The Tourism Research Unit (TRU) focuses on five main areas of tourism research: consumer behavior and identity construction; inter-organisational relationships (networks, alliances cooperation); regional development processes and strategies; tourism and cross-sectoral place branding; and strategic market communication and product development. Due to the cross-disciplinary nature of tourism, many of these research areas are interlinked, leading to innovative thinking both in terms of theoretical conceptualizations and practical solutions.

Because many of the research projects within TRU involve cooperation with external partners, the resulting cross-fertilization between theoretical challenges and concrete empirical problems produces knowledge that is useful for academics and practitioners alike.