The Opportunity

Travel and tourism are the largest industry and economic lifeblood of Central Florida – the area hosts more than 72 million visitors each year. Given the scope and continued growth of the travel industry, Orlando has the opportunity to become the global capital for travel and tourism research, with the University of Central Florida (UCF) assuming a leadership role in this development. However, the COVID-19 pandemic showed in stark relief the vulnerability of our travel and tourism industry to various health and safety threats.

The UCF Strategic Investment Program has recently invested in funding for the Infectious Disease and Travel Health Initiative (IDTHI). These funds are targeted for hiring new faculty across four colleges at UCF (e.g., Hospitality Management; Biomedical Sciences; Engineering and Computer Science; Medicine) with diverse disciplinary and methodological approaches to research on travel and infectious diseases. It is expected tha...