CESTour

The tourism sector contributes significantly to the economy of each of the three countries, and the sector is constantly growing. However, without regulation and conscious planning, the negative effects of tourism have increased, which could lead to serious problems for the countries in the long term. There is a need to develop the capacity of existing Higher Education and training providers in the field of tourism, who will contribute to the development of a carefully designed and clearly articulated strategy, which is crucial to maintain and further improve the performance of Indian, Nepalese and Sri Lankan tourism in the future with a clear focus on sustainability.

The primary aim of the CESTour project is the establishment of the centers of excellence for sustainable tourism in seven universities in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka to share the concept of sustainable tourism at regional and national level and thereby have a positive impact on tourism development. The development of sustainable tourism can lead to a higher awareness among society and key stakeholders of the importance of preserving heritage, the environment, and people, in order to generate national/regional development from sustainable tourism resources in a sustainable way. With the development of Sustainable Tourism Centers of Excellence, CESTour is committed to have an impact on the outlook of the tourism industry in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

CESTour Specific Objectives:

• Analysis of the current status of the tourism industry and identification of sustainable tourism efforts in Nepal, India and Sri Lanka.
• Capacity building of experts on sustainable tourism development through practical training creation and implementation.
• Implementation and operation of seven centers of excellence for sustainable tourism at partner universities.
• Development of cooperation HEI-Company and students learning experience by developing innovative sustainable tourism case studies.
• Development of collaboration network among EU and Asian HEIs and tourism professionals.

Project Partners:

• FH JOANNEUM Gesellschaft mbH, Austria
• University of Alicante, Spain
• Universitá di Lingue e Comunicazione, Italy
• Birla Institute of Management and Technology, India
• Institute of Public Enterprise, India
• Nirma University, India
• Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka
• Uva Wellassa University, Sri Lanka
• Tribhuvan University, Nepal
• Global College International, Nepal

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.