SPS Stories
Faculty Spotlight
Gavin Landry
Adjunct Instructor
Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality
Valuable Advice for Tourism Professionals
Fast Facts
- Currently a senior executive with Great Britain's national tourism office, the British Tourism Authority, VisitBritain
- Built the I LOVE NY program into one of the most extensive government-funded state tourism programs in the USA
- Encourages students to prioritize their peer relationships as they do their relationships with faculty
<p>Gavin Landry teaches Tourism Planning, an elective course in the MS in Travel and Tourism Management at the <a href="/content/sps-nyu/about/academic-divisions-and-departments/jonathan-m-tisch-center-of-hospitality.html" title="Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality">Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality</a>. We were thrilled to learn more about Landry's background, hopes for his course, and advice for prospective students.</p>
A Course for Today's Tourism Landscape
<p>As a lifelong hospitality practitioner, Landry has had a robust career in running commercial hotels, a destination management organization (DMO), a hospitality consulting business, and the I LOVE NY program, which he built into one of the most extensive government-funded state tourism programs in the US. </p>
<p>He is now a senior executive with Great Britain's national tourism office, the British Tourism Authority dba VisitBritain, and brings decades of experience to NYU SPS. In his Tourism Planning course, students will learn the principles of tourism planning, the interplay of tourism policy and tourism management, as well as the immense influence of the various stakeholder groups on destination management organizations, national tourism organizations, quasi-NGOs, and more. </p>
<p>As the world of tourism continues to change, Landry is looking forward to imparting the real-world wisdom he's gained throughout this career to help prepare students for any challenges that they may face in the field.</p>
Meeting Current Challenges with Practical Solutions
<p>Some of these challenges take place in real-time while students complete their studies, like the supply-side crisis. Landry's teachings aim to provide students with the practical knowledge they need to be successful in the field at this critical moment.</p>
The tourism industry stands at a precipice and at a unique moment in time that will likely influence consumer behavior and the industry for years to come. The very nature of planning and the extent to which tourism leaders can play a vital role in the development, stewardship, and measurement of destinations will be challenged."
Hope for the Future of Tourism
<p>Landry looks back on previous MS in Travel and Tourism Management cohorts fondly. "I have maintained relationships with myriad former students, and I have marveled as I watched them prosper in their careers all over the world and thrive in their personal lives. I hope I was a small part of their positive NYU experience. It is important to me for my students to benefit from my work and career experiences," he adds. </p>
<p>Students may be surprised to find that the tourism industry is actually a small community thanks to globalization and technological advances. Landry encourages students to prioritize their peer relationships as they do their relationships with the faculty. "The student next to you, indeed you, are the future titans of our industry. I am convinced this approach will surely benefit you now and into the future," he says.</p>
<p>Students in the <a href="/content/sps-nyu/explore/degrees-and-programs/ms-in-travel-and-tourism-management.html" title="MS in Travel and Tourism Management">MS in Travel and Tourism Management </a>program have the opportunity to gain real-world knowledge from some of the industry's brightest minds. Take your place at the center of global tourism today.</p>
