The Faculty of Tourism at Balıkesir University was established in 1975 under Law No. 1438 as the Balıkesir School of Business Administration and Tourism, affiliated with the Bursa Academy of Economics and Commercial Sciences. With the enactment of Law No. 2547 in 1982, the name and status of the school were changed, and it continued its educational activities as the Balıkesir Tourism Management and Hotel Administration School under Uludağ University Balıkesir Faculty of Engineering. Subsequently, with Law No. 3837 enacted in 1992, the school was affiliated with the newly established Balıkesir University and renamed the Balıkesir University School of Tourism Management and Hotel Administration. Finally, by the decision numbered 2013/4459 published in the Official Gazette on April 25, 2013, the school was closed and the Balıkesir University Faculty of Tourism was established.
The Faculty currently continues its education and training activities in the Departments of Tourism Management, Tourism Guidance, Gastronomy and Culinary Arts, and Recreation Management.
With its nearly 50 years of distinguished history in tourism education, modern educational environment, and strong academic staff, the Balıkesir University Faculty of Tourism has become one of the institutions identified with tourism education and training in Türkiye. The Faculty is a pioneering institution that has defined the concept of tourism management in Türkiye and has continuously updated this definition, providing modern educational environments and preparing its students to compete successfully at national and international levels.
With its strong academic staff, the Faculty closely follows both national and international developments in the field of tourism and aims to provide students with education of the highest quality.
The Departments of Tourism Management (Full Accreditation), Tourism Guidance (Full Accreditation), Gastronomy and Culinary Arts (Full Accreditation), and Recreation Management (Conditional Accreditation) have been accredited through the Tourism Education Evaluation and Accreditation Board (TURAK), which is authorized by the Higher Education Quality Council of Türkiye (YÖKAK) in the field of tourism education accreditation. Thus, the quality of the Faculty’s educational programs in tourism has been officially certified.
Educational Programs
The Balıkesir University Faculty of Tourism is a four-year faculty providing undergraduate education. Since the 1998–1999 Academic Year, education and training had been offered in the programs of Hospitality Management, Travel Management, and Tourist Guidance. In 2013, the school was transformed into a faculty. Currently, the Faculty continues education and training in the Departments of Tourism Management, Tourism Guidance, Gastronomy and Culinary Arts, and Recreation Management.
From the first semester onward, students receive intensive English language education. In addition to English, German and Russian are offered as second foreign languages in line with the needs of the tourism sector.
The Faculty actively participates in the Erasmus+ Student Learning Mobility Program. Within this framework, students may continue their tourism education at partner higher education institutions in various European countries. This enables students not only to experience different education systems but also to explore diverse cultures as tourism students. Moreover, through the Erasmus+ Student Traineeship Mobility, students can complete their internships at tourism enterprises operating in Europe, thereby gaining firsthand experience of the international tourism industry and its practices.
At the Faculty level as well as within individual departments, protocols are signed with various private sector organizations and educational institutions. Within this scope, seminars and training programs addressing sectoral needs are organized; training on tourism-related software packages is provided in certain courses; and successful students are awarded certificates by partner institutions. Accordingly, training and certification are offered for front office software programs such as Elektra. In addition, within the framework of exchange programs, joint projects, and academic collaborations with universities in the Turkic World, a dual diploma agreement has been established with Renaissance Talim University of Uzbekistan.
Graduates of undergraduate programs may continue their academic education at the Institute of Social Sciences by enrolling in master’s programs in Tourism Management, Tourism Guidance, and Gastronomy and Culinary Arts, as well as doctoral programs in Tourism Management and Gastronomy and Culinary Arts, thereby further developing their academic expertise in the field of tourism.
Within the Faculty, there are two computer laboratories, two application laboratories used for housekeeping and service-bar practices, three application kitchens for students of the Department of Gastronomy and Culinary Arts, one conference hall with a capacity of 200 people, and one study hall.