also available for German courses, participation in scientific conferences/courses, and a thesis allowance. Priority of PhD scholarship and conference participation is given to female students. 20230824 Job Description PhD Student_FINAL
First Project Meeting
First Project Meeting
The first project meeting took place on July 11, 2023. The project members discussed the framework for the planned PhD scholarship. They also discussed the steps for the needs analysis to evaluate the requirements and expectations of the planned Master’s program in Rural Tourism. An online survey is planned for the survey.
PhD Scholarship
The project members agreed that the PhD scholarship should be open to students from Mozambique and Austria. The scholarship should cover tuition, living expenses, and travel expenses. The project members will work with the universities in Mozambique and Austria to develop the application process and criteria.
Needs Analysis
The project members agreed that a needs analysis is necessary to ensure that the Master’s program in Rural Tourism meets the needs of the Mozambican tourism industry. The needs analysis will be conducted through an online survey. The survey will be distributed to tourism stakeholders in Mozambique.
The project members are confident that the needs analysis will provide valuable insights into the needs of the Mozambican tourism industry. This information will be used to develop a Master’s program that is relevant and responsive to the needs of the industry.
Next Steps
The project members will continue to work on the framework for the PhD scholarship. They will also finalize the plan for the needs analysis. The online survey will be launched in August 2023.
The project members are excited to continue working on this project. They are committed to making a positive impact on the development of the Mozambican tourism industry.
Summary
The CAST Mozambique project is a collaboration between the University of Vienna and the University Eduardo Mondlane in Mozambique. The project aims to develop a PhD scholarship and a Master’s program in Rural Tourism.
The first project meeting took place on July 11, 2023. The project members discussed the framework for the PhD scholarship and the steps for the needs analysis. The needs analysis will be conducted through an online survey in August 2023.
The project members are excited to continue working on this project and to make a positive impact on the development of the Mozambican tourism industry.
Kick Off Meeting CAST Mozambique
On April 27, 2023, the first kick-off meeting for the CAST Mozambique project took place. All project members from Austria and Mozambique were present. The first milestone was set, the first steps and tasks were discussed, and the goals were defined. We are excited for the challenging and interesting tasks that lie ahead of us.
English (UK) 
Português