The Appalachian Growers' Fair: An Authentic Learning, Community Engagement, Sustainable Tourism Project

Hospitality management students, a community partner, and an instructor planned and conducted a festival related to sustainable tourism that showcased local products and heritage in a small Appalachian village as an authentic learning, community engagement project. The project was conceptualized and completed within a framework of the scholarship of engagement, place-based education, and sustainability. Student reflections revealed growth in their understanding of sustainability. Suggestions are offered for future research and learning opportunities regarding student attitudes toward and participation in sustainable tourism, authentic learning, and community engagement projects.