Are we teaching what we should? dilemmas and problems in tourism and hotel management education

Abstract

There is a growing demand for professionally educated and trained staff in the Tourism and Hotel Management (THM) sector as the whole industry attempts to meet expanded consumer wants and desires. This article examines the relevance of THM education from stakeholders' perspectives, namely, the THM sector, the current and graduate THM students. The following research questions were posed: 1) What are the sector representatives' perceptions regarding the effectiveness of tourism education? 2) What are the current and graduate students' perceptions regarding the effectiveness of tourism education? and 3) What recommendations can be made to improve the system? Both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed in the study. Results showed that there was an expanding need for university recognition of specialization due to new technologies and consumer maturation. Likewise, the need for an improved mix between the academic and practical experience and second language inadequacies were highlighted by joint concerns expressed by the sector representatives and the graduate students.