Four candidates start their professional doctorate

CELTH coordinates for the leisure domain the PD in which Hotelschool The Hague, HZ University of Applied Sciences, Saxion Hogeschool, Inholland Hogeschool, Breda University of Applied Sciences, NHL Stenden Hogeschool and Hotel Management School Maastricht participate.

The professional doctorate is the doctoral track of the Dutch hogescholen, comparable in level to the PhD of the universities. The professional doctorate enables a continuous learning line from associate degree through bachelor and master to doctorate in the professional column and helps meet the growing need for highly trained professionals who are able to tackle complex profession-oriented knowledge and design questions. This is still a pilot for which the leisure, tourism, hospitality sector can facilitate 17 candidates. Now the first three candidates can start their trajectory.

Roos Gerritsma, Hogeschool Inholland - Regenerative urban tourism principles and practices as possible pathways for community capacity-building

Amsterdam wants to develop tourism in a regenerative way, using tourism to enhance livability and build connections and capacity within communities. While this can have great benefits, in practice it proves difficult to develop tourism in such a way in an urban context.

This professional doctorate therefore focuses on a better understanding of regenerative urban tourism by working in a living lab setting in Amsterdam-Noord. Expected outputs are a conceptual framework for regenerative urban tourism and practical insights on capacity building, co-creation, placemaking, impact measurement and system change.

Samantha Boom, Breda University of Applied Sciences - Gender barriers; Is the Dutch hospitality industry inhospitable towards its women employees?

Only 17% of top management positions at the 5 largest hotel chains in the Netherlands are held by women, compared to 50% in non-management positions.

This track investigates the existence of gender barriers in the Dutch hospitality industry and, together with NH Hotels and IHG Hotels & Resorts, develops and tests interventions that enable more women to advance their hospitality careers.

Peter van der Aalst, Breda University of Applied Sciences - Utilizing urban culture to develop future-proof cities

Cities are investing in urban culture (breakdance, graffiti, skateboarding) in hopes of generating economic value, increased attractiveness, social cohesion, inclusion and health benefits. This project focuses on the shift of street sports/arts into cities' formal policy domains.

The aim is to explore how urban culture can best be organized and facilitated to create sustainable value for the development of a city and all stakeholders. In addition, policy recommendations are made for cities to be attractive to residents and visitors and to use their limited resources as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Judith Ogink, NHL Stenden Hogeschool - The Plastic Soup Experience - Influencing litter behavior by a circular solution made of recycled littered plastic

Plastic litter on land that eventually ends up in seas, The Plastic Soup, ruins beautiful tourist destinations. While the hospitality industry both suffers and contributes to plastic litter, it also provides a perfect opportunity to engage guests and make them aware of this environmental problem.

This proposal contributes to the development of conscious destinations by addressing the plastic soup in 2 ways: by creating circular solutions within the hospitality industry using plastic from the sea, and by using these solutions as behavioral interventions to raise awareness about the plastic soup and change behavior.

Want to learn more about the professional doctorate in leisure, tourism and hospitality? Then visit this topic website.