DESTINATION FEELGOOD Minor 30 EC Offered in fall and spring semester Interested? Get in touch with Timo Derriks for more information t.derriks@hz.nl PE.216
Minor: Destination Feelgood Life is better at the seaside An innovative minor at the interface between health and tourism, which connects theory with practice and includes hands-on applied research. You not only become a content expert but also prepare yourself thoroughly for the graduation period. In recent years, health issues have become an increasingly important theme. Who is not involved with his own health these days? It sometimes even seems too much! Health issues have always had a close connection with the seaside; for centuries the coast has been strongly associated with positive effects on individual health. It is not without reason that personal well-being is one of the reasons why the seaside continues to attract people to come and live there and for purposes of recreation. Coastal areas are different everywhere but always remain very important for tourism, everywhere in the world. Several coastal destinations, however, have difficulties to permanently entice tourists. The many holiday options and the increasing skepticism of today's tourists are to blame for this. It is therefore no surprise that reinvention of the tourist coast product is on the agenda of many coastal destinations. Health can be an important and highly potential theme, which not only could be beneficial for the experience and therefore the attraction of tourists, but could also have a positive impact on the destination itself and on its inhabitants. Internationally, there is increasing focus on the interface between health and tourism. Tourists travel the world in search of relaxation, exercise, wellness, and medical treatments and are also increasingly in search of themselves. Closer to home, the Province of Zeeland is busy realizing a health region. For example, through cooperation with healthcare and the medical sector, the tourist season could be extended and a better occupation of places generated. Additionally, wellness and lifestyle sports offer many opportunities for a healthy holiday. Tourism can also give a boost to the health services in Zeeland, which find themselves under pressure due to the negative growth of the population. Despite the regional value and local context this minor is really internationally oriented. Recent insights from both the global field of action and from international specialist and scientific literature, combined with the multi-cultural dynamics in the classroom, will allow for discussions on a global scale! The official language of this minor is English, also because we will be welcoming international exchange students. If desired, it is no problem to carry out the individual tasks and the corresponding project in Dutch. In this minor, we will work closely with various Zeeland stakeholders. The idea of a living lab will give you the opportunity to actually work on provincial challenges in the field of health tourism on the coast through assigned case studies. Within these cases there will be much freedom of choice. Your participation in the minor will lead to something tangible! The minor may also be interesting for students who would generally have less affinity with these topics: precisely because general insights are linked to specific contexts, you will learn to apply the possibilities also in other environments and disciplines. The minor consists of two parts. The first part focuses on theory about the use of health as a responsible agent in the reinvention of coastal tourism. In the second part you carry out a project in which you do applied research and translate your research into useful insights for the industry: as long as it fits in with your topic and objective, your research could also take place outside Zeeland. Both parts last nine weeks and deliver 15 ECs per part. Both parts can be followed separately but there is a strong preference for a combination of the two. The innovative aspect of this minor is not limited to the topics; after all, the manner in which you shape your personal and professional development is unique and differs in both parts:
Part 1: Wellbeing as responsible reinvention resource 15 EC After active introduction days, in which we become acquainted with the topics and each other, the seven weeks of lectures start. These weeks are organised in a logical sequence and focus on a different theme each week. In these weeks you acquire both basic skills and specific knowledge relevant for your development and for the case at hand. In principle, this happens according to a fixed structure. On Mondays you prepare yourself individually by means of the study material for that week. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays the material is explained and discussed during interactive workshops. The lecture days usually begin at 10:30am and end at 4:00pm. During these hours your active participation is assessed, for example by means of a continuous assessment or a final test on Thursday afternoons, which can be both a short test and an assignment. The advantage of this is that you complete the theme per week and meanwhile obtain parts for your final grade. The clustering of plenary activities on these days and times make sure that following the minor is also possible for students from outside the province. Within the seven weeks of lectures, three master classes are offered, which will also be accessible to external parties. In the seven weeks all kinds of business value chains and various industries are continuously connected with each other. After all, these so-called crossovers have the future! Current topics such as hidden needs, shared services and service design are explained in an integrated way and linked with health, leisure, tourism and destination development. In part 1 of the lecture weeks the following themes are dealt with: Responsible Destination Development & Management Coastal Wellbeing Coastal Lifestyle Sports Coastal Sports Tourism Researching Leisure, Sports & Tourism Project Complexities in Practice On Fridays you work on your portfolio. In this portfolio you keep track of your own development by means of choosing your own preferences in the fields of health, wellbeing, sports, lifestyle, leisure, tourism, management and entrepreneurship. Part of this portfolio is also the writing of a short paper, which ideally will form the basis for the project in Part 2. For this paper you can choose from a large selection of topics, which you may interpret in your own way under close supervision. The topics range from, for example, technology, products, services, treatments, sports, rehabilitation, events and hospitality to destination development and branding; however, to some extent all of these topics have to be related to health tourism on the coast.
Part 2: Changing coastal health tourism practices 15 EC Where the overall focus of Part 1 is on the theoretical concepts, Part 2 concentrates on actually working in a project-based way. Part 2 deals with understanding, improving and innovating. Therefore, in the first week you translate your paper from Part 1 into a feasible and relevant project with applied research intertwined in it. If you did not follow Part 1 or your paper was of insufficient quality, you will be handed a topic with related material. If at the end of week 1, your project proposal is approved, you can start your research. Weeks 2 to 6 deal with understanding the practice by means of a variety of research methods. In weeks 7 and 8 you are expected back at HZ. In week 7 you are guided to work on structured analysing, interpreting and describing of the practice. In week 8 you translate your findings into strong recommendations that will effectively help the industry. However, it is not just be a matter of writing a report; in the final week a symposium takes place with the field of work, during which you present your results and defend them. While most projects will be conducted in groups, there are possibilities for individual projects as well. Learning targets: You work on your competency development in the following areas: Develop a vision on changes and trends in external surroundings Collecting and interpreting secondary information at the macro level and meso level, both nationally and internationally, followed by a translation into a vision of health tourism on the coast. Analyse policy and management issues, translate into targets and alternatives and prepare decisions for entrepreneurs within health tourism on the coast and/or developers of coastal tourist destinations. Collecting and describing relevant policy information, both inside and outside the field of work related to health tourism on the coast; Analysing of basic principles of current policy and defining a policy issue related to health tourism on the coast; Formulating a policy proposal aimed at improving the (economic) position of an organisation and/or its sphere of influence, taking legal and organisational frameworks into account. Research, stimulate, create, initiate and/or market sustainable products, services and destinations related to health tourism on the coast. Studying and improving sustainable and responsible products and services within health tourism on the coast and coastal tourist destinations in general. Entry requirements: Affinity with health and/or tourism is desirable but not essential. However, interest and enthusiasm for the related topics is very important for successfully concluding the minor. Both parts are accessible to everyone. This perspective is important: the starting point of the minor is to help the leisure industry or coastal destinations through understanding, applying and integrating trends in the field of health. However, the minor welcomes students from various disciplines besides tourism, sports and leisure such as hospitality, healthcare, wellbeing, business economics, human resources, media and communication, but also area development and spatial planning. If in doubt about your suitability, do contact us. Given the popularity of this minor and a maximum class size of 35 students, students may be asked to provide a written motivation. Assessment: Part 1, 2 test components: Part 2, 2 test components: 50% Oral test on portfolio 80% Project report 50% Written test by means of paper 20% Presentation during symposium Test components hold a bottom grade of 4.0. To allocate 15 EC per part, a weighted average of at least 5.5 is necessary. The parts cannot compromise each other.
Literature: Students create their own portfolio by consulting a variety of sources, including scientific literature, usually provided by the lecturers. Additionally, students work independently on acquiring knowledge about a related domain that is linked to their own interests and educational background while encouraging making cross-overs. One book on health, wellbeing and happiness is compulsory, just as one book on researching leisure, sports and tourism. Other compulsory books are dependent on your background and interest: get in touch to discuss the possible options in this! Questions? Mail Timo on t.derriks@hz.nl