UF EFTI

EFTI Welcomes New Director: Dr. Rachel J.C. Fu

The Eric Friedheim Tourism Institute welcomes exciting leadership changes this Summer. Dr. Rachel J.C. Fu assumes the role of Director of EFTI, as well as Chair of the Department of Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management at the University of Florida.

EFTI Welcomes New Director: Dr. Rachel J.C. Fu The Eric Friedheim Tourism Institute welcomes exciting leadership changes this Summer. Dr. Rachel J.C. Fu assumes the role of Director of EFTI, as well as Chair of the Department
UF EFTI

EFTI Student and Faculty develop rural community’s resilience post-hurricane through home sharing

Although some communities are just now having to deal and learn from a crisis, this time caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, facing the importance of resilience for a crisis is not a new concept for some communities. Yu-Hua “Melody” Xu is a PhD candidate whose research focuses on destination resilience, community development, and sharing economy

EFTI Student and Faculty develop rural community’s resilience post-hurricane through home sharing     Although some communities are just now having to deal and learn from a crisis, this

DOCTORAL STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: DANIELLE BARBE and her work with social media and crisis communications February 8, 2019

DOCTORAL STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: DANIELLE BARBE and her work with social media and crisis communications

EFTI is always looking to the ahead for our future innovators, decision makers, and researchers in Tourism. One of our many outstanding students, Danielle Barbe is a doctoral student in the Department of Tourism, Recreation and Sports Management at the University of Florida (UF). Danielle’s research is focused more on present-day trends, where she looks at the strategies and risk perceptions behind social media influence and crisis communication in terms of travel influence.

DR. ANDREI KIRILENKO: NEGOTIATION OF THE SUMMARY FOR POLICY MAKERS OF THE 6TH GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT OUTLOOK January 21-24th, 2018

DR. ANDREI KIRILENKO: NEGOTIATION OF THE SUMMARY FOR POLICY MAKERS OF THE 6TH GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT OUTLOOK

We are so excited to welcome back one of TRSM professors, Dr. Andrei Kirilenko as he just returned from serving as the Global Environment Outlook Author/Expert of Climate for the United Nations Environment Programme. “The Global Environment Outlook (GEO) is a consultative and participatory process to prepare an independent assessment of the state of the environment, the effectiveness of the policy response to address these environmental challenges and the possible pathways to be achieve various internationally agreed environmental goals“ (GEO, UNEP website).

DR. LORI PENNINGTON-GRAY TALKS DESTINATION RESILIENCE - SETTING THE PRECEDENT January 27th, 2019

DR. LORI PENNINGTON-GRAY TALKS DESTINATION RESILIENCE - SETTING THE PRECEDENT

Over the past year, Professor Lori Pennington-Gray has published a number of articles in the realm of destination resilience as well as crisis communication and management. This type of research has arisen from the increased frequency and intensity of threats to the tourism industry; whether terrorism, natural disasters, or even health and wellness (diseases).

UF Warrington College of Business “Big Idea” Competition takes on a TRSM PhD Student! January 23, 2019

UF Warrington College of Business “Big Idea” Competition takes on a TRSM PhD Student!

One of our PhD students, Pamela Montero-Alvarez has been selected to take part in a semester long business development program with the UF Warrington College of Business. This program was created to assist students with entrepreneurial ideas by teaching those selected to partake how to properly build a business plan and what steps they need to take for the future.

GIRLFRIEND GETAWAYS & THE FUTURE OF THE SOLO WOMAN TRAVELER- visit Tampa Bay Marketing summit December 14, 2018

GIRLFRIEND GETAWAYS AND THE FUTURE OF THE SOLO WOMAN TRAVELER

Here at EFTI, we are working with the state of Florida in a number of different ways to push tourism and development progress. One of our EFTI Faculty Members, Dr. Heather Gibson spoke at Visit Tampa Bay’s 4th Annual Marketing Summit on behalf of the institute and gave a presentation on “Girlfriend Getaways” and really hammered on the importance. Dr. Gibson then gave the group some ideas on how to market to the niche segment.

EFTI STUDENTS RECOGNIZED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR ACHIEVEMENT! December 5, 2018 EFTI is very happy to announce that two of our PhD candidates, Hongping Zhang and Yuhua Xu were recognized within the Uni

EFTI STUDENTS RECOGNIZED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR ACHIEVEMENT!

EFTI is very happy to announce that two of our PhD candidates, Hongping Zhang and Yuhua Xu were recognized within the University of Florida International Center (UFIC) with a Certification of Outstanding Merit. Both Hongping and Yuhua we’re recognized for their work for the College of Health an Human Performance, specifically within the department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism.

SUMMER 2018, ADVENTURES IN THE TROPICS, GATOREYE DRONE LIDAR - DR. ANGELICA ALMEYDA ZAMBRANO November 30, 2018

SUMMER 2018, ADVENTURES IN THE TROPICS, GATOREYE DRONE LIDAR - DR. ANGELICA ALMEYDA ZAMBRANO

Dr. Angelica Almeyda-Zambrano, Assistant Professor in the Tourism, Recreation & Sport Management department and her husband Dr. Eben Broadbent along with their two field assistants (pictured to the side) this past summer did some extensive research across a variety of ecosystems: ranging from the Amazon in Peru, tropical rain forests in Costa Rica, and ancient Mayan archaeological sites in Mexico while utilizing new drone technology and the Light Detection and Ranging sensing method (LIDAR) for land surveying and 3D modeling and mapping of the various terrains.

BENEFITS OF ECOTOURISM FROM PROFESSOR EMERITUS, DR. STEPHEN HOLLAND November 26, 2018 Professor Emeritus Stephen Holland was invited to do a presentation  on the 'Benefits of Ecotourism' at the Citrus County (Florida) forum on

BENEFITS OF ECOTOURISM FROM PROFESSOR EMERITUS, DR. STEPHEN HOLLAND

Professor Emeritus Stephen Holland was invited to do a presentation  on the 'Benefits of Ecotourism' at the Citrus County, Florida forum on Economic Development hosted by the Economic Development Authority for Citrus County, November 15, 2018. His talk generated a discussion about the need to create a training program for local hospitality front-line workers (e.g., waitresses, hotel front-desk clerks) ​to educate them about local nature-based attractions to able to ​encourage tourists to enjoy the local parks and waterways. Also, the importance of natural areas and parks to sustain perceptions of high quality of life in the region as a factor in attracting new companies and workers to the area was noted.

DISNEY PARKS AND RESORTS DIGITAL - WHAT’S NEXT? November 16, 2018 With 20 years’ experience at Disney, Gary Daniels (Vice President of Digital Experience) leads teams that create end-to-end, digital-plus-physical experiences for Disne

DISNEY PARKS AND RESORTS DIGITAL - WHAT’S NEXT?

With 20 years’ experience at Disney, Gary Daniels (Vice President of Digital Experience) leads teams that create end-to-end, digital-plus-physical experiences for Disney Parks, Experiences and Consumer Products globally. Gary also serves as a member of the Walt Disney World Resort steering committee, leading digital efforts across Marketing, Sales, and Guest Experience. In this seminar, Gary discussed recent trends and how Disney Parks & Resorts is evaluating their strategy for the future.

TRSM STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS - SUMMER 2019 October 31, 2018 This upcoming summer, undergraduate students in the TRSM program degrees and specializations will have the option to study abroad in Italy, Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji.

UF IN SORRENTO - STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM COMING SUMMER ‘19

This upcoming summer, Undergraduate students in the TRSM program degrees and specializations will have the option to study abroad in Italy, Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji. Through coursework and site visits, students will become more familiar about global issues affecting the Mediterranean in general and the Campanian region in particular.

FOOD WASTE AND YOU - TOURISM’S IMPACT ON THE DEVELOPING WORLD October 26th, 2018 On Friday, October 26th, Dr. Jamie Murphy Adjunct Professor and Research Fellow for the University of Eastern Finland and the University of Western Austr

FOOD WASTE AND YOU - TOURISM’S IMPACT ON THE DEVELOPING WORLD

On Friday, October 26th, Dr. Jamie Murphy Adjunct Professor and Research Fellow for the University of Eastern Finland and the University of Western Australia. Dr. Murphy has been focusing his research in the past couple of years on the importance of sustainable practices in the Tourism industry, doing research across the globe and learning what techniques are working and which techniques are falling short.

FROM GATOR GROWL TO THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER, UF ALUM ALICE NORSWORTHY CONNECTS AUDIENCES WITH MAGICAL EXPERIENCES October 25, 2018 Alice Norsworthy, the chair for the EFTI Advisory Board and Chief Marketing Officer for Uni

FROM GATOR GROWL TO THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER, UF ALUM ALICE NORSWORTHY CONNECTS AUDIENCES WITH MAGICAL EXPERIENCES

Alice Norsworthy, the chair for the EFTI Advisory Board and Chief Marketing Officer for Universal Parks and Resorts was featured in a University of Florida Foundation article which showed how our Gators “Go Greater.” With over 10 years with Universal Parks and Resorts, Norsworthy is an innovator in the tourism industry and is constantly putting together some of the most comprehensive and detailed marketing strategies of this era.

WHY TO CONSIDER TRAVELING SOLO - AND HOW TO GET STARTED October 22, 2018 One of our very own TRSM faculty - Dr. Heather Gibson was featured in the UF News Update on October 22, 2018. Dr. Gibson in the Fall 2017 semester took part as

WHY TO CONSIDER TRAVELING SOLO - AND HOW TO GET STARTED

One of our very own TRSM faculty - Dr. Heather Gibson was featured in the UF News Update on October 22, 2018. Dr. Gibson in the Fall 2017 semester took part as an adviser for the Semester at Sea program where she lead students on a 100 day cruise around the world visiting 10 countries and 4 continents. This program helped lead to her research on the individual traveler as well as her research on the individual woman traveler.

EFTI’s “Insights” Seminar Series – Fuad Mehraliyev on Expert Power of Social Media Platforms October 12th, 2018

EFTI’S “INSIGHTS” SEMINAR SERIES – FUAD MEHRALIYEV ON EXPERT POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS

Fuad Mehraliyev is a visiting scholar from Azerbaijan, where he received his bachelor’s degree in Tourism and Social Cultural Service from Baku State University in 2008. After his graduation from Umeå University in 2012, he returned to his home country and worked as a Lecturer for four years at Western University. His research interests are information communication technologies, social media power, and experimental design in tourism studies.

THOMAS HILL DISCUSSES TOURISM DATA MODELS - THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION October 5th, 2018

Thomas Hill discusses Tourism Data Models –The Florida Department of Transportation

Thomas Hill, State Modeling Manager for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) spoke on Friday, October 5th to EFTI Faculty, Staff, and students about the importance of Tourism and Travel in Florida. Hill holds both his Undergraduate and Master’s degree in Urban Planning from Florida State University, and is currently working on updating the Florida Statewide Passenger and Freight Model which is in charge of monitoring the planning of freight routes and processes across the state of Florida.

Canadian students travel to UF, Disney to complete Disney International Academic Exchange Program July 10, 2018

Canadian students travel to UF, Disney to complete Disney International Academic Exchange Program

From June 28th to July 9th, 17 students from various Canadian universities spent the week in Gainesville before traveling down to Orlando to complete the Disney International Program. These students are all prart of the Disney International Academic Exchange Program at UF.

EFTI to co-host Future of Tourism conference in Petra, Jordan June 19, 2018

EFTI to co-host Future of Tourism conference in Petra, Jordan

The Eric Friedheim Tourism Institute will be co-hosting a conference titled “Future of Tourism in the Golden Triangle, Jordan: Destination Competitiveness, Connectivity, and Sustainability” from August 8-9, 2018 with the University of Jordan and the Petra Development and Tourism Regional Authority.

Tourism Analytics Program

Tourism Anayltics Program

The Master of Science in Tourism and Recreation Management (TRM) is a 30 credit hour degree and offers two concentrations and two specializations.

EFTI presents at Alachua County Hospitality Council June 6, 2018

EFTI presents at Alachua County Hospitality Council

On June 6th, 2018, Dr. Craig Schmitt spoke in front of the Alachua County Hospitality Council at their monthly meeting held at Backstreet Blues Chop House & Oyster Bar.

Chris Thompson awarded the first-ever National Tourism Leadership Award May 9, 2018

Chris Thompson awarded the first-ever National Tourism Leadership Award

Chris Thompson, CEO of Brand USA and one of EFTI’s newest board members, received the first-ever National Tourism Leadership Award presented by Skal International- USA.