Caribbean Field School - Sustainable Tourism

Colourful buildings in Cube

The Field School will be held in Riviera Maya, Mexico.  Students will stay and eat at the Iberostar Paraiso del Mar hotel.

Students will spend one week on the U of G campus learning about various elements influencing sustainable tourism such as hospitality practices, principles of leadership and multi-sector cooperation, and integration of the local environment, economy and community engagement.  The class will then spend one intensive week in the host country, experiencing a hands-on opportunity to examine challenges and opportunities of tourism sustainability in a popular destination, through site visits and discussions with local tour operators, tourism businesses, and local stakeholders. 

This Field School is being generously funded by Transat who are donating (in-kind) the flights, hotel accommodations and meals for the selected participants.  Students will also engage in teamwork culminating in a final assignment “white paper” post-trip, proposing a Sustainable Tourism Practices Implementation Plan. This report will be presented to the Transat stakeholders which may lay the groundwork for further recommendations, studies, or an action plan.

Information Session

Thursday, November 9, 2023
5:30 - 6:30 pm

UC 390 (take the South elevators)

Come in person, or follow the presentation virtually on Teams.
Click here to join the meeting

Field School Details

Program Dates (tentative)

  • last week of April - classes on U of G campus
  • first week of May - travel to Caribbean

Course 

Students will be registered in HTM 4500 credits for 0.5 credits.

This international field school is open to students from all disciplines at the University of Guelph, but students majoring in Business programs will be given preference.

Costs

Students should budget for the following:

  • Round-trip airfare to the host country and hotel: provided by Transat
  • Tuition at the University of Guelph for 0.5 credits
  • The Caribbean Field School fee: approximately $650 (includes field trips, in-country travel, and entrance fees). Amount is subject to change based on fluctuating exchange rate.
  • Meals: provided by Transat
  • Mandatory travel health and emergency insurance through the company Guard Me ($1.65 / day)
  • Personal expenses (souvenirs, additional personal excursions, etc) 

Global Skills Opportunity LogoTravel Grants

Students participating in this Field School, who identify as an Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, Métis) student, a student registered with Student Accessibility Services, and/or have demonstrated financial need are eligible to apply for the GSO Travel Grant. There are also other University of Guelph travel grants available.  


Eligibility

Students applying for the program must have completed a total of 7.5 undergraduate credits by the time the program begins in May 2024 (or permission from the instructor), and must have a 68% cumulative average. 

The program is open to students from all disciplines at the University of Guelph, but students majoring in Business programs will be given preference. A maximum of 12 will be accepted to the program. 

Apply to the Caribbean Field School

To apply for Field School programs you must complete CIP's online application. Step-by-step application instructions are outlined in the link below.

Application Instructions

Pictures of the beach, city, people dancing, and an old car