| This summer, Laura Stein, a junior tourism and hospitality management and environmental studies double-major at Temple University, traveled to Palma de Mallorca, Spain, to conduct a project that compares the attitudes of Mallorcan students about the importance of environmentally sustainable tourism with the views of students in Philadelphia.
“I think the contrast is fascinating because of the simple fact that Mallorcan students are faced with the issues of sustainable tourism every day, while Philadelphians don't necessarily see the danger of over-exploiting resources,” said Stein.
Mallorca and the Balearic Islands are the most popular tourist destination in Europe; however, while they host more than 21 million people per year, the islands have only enough natural resources such as water to sustain a population of about 500,000 people. This causes severe water-shortage problems — especially during the summer when more than 70 percent of the tourists come to visit.
“By shining light on the attitudes of the next generation of world travelers toward environmental sustainability, hopefully I can give hoteliers and tourism planners some type of insight into the value of investing in sustainable technology,” concluded Stein.
Stein carried out her studies as a Temple Research Scholar, a position that provides School of Tourism and Hospitality and Fox School honors students the opportunity to work as research assistants for a faculty mentor in their school. Under the guidance of these mentors, the scholars learn research techniques, attend national conferences, and present a final thesis upon graduation. Research scholars also receive $1,000 tuition remission.
— Written by Julia Straka
for the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management
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