DESIGN OF A CURRICULUM IN TERMS OF SUSTAINABILITY FOR THE DEGREE OF TOURISM: ASSESSING THE PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE OF STUDENTS

Sustainability is today a key issue in tourism management. Assuming this challenge, some universities have begun to consider the need for training for sustainability, which permeate the entire university educational process, as an element of differentiation in its educational offerings in tourism studies.

The overall objective of this paper is to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the level of knowledge about sustainability with students the subjects of Economics of Degree in Tourism taught at the University of Jaen (Spain), allowing in a second phase, to formulate the traceability must cover these subjects to ensure that the skills acquired by students that expedite, in addition to responding to the provisions of the curriculum, strengthen the commitment to these with an ethical and responsible tourism development, ensuring proper use of resources, an improvement of the quality of life for residents in the destinations, an experience of responsible consumption by tourists and, of course, a worthwhile investment for those who decide to make of tourism a responsible business.

Assess the level of knowledge about the concept of sustainable tourism allow the identification the knowledge gaps that exist at the present time and, therefore, their incorporation into the training process through a set of ideas, values and behaviors that will transmit to teachers and students, on a short-term future, a sustainable way of thinking that also it is finished translating in the way they act in the professional field.

Consequently, this evaluation is presented as a step prior to a proposal to incorporate education for sustainability in the training of students of Degree in Tourism taught at the University of Jaen.

In addition to this overall objective, can be highlighted a number of specific objectives:
- Raising awareness of sustainable tourism in teachers and students, that gives new meaning to the role of future graduates in companies and public institutions.
- Improving the quality of student learning and their involvement in the development of tourism degree.
- Create innovative materials and resources to reorient education towards sustainability in the subjects of Economics of Degree in Tourism.

The results show the need for a reorientation of training activities and teaching methods of the Degree of Tourism, which, following other international experiences, strengthen the training of these students regarding sustainability.