Howdy! Welcome to the Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences. We are widely known as one of the leading department’s of its type in the world. We currently have four active professors and three emeritus professors in the Academy of Leisure Sciences; two active professors and one professor emeritus in the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration; and two active professors and two professors emeriti in the International Academy for the Study of Tourism.

We have ongoing research projects within the United sates, as well as all over the world. In the U.S. we work with the Texas Economic Development’s Tourism Division; we host the Texas Cooperative Extension Nature Tourism program; we construct visitor analysis surveys for large festivals; and assist in evaluation of 18 different states and 9 cities tourism websites to name just a few. Internationally our faculty are currently conducting research on ecotourism in countries such as Peru, Brazil, Nicaragua, Canada and several Asian countries. The research has focused on links between tourism and conservation, community perspectives of tourism, “green” tourism, ecotourism planning.

Have we got your attention? We also have an amazing Study Abroad program. With multiple opportunities to study in places like Australia, New Zealand the Fiji Islands every year. You can take your education abroad and apply what you have learned here at home. Then when you return to campus, you can look at things in a new light.

Feel free to contact our Academic Advisors:

Ann Alexander                                                         Melyssa-Anne MacWillie
Office: (979) 845-0571                                              Office: (979) 458-8515
Email: awilliams@tamu.edu                                  Email:  Melyssa.MacWillie@ag.tamu.edu