Course Description:

With this course, participants will gain a sound marketing foundation necessary to attract and retain visitors to tourism destinations and their constituents. Students will experience three discrete modules, each providing a unique mix of academic principles complemented with real life applications in the form of narrated lectures, expert interviews, guided exercises, assigned readings, business case study reviews, skill assessments and more:

Destination Marketing and Branding - Apply basic principles of branding to develop and enhance a destination’s identity. Learn how to uncover competitive differentiators with SWOT analysis. Develop and measure effective marketing plans and campaigns. Learn key strategies for digital and traditional marketing channels.

Attracting Business & Travel Tourism - Attract business and travel tourism to your destination by implementing marketing strategies based on market research and creating synergies between your organization and the community. Advocate for your destination to local stakeholders and market to a segmented customer base and target markets.

Identifying Niche Markets: Define niche tourism and uncover how to incorporate niche tourism into a destination's overall marketing plan to grow visitation.

Faculty

Donna Albano, Ed. D.

Professor of Hospitality and Tourism Management Studies

Stockton University

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Donna Albano, Ed. D.

Professor of Hospitality and Tourism Management Studies

Donna Albano is a Professor in the Hospitality, Tourism & Event Management Studies (HTMS) Program in Stockton University’s School of Business. Stockton University's School of Business has earned accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), an international body whose accreditation has been earned by less than 5 percent of the world's business programs.
Donna earned her undergraduate degree from Widener University in Hospitality Management and her masters and doctorate in Educational Leadership from Rowan University where she was the recipient of the Larry Marcus Award for Excellence in Educational Leadership, Doctoral Studies. Donna is responsible for teaching, research, and service at the university as well as curriculum development, program review, and assessment. Donna teaches courses in hospitality and tourism management including Introduction to the Hospitality & Tourism Management, Hospitality Marketing, Leadership, Career Development, Internship, Wine Fundamentals, Faculty Led Study Aboard Tour, and related areas including the supervision of independent studies, both traditionally and distance education. Donna was awarded the 2016 Spirit of Hospitality Award by the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority given to an outstanding individual who has made a long-lasting and significant contribution to the Atlantic City region's hospitality and travel industry. Most recently Donna was the 2021 Recipient of the ICHRIE Stevenson W. Fletcher Achievement Award which recognizes an individual educator or trainer for outstanding achievement in contributing innovative ideas, methods or programs that have advanced teaching, learning or practice in the field of hospitality and tourism education.

Karina Anthony

Senior Director of Marketing 

Visit Atlantic City

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Karina Anthony

Senior Director of Marketing 

Karina Anthony is an experienced marketer, currently leading the Marketing Department as Senior Director of Marketing for Visit Atlantic City, the Convention Visitor’s Bureau in Atlantic City, NJ. She takes pride in developing projects based on creative ideas and measuring key performance indicators (KPIs) to achieve sales and marketing goals. She is consistently at the creative forefront in order to keep a marketing vision fresh and appealing. During her marketing career, she has worked meticulously with outside agencies on the creative process for advertising, digital media and other marketing collateral along with making yearly media buys.
Karina believes teamwork to be imperative to achieving success. She motivates her team through creative collaboration platforms and synchronizes cross-functional marketing efforts and relationships. Communicating a collective brand vision for her organization, while adapting innovative marketing processes and utilizing state of the art technologies, has resulted in meeting and exceeding yearly booking sales goals. She has introduced cutting-edge marketing tools to her organizations and spearheaded a virtual reality marketing campaign for the Atlantic City Convention Center and surrounding destination. She believes in continuing education and giving back to your community through corporate social responsibility programs and mentorship therefore she created the internship program at Meet AC and is continuing her own education through the Certified Destination Management Executive Program. Her work has not gone unnoticed, and she has received the Smart Women in Meetings Award for Industry Leader in 2021.

Rebecca Thiry

Director of Advertising and Digital Media

Ocean Casino Resort

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Rebecca Thiry

Director of Advertising and Digital Media

Rebecca (Becky) Thiry is a seasoned marketing leader and entrepreneur with extensive experience in the hospitality industry. Becky currently serves as the Director of Advertising and Media at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, where she oversees the $2 billion property’s brand, digital and advertising strategy. Prior to her role at Ocean, Becky was the Director of Digital Marketing and eCommerce for Philadelphia-based Hersha Hospitality Management – where she drove the digital strategy for a collection of twenty independent luxury and lifestyle hotels including The Rittenhouse Hotel in Philadelphia, Cadillac Hotel & Beach Club in Miami Beach and Parrot Key Hotel & Villas in Key West. She started her career in Atlantic City at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa – an MGM Resorts Luxury Destination. Within a ten-year tenure, Becky grew within the marketing department to Director of Digital Media. Key accomplishments include the launch of NJ’s first online casino and poker platform in 2013. Becky also operates her own marketing consultancy, Eularia Marketing, where she consults hospitality and lifestyle brands on digital and brand planning and execution.
Becky is a recognized thought leader in digital marketing in the Greater Philadelphia region, participating in numerous guest lecturer and speaking appearances. She is a regular guest speaker at Stockton University and Widener University, offering her real-life experiences and unique perspectives to undergraduate hospitality marketing students. Becky also served as a keynote speaker at the 2019 NJ Digital Marketing Conference in Asbury Park, NJ and a content marketing panelist at the Northeast Ecommerce Summit in 2019.
Becky is a graduate of Cornell University in Hotel Administration and holds an MBA from the University of Massachusetts, with specialized coursework in marketing and entrepreneurship.

Course Description

This course will provide a comprehensive overview of the Tourism Leadership Landscape. While special focus will be given to the operation of New Jersey based organizations, foundational concepts will be applicable to all destination markets.  

Course modules will focus on destination management in context with national and local structures, identification of stakeholders, the organization and function of non-profits, advocacy and public policy, and foundational principles of leadership and the development of organizational culture. 

• Building Blocks of Tourism/Destination Management
• Role of Non-Profit Organizations
• Advocacy, Public Policy and Politics
• Principles of Leadership

Faculty

Adam Perle

President & CEO

ArtPride New Jersey Foundation

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Adam Perle

President & CEO

As President & CEO, Adam Perle manages all ArtPride operations. He leads the senior management team and is responsible for resource development, as well as fiduciary oversight. Prior to joining ArtPride, Adam was the Vice President of the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce, where he led membership and tourism marketing efforts. During his time at the Chamber, Adam was a key part of the leadership team that doubled the size of the organization, and was instrumental in the expansion of the Princeton Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau. Before his work in the nonprofit sector, Adam worked on several political campaigns at the local, state, and federal levels.

Adam is a lover of Mark Rothko, 20th century American theatre, landscape photography, the blues, and New Orleans jazz. When he is not enjoying a New Jersey craft beer, or rooting for his beloved New York Giants, you can find Adam encouraging his two budding performers, Alexis and Marley. A lifelong New Jersey resident, Adam resides in Bridgewater with his wife, Mandi. The couple started dating at summer camp while they were opposing color war generals.

Course Description

With this course, participants will gain a foundation in economic policy and sustainability necessary to navigate, collaborate, and influence tourism destinations practices. Students will experience four discrete modules, each providing a unique mix of tourism research, principles and documented best practices that are complemented with real life applications in the form of narrated lectures, expert interviews, guided exercises, assigned readings, business case study reviews, skill assessments and more:

Tourism Economics and Policy—tourism demand, supply, supply chain management and private and public infrastructure.

Sustainable Tourism Development—types of sustainability indicators, methods of measurement, and the relationship of tourism development in environmental quality.

Community Advocacy/Relations—destination organization and stakeholder participation, sustainable and conventional tourism, the community benefit funding model, and the destination as a community asset.

Government Advocacy/Relations—engagement and role of government and international agencies for sustainable development, overarching development policies and programs related to tourism for a multitude of destinations, and rules and regulations within various sectors.

Faculty

Noel Criscione-Naylor

Associate Professor, Hospitality, Tourism and Event Management Studies 

Stockton University

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Noel Criscione-Naylor

Associate Professor, Hospitality, Tourism and Event Management Studies 

Dr. Noel Criscione-Naylor is an Associate Professor in the Hospitality, Tourism and Event Management Studies program at Stockton University. She earned her master’s degree in Public Policy and Administration with a specialization in Public Management from Rutgers University and Doctoral Degree in Educational Leadership from Rowan University. Her undergraduate degree is in Political Science, and she earned a certificate of Employment Law from Cornell University. She is a multi-certified educational leader with over 12 years of Casino Gaming Management experience and recognized for measurable successes in customer service, productivity, and performance development. Dr. Criscione-Naylor’s research interests include management, gender, and diversity. Her research has been published in a variety of outlets including but not limited to the Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism Education, International Hospitality Review, and International Journal of Management Practice. Dr. Criscione-Naylor is a community leader, investing her time and talent to support the development of those within the Stockton community, region and beyond through the creation and implementation of several initiatives focused on building equity, access, awareness, empowerment, and personal growth. She has leveraged her experiences and background to positively affect decisions on various programs and committees and has worked to create an inclusive environment. Dr. Criscione-Naylor teaches Event Design, Human Resource Management, Policy and Strategy, Continuous Service Improvement, Food and Beverage Management, Facilities Management, Hotel Operations, and Legal, Social and Ethical Business Environments. 

Course Description

Participants who complete this course of study successfully will gain knowledge and learn hands-on experience in 1) strategic planning – understanding the external environment, internal environment, formulation process, implementation, and evaluation and control – 2) financial management (quantitative) and the “balanced scorecard” approaches, and 3) assessment and benchmarking activities, which are essential to compete in a very competitive travel and tourism industry, especially in the post-pandemic world.

Further, participants will understand the importance crafting long-term and short-term strategic elements, with vision, mission, goals and objectives – including the project management techniques to track their progress – within allowable corporate governance mandates.  Corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the tourism industry is an important part of strategy-making too and hands-on learning with strategic tools, including:  EFAS (external factor analysis summary), IFAS (internal factor analysis summary), SFAS (strategic factor analysis summary), Value Chain analysis, BCG portfolio analysis, and other strategy-making assessments related to the travel and tourism industry.

Business/Strategic Planning – Traditional management techniques, requiring planning, organizing, leading, and controlling will be important to the strategic planning process (long-term and short-term), and understanding the complexity and dynamism of rapidly changing external world posing new challenges to your industry.

Financial Management – Relationship between the balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement is presented and explained.

Data Collection/Analysis – Drawing samples, creating questionnaires, researching available tools for quantitative analysis and discussing qualitative analysis will be provided.  The usefulness of industry comparisons, e.g., “benchmarking” against your industry competitors and even against yourself will be the primary focus of this Certified Tourism Industry Professional (CTIP) core course.

Faculty

George L. De Feis, DPS, MBA, BE

Assistant Professor of Business Studies, Management

Stockton University

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George L. De Feis, DPS, MBA, BE

Assistant Professor of Business Studies, Management

Dr. George L. De Feis is an Assistant Professor of Business Studies at Stockton University, whose expertise includes strategic planning, international business/management, and sustainability/ESG.  In addition, he writes on service-learning initiatives, sustainable development, international trade theory, and strategic management.  His works have been published in peer-reviewed/refereed journals and books, and he has authored a textbook: Management Science: A Practical Approach for Today’s Business Management Student (2004, 2007).

Dr. De Feis was elected to the Board of Directors of the Business and Applied Sciences Academy of North America (BAASANA) in 2016; Editorial Board of Science Progress in 2019, and was a founding 2013 Board Member of AirSoilWater, a sustainability not-for-profit organization in Pennsylvania.  De Feis received an Academic Innovation Grant for Creating a Service-Learning Course on “Civic Engagement and Public Values” in 2016, was selected as Faculty Advisor of Enactus (Stockton University) in 2020.  De Feis was awarded 2013-2014 Bronze Medal Jefferson Award by Pace University for continued civic engagement service, related to the Project Pericles Fellowship he received.

Dr. De Feis has over 25 years of worldly professional and academic experience, and he has consulted to for-profits, not-for-profits, and academic worlds. Dr. De Feis’ interest in tourism began in the 1980s having served director of international affairs and conferences director for the American Society of Civil Engineers.  De Feis is a regular (2013-2021) visiting professor at the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology (USST), and recently became a visiting professor at Nuertingen-Geislingen University (NGU) in Germany.  He has presented works and given lectures in a multitude of countries on five continents.  Dr. De Feis can be reached on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-de-feis-0911046/

Dr. De Feis holds a D.P.S. in management (2013) from Pace University, an M.B.A. in finance and investments (1987) from Bernard M. Baruch College (CUNY), and a B.E. in civil engineering (1982) from Cooper Union.

Course Description

Experiential tourism is one of the fastest-growing travel trends. But experiential travel isn’t new. In fact, for a number of years now, travelers have long been desiring trips full of culinary, culture and activity-based experiences. This demand shows no signs of slowing down, and travel agencies, CVBs, and tourism destinations will see great success in offering their customers such experiences.
Travelers will continue to seek local and authentic experiences, whether that’s the best pizza joint in the state, a tour of historic sites, or a scenic boat ride. These types of experiences are growing more accessible with digital platforms like Airbnb that make planning trips easier.
Experiential tourism is meant to be not only authentic, but also immersive and meaningful. With this kind of tourism, travelers engage with a particular place’s history, people, culture, food and environment. Participants will gain an understanding of the many aspects of experiential tourism and learn how to apply this knowledge for growth, strategy and branding.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Gain an understanding of the aspects of experiential tourism and apply this knowledge for growth, strategy and branding.
2. Discover what is trending and relevant to travelers and how destinations are embracing experiential tourism in their strategy.
3. Explore how to apply the trends to a marketing strategy.

Faculty

Susan Adelizzi-Schmidt

President

Suasion Communications Group

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Susan Adelizzi-Schmidt

President

As President of Suasion Communications Group, Susan Adelizzi-Schmidt leads a team of creative professionals who execute award-winning branding, public relations, digital and marketing campaigns.
Susan acquired Smith O’Keefe & Associates and rebranded it under the name Suasion Communications Group on August 1, 2007. For the past 14 years, Susan has positioned Suasion as a successful omni-channel boutique agency, with offices located in Somers Point (headquarters) and Haddonfield, New Jersey. Suasion is a certified Women-Owned Small Business Enterprise (WBE/SBE). Suasion provides customized campaigns for tourism destinations, municipalities, corporations, retail, healthcare, financial and nonprofit organizations. The Suasion team provides a complete suite of services that increase traffic, improve brand awareness, and elevate sales through customer acquisition and retention.
Currently, Susan is a Doctoral Student (Organizational Leadership) at Stockton University in Galloway, NJ, where she also completed her Master of Business Administration (MBA). She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and English from Arcadia University in Glenside, PA.
In addition to her professional career as an entrepreneur, Susan also serves as a Stockton University School of Business Adjunct Instructor, where she inspires young minds with insightful, real-world lessons. Additionally, Susan shares her business knowledge at well-received seminars and workshops that take place regularly at schools, universities, industry associations and business organizations. Susan currently serves on the Downtown New Jersey and the New Jersey Tourism Industry Association Boards of Directors. She is a founding member and mentor in Stockton University Women’s Leadership Council and serves on the Stockton University School of Business Dean’s Executive Advisory Board.

Course Description

Participants in this elective will learn how to identify, engage and maximize stakeholders.  Through six self-guided modules, they will have the opportunity to learn about mission-driven work, the lifecycle of volunteers as stakeholders (from recruitment to celebration), how to leverage stakeholders as brand ambassadors, and how to plan to maximize stakeholders in their organizations.  Participants will benefit by developing an improved strategy for working with internal and external stakeholders. External stakeholders, also called community partners, include nonprofits, schools, government organizations and coalitions that support social and economic improvement.  Participants will have the opportunity to learn about the essentials of external stakeholders, the economic importance of community partners, how to communicate effectively with them, and how to maximize relationships with them.  Participants will benefit by developing a robust external stakeholder strategy.  

It is a self-guided, asynchronous course that participants can complete within their own timeframe.  Each module has an introduction, a narrated set of slides, and a case study.  There are intermittent knowledge tests throughout each module. Estimated hours of instruction: 8 hours.

Module 1 – What are Stakeholders and Why are They Important

Module 2 – Recruiting and Engaging Volunteers

Module 3 – Internal Stakeholders as Brand Ambassadors

Module 4 – Essentials of External Stakeholders and Community Partners

Module 5 – The Economic Importance of External Stakeholders

Module 6 – Building Relationships with External Stakeholders

Faculty

Erin O'Hanlon

Coordinator of Service-Learning

Stockton Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning

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Erin O'Hanlon

Coordinator of Service-Learning

Erin O’Hanlon is the Coordinator of Service-Learning at Stockton University. Prior to her work in the Stockton Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning she worked for The Women’s Center in Atlantic County (now Avanzar).  There she coordinated social justice community organizing as the Coordinator of Community Initiatives. She worked on capacity building projects around gender equity, youth activism, and economic justice. Erin was the inaugural Activist in Residence at Stockton. During that time, she supported capacity building and community mobilization to create a Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Center on campus, one of the few colleges in the state that did not have one.  An alum of Stockton, she holds a Masters Degree in Instructional Technology and Design.  She teaches in the Communication Studies Program as an adjunct faculty member and is the COPE Chair for the Stockton Federation of Teachers.  Erin lives in New Jersey with her partner, Charlie Keys, and their four sons.  She is currently completing her Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership at Stockton.  Her areas of research include assessing civic and community engagement, experiential learning methodologies and participatory journalism.

Course Description

Wellness tourism is a segment of the health tourism industry that is growing at a tremendous rate.  What makes wellness tourism different?  The explosion of wellness tourism is a positive result of the COVID-19 global pandemic.  During the pandemic, many people sought new methods for creating and maintaining a healthy lifestyle at home.  As we transition out of that pandemic mode, we want to be able to continue these lifestyle habits while traveling.  Additionally, people are living longer and seeking ways to enhance their healthy lifestyles through wellness experiences.

Wellness tourism is more than just going to a spa for a massage or a facial.  It’s about transformative experiences that feed your mind, body and spirit.  Maybe it’s sitting quietly while gazing over grassy fields, or visiting an Ayurvedic retreat, or immersing yourself in the experience of an Onsen.  Wellness activities are regenerative, restorative and proactive in supporting healthy living.  Wellness tourism is experiential and personal.  Participants will gain an understanding of the various aspects of wellness tourism, its evolution and how to engage in this expanding area.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Gain an understanding of the different types of health-related tourism, i.e., spa tourism, health tourism, medical tourism, wellness tourism and what role Western and Eastern therapies have in each category. 
2. Explore the factors influencing the growth of wellness tourism.
3. Determine strategies for marketing wellness experiences and destinations.

Faculty

Jennifer Aarons

Teaching Specialist - Hospitality, Tourism & Event Management

Stockton University

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Jennifer Aarons

Teaching Specialist - Hospitality, Tourism & Event Management

Jennifer Aarons is a Teaching Specialist in the Hospitality, Tourism & Event Management Studies (HTMS) Program in Stockton University's School of Business. Stockton University's School of Business has earned accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), an international body whose accreditation has been earned by less than 5 percent of the world's business programs.

Jennifer earned her undergraduate degree in Human Resources from the University of Delaware, her master's degree in Hospitality Administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and her doctorate in Education from NOVA Southeastern University.  She has over twenty-five years' experience in the hospitality industry across many fields, including hotel operations, housekeeping, reservations, restaurant management, and human resources in casino and non-casino hotels.  Jennifer spent the majority of her career in the spa and recreation segment at Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa, where she refined her skills in managing, leading, mentoring, and budgeting.

Jennifer first joined Stockton as an Adjunct Professor after creating the Spa Management in Hospitality course as a new elective for the HTMS program in 2011. In 2022, she launched the Introduction to Wellness Tourism class.  She worked with the Holistic Healthcare Minor program so both courses could become acceptable electives within that program as well.  In addition to these courses, Jennifer teaches Introduction to HTMS, Food & Beverage Management, Introduction to Casino Management, Hotel Administration & Operation and Event Management.