Sustainable development and the attitudes, knowledge and views of students of the higher school of tourism of rhodes

The rapid developments in transport, communication, technology and economy during the last fifty years have unavoidably led tourism in an uptrend. More and more people are becoming travelers and “collectors of experiences”, engaging in a continuous mobility that has both positive and negative effects. The realization that tourism can relegate the place of destination both socially and environmentally, has resulted in the conception of the term of Sustainable Tourism, as an activity respecting the social fabric and promoting socially and environmentally friendly touristic practices. Within this framework, this specific research aims at investigating whether the attitudes, the knowledge and the beliefs of the male and female students of the Higher School of Tourism Education of Rhodes (better known as ASTER), echo the notion of Sustainable Development. Keeping in mind that this school has been the first solely tourist school, then this research gains additional importance. The research data revealed an inconsistency between the knowledge of the male and the female students attending the first year and those that attend courses of the third year, proving that the school contributes to the evolution of their sustainable way of thinking. Additionally, it seems that the male and female students of the third year display an environmentally-friendly lifestyle, which is demonstrated by the habits they adopt in their daily life.