There has been a considerable debate in recent years about the 'fit' between hospitality management education and the needs of the hospitality and tourism industries, with allegations of disproportionate 'wastage' of vocationally labour market entrants to other sectors of the economy. This study began by outlining the evolution of hospitality education in the UK. The study then reviewed models of vocational education and discussed their relevance to hospitality management education. A discussion of the effects of political, industrial and educational debate has been included. A case study has provided an historical review of the evolution of the BA Honours Degree in Hospitality Business Management in an important FHE college, which is the largest single provider of hospitality education in the UK. The study goes on to highlight the transition of graduates into the workplace from 1992 to the present time. The first sections of the study were completed using exhaustive secondary research carried out using all of the library resources at my disposal. The case study was achieved using primary research techniques of questionnaire and follow-up interviews with the graduates and with senior programme administrators from the college. Use of the Dillman (1977) method ensured an exceptionally high response rate to the questionnaire, although it is probably true that my power-distance relationship with the respondents also had a positive effect on the response rate. The researcher also believes that the responses received from the graduates truthfully reflected their views on the questions asked. The final section of this dissertation discusses and analyses the results of the primary research and this is the major innovative part of the work. During the course of the research, a number of themes emerged, and the discussion is aligned with these themes, providing a framework for the analysis. The content of the courses, comprising the four-year programme were generally seen as appropriate by the respondents. However, a number of possible changes were identified which might improve the programme. One surprising result was that it emerged that no change would be needed to fit graduates for the industry for the next decade. A second surprise was the low ranking given to information technology and numeracy by the respondents. This must surely be a misconception by the graduates and this finding is in need of further research. The term 'graduateness' was generally little understood by the respondents. However, once they were familiarised by the meaning underpinning the term, they did comprehend that graduate skills were of considerable importance. Indeed their understanding of graduate skills related very closely to those defined NAB (1986). However, the discussion of their evaluation of numeracy has already been outlined. Not surprisingly, there was considerable overlap between discussion of course content and teaching methods. However, it is important to mention that one of the main issues arising was that of the use of information technology and multimedia in course delivery. This research has found that these methods are seen to be of growing importance for communication and dissemination of information between students. industrialists and educationalists in the hospitality industry, being a truly world-wide industry. One major area of discussion which has arisen in my research is the industrial placement experience. An important finding has been that despite whether the students had received a successful industrial placement experience or not, almost all agreed that industrial placement experience was an essential component of the programme. In fact the research identified that industrial placement is so important, that the government should consider funding research to investigate the value added to students on vocational programmes, with a view to extending the benefits to other subject areas before they undertake primary cost reduction by cutting funding for industrial placement in hospitality management programmes. With regard to employment issues, there were three issues that arose. First, the changing character of the hotel industry, which is likely to provide less opportunity for management development for graduates. Nevertheless, the research identified despite this trend that a very large percentage of graduates were still finding employment in hotels at the present time. Second, the limited language skills of UK graduates, which the research considers as an important negative factor for UK graduates in a time of globalisation and EU aggregation. Finally, UK educational institutions depend to some extent upon recruitment of students from overseas (full fee paying). The recessionary developments in the global economy, especially in the Far East, should give cause for some alarm by UK universities and colleges in this respect.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Master's degree in Recreation and Tourism in the Department of Recreation and Tourism at the University of Zululand, 2008. / The study on Tourism Education Policy Applications in the Zululand District, KwaZulu-Natal was conducted against the background that, in spite of the fact that, although South Africa in general, and Zululand District in particular, is blessed with both natural and cultural attractions which enhance the tourism opportunities that can help to improve the economy, but the greatest deficiency in the tourism industry of South Africa is the absence of adequate tourism education and training. The lack of tourism education and training has been seen to result in a dearth of professional knowledge and skills in tourism, which are necessary for the development of the tourism industry. The study therefore, had specific objectives, which are the following: (a) To reveal how tourism as a field of study is perceived and understood by respondents within the study area. (b) To establish the extent to which respondents in the Zululand District are aware of tourism education. (c) To investigate what tourism education policies are in place for stakeholders in the study area. (d) To determine the types of tourism education and training programmes which are available for stakeholders in the Zululand District. (e) To find out whether existing tourism education policies are implemented in a satisfactory manner in local schools in the study area. (f) To assess whether the local community participates in tourism education in the study area. A number of hypotheses directly related to the objectives of the study were postulated. The hypotheses were duly considered in an attempt to uncover the underlying causes of the identified discrepancies in the study area. The testing of the hypotheses was done through the analysis and interpretation of the data collected from the population sectors that are directly or indirectly affected in the study area. The findings from analysis and interpretation showed that there is a lack of participation by the local community in tourism in general and in tourism education in particular. This is because the respondents lack knowledge and information about tourism education. It was indicated that there are no educational tourism activities or projects that are conducted to encourage them to participate. Lack of participation limits meaningful involvement and participation in tourism. If the community is not fully involved in tourism because of an inadequate tourism education they miss the various job opportunities that are offered by this industry. The findings also revealed that the tourism educators do not implement the tourism education policy in a satisfactory manner in schools. The reason is that most of them lack the qualifications that are required to teach this learning area successfully. They lack the expert knowledge and experience needed to develop learners. Recommendations put forward aim to promote adequate tourism education in the study area.

The rapid expansion of tourism degrees over the last 30 years has been fuelled by the expansion of Higher Education, the popularity of tourism as an area of study, and the attraction of tourism careers. However, the tourism industry has not always been involved in these developments, nor appreciative of tourism degrees. Tourism employers have suggested that tourism graduates do not meet their needs, and voiced concern about the relevance of tourism degrees. Yet, there has not been a comprehensive study which explores employers' perceptions of the value of tourism degrees. This thesis aims to address this by providing an in-depth exploration of how tourism employers perceive the value of tourism degrees. To achieve this aim, a mixed method approach was adopted. A qualitative approach to this study was employed in its first stage. The findings from this stage were used to inform the second quantitative stage. The results indicate that the perceived value of tourism degrees is based on both its employment relevance and academic status. From an employment perspective, the majority of jobs available to graduates are entry level jobs which do not require holding a degree. These jobs are often customer facing, with what employers term as 'personality' being considered a key requirement. Tourism degrees are not seen to contribute to graduates meeting this requirement. Rather, they are seen to contribute to gaining knowledge of the industry, which incidentally is low on the employers' list of requirements. The importance of relevant work experience where skills such as customer-service skills can be developed and demonstrated should thus not be overlooked. Work experience schemes based on cooperation between universities and the industry could also have a positive effect on graduates' employability not only by expanding their work experience, but also because such cooperation is often linked to a more positive view ofthe value of tourism degrees. Where jobs which do require holding a degree are concerned, employers indicated that tourism degrees do not provide an advantage. They associated tourism degrees with new universities, and perceive graduates from new universities to exhibit deficiencies in higher level graduate skills. This suggests that although the expansion of HE was designed to meet the needs of the economy, employers may not be convinced of its benefits. The results indicate that regardless of whether the tourism degrees provide good, sound academic base, if employers associate them with former polytechnics and lower academic standards they will still opt for graduates from elite institutions and more traditional degree subjects.

This study describes the students, educators, and programmatic thrusts of travel and tourism education programs at the public high school level in the United States. Specifically, it looked at 39 educators in 30 high school travel and tourism programs. Reviewing literature revealed that descriptions of these programs did not exist. Therefore, this study is exploratory in nature. The research population included regular members of the Society of Travel and Tourism Educators (STTE) and the Council for Hospitality, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (CHRIE). Questionnaires were mailed to a total of 87 members who were active in 1994. A total of 39 or 45% of the members were included in the data. The data were transcribed for statistical analysis; frequency and percentages were employed to describe these students, educators and programmatic thrusts. Based on the data the following conclusions were reached: 1. Travel and tourism programs at the secondary school level utilize articulation agreements; 2. The location of secondary school travel and tourism programs and significant tourism sites is high; 3. There is a need for ongoing staff development and/or vocational institutes in secondary school travel and tourism programs; 4. There are similarities of mission, structure, and curriculum among travel and tourism educational programs at the secondary school level, and 5. Travel and tourism programs at the secondary school level should be marketed more to the non-college bound, males, minorities, and to students with disabilities. / Ed. D.

A presente dissertação foi elaborada com o intuito de obter respostas sobre a problemática do fenômeno da inserção do ensino do turismo na escola básica e quais são suas contribuições para a formação básica dos educandos. Assim, delimitou-se como objetivo geral elaborar um estudo sobre a inserção do ensino do turismo na escola básica. O trabalho foi aprofundado por meio de um estudo de caso, realizado no ano de 2004, na Escola Municipal de Ensino Fundamental e Médio de Águas de São Pedro (SP), em que o turismo integrava a parte diversificada dos currículos do Ensino Fundamental II e primeiro ano do Ensino Médio como disciplina. Os objetivos específicos delimitados foram: apresentar a fundamentação teóricometodológica da pesquisa, embasada em autores e teóricos que direcionam seus estudos pela perspectiva cultural do turismo; e na Fenomenologia, sendo esta utilizada para descrever, interpretar e compreender o referido fenômeno estudado. Deste modo, com este trabalho, buscou-se contextualizar essa inserção do turismo como disciplina do currículo do ensino básico, apresentando um exemplo com o intuito de discutir o fenômeno a partir da descrição realizada por todos os sujeitos e objetos da pesquisa, cujo conhecimento é devido às experiências vividas comuns e capazes de nos aproximar da essência fenômeno em questão. / The main objective of this dissertation was to obtain answers to the phenomenon of inserting Tourism in the schools and its contribution to pupils\' educational development. Thus, the overall objective was to elaborate some research into Tourism within Basic School. This paper consists of a case study, in 2004, at Escola Municipal de Ensino Fundamental e Médio de Águas de São Pedro (SP - Brazil), in which Tourism was part of diversified curriculum within the Fundamental School II and part of the first year of High School as a compulsory subject. The focus was on: presenting theoretical and methodological bases for this research based on authors and specialists who directed their studies towards a more cultural perspective of Tourism; regarding Phenomenology, this latter was useful to describe, interpret and comprehend the phenomenon studied. Having said that, it is of utmost importance to contextualize the insertion of Tourism as a subject in the Fundamental School, whose main objective was to discuss such phenomenon from the description presented by the pupils who took part in this research and whose knowledge is due to their own common experiences as well as their ability to put us in contact with the essence of this phenomenon.

A presente dissertação foi elaborada com o intuito de obter respostas sobre a problemática do fenômeno da inserção do ensino do turismo na escola básica e quais são suas contribuições para a formação básica dos educandos. Assim, delimitou-se como objetivo geral elaborar um estudo sobre a inserção do ensino do turismo na escola básica. O trabalho foi aprofundado por meio de um estudo de caso, realizado no ano de 2004, na Escola Municipal de Ensino Fundamental e Médio de Águas de São Pedro (SP), em que o turismo integrava a parte diversificada dos currículos do Ensino Fundamental II e primeiro ano do Ensino Médio como disciplina. Os objetivos específicos delimitados foram: apresentar a fundamentação teóricometodológica da pesquisa, embasada em autores e teóricos que direcionam seus estudos pela perspectiva cultural do turismo; e na Fenomenologia, sendo esta utilizada para descrever, interpretar e compreender o referido fenômeno estudado. Deste modo, com este trabalho, buscou-se contextualizar essa inserção do turismo como disciplina do currículo do ensino básico, apresentando um exemplo com o intuito de discutir o fenômeno a partir da descrição realizada por todos os sujeitos e objetos da pesquisa, cujo conhecimento é devido às experiências vividas comuns e capazes de nos aproximar da essência fenômeno em questão. / The main objective of this dissertation was to obtain answers to the phenomenon of inserting Tourism in the schools and its contribution to pupils\' educational development. Thus, the overall objective was to elaborate some research into Tourism within Basic School. This paper consists of a case study, in 2004, at Escola Municipal de Ensino Fundamental e Médio de Águas de São Pedro (SP - Brazil), in which Tourism was part of diversified curriculum within the Fundamental School II and part of the first year of High School as a compulsory subject. The focus was on: presenting theoretical and methodological bases for this research based on authors and specialists who directed their studies towards a more cultural perspective of Tourism; regarding Phenomenology, this latter was useful to describe, interpret and comprehend the phenomenon studied. Having said that, it is of utmost importance to contextualize the insertion of Tourism as a subject in the Fundamental School, whose main objective was to discuss such phenomenon from the description presented by the pupils who took part in this research and whose knowledge is due to their own common experiences as well as their ability to put us in contact with the essence of this phenomenon.

Deaf individuals do not have equal access to participating in sports as their hearing counterparts in the United States. Tennis is one sport to which this lack of access applies. The purpose of this qualitative, narrative research study was to add to the research literature by illuminating the learning experiences of Deaf individuals in tennis in the United States. This study was built on a tripartite conceptual framework consisting of motivation, interaction, and the flow experience. The study explored how tennis influenced other aspects in the lives of Deaf individuals. These other aspects included exposure to the game, learning opportunities, underlying motivations, and social interaction. Participants were 9 Deaf adults who had tennis playing experience. Data were collected from the Deaf Tennis Profile Questionnaire, Deaf Tennis Experience Questionnaire, and a Deaf Tennis Videophone Interview. A priori typological and inductive analyses were used to search for themes and patterns from the data. Findings indicated that learning the game of tennis was relevant to participants' lives. As individuals experienced improvements in their tennis abilities, positive changes in self-perceptions occurred. Participants reported that experiencing the highs and lows while playing tennis increased their motivation and social interaction. Insights from these Deaf tennis participants will give administrators, physical education teachers, coaches, and recreation professionals a better understanding of more effective ways to provide tennis instruction and skills. Self-confident, skillful Deaf tennis players are better contributors to society as a whole. Participation in sports enhances the confidence, self-worth, self-image, and interaction skills of Deaf persons.

The students' expectations must be met to ensure their overall satisfaction. Because of this student satisfaction has become a measurement tool with which the universities can compete against each other in order to attract potential students and also a higher level of internal and external funding. This thesis deals with students' overall satisfaction in tourism education at Dalarna University in Sweden. It is important to understand what it takes for the universities to be able to produce a motivated workforce for the communities and how satisfied students could help in achieving this goal. Sweden was selected because of the recent introduction of tuition fees, in 2010, which has made it even more crucial to understand the factors affecting students' satisfaction. The method chosen for conducting this study was a questionnaire where the students of Dalarna University were asked to rate different aspects of their overall experience on a Likert scale. The research was conducted via Facebook and email questionnaire. The results show different levels of satisfaction based on the tourism programmes and gender for example. The major finding from this research implicate that the social conditions and surrounding city categories are the most influential when it comes to the overall satisfaction of students at Dalarna University. The results give the university and the city of Borlänge an insight on issues that really matter to the students and how to improve them.

Due to the numerous developmental constraints that they face, often Small Island Developing States (SIDS) relies on tourism as the means by which to achieve development. As such, SIDS governments promote sustainable tourism in policy agendas on the grounds that it will enhance the lives of local people through the creation of employment and subsequent increase in income level. However, often in SIDS, sustainable tourism development largely focuses on the management of resources and the impacts associated with tourism development. In this regard the focus on tourism development has remained on developing the necessary infrastructure for attracting international tourist markets, neglecting the crucial components of tourism education and local employment. Therefore, the aim of this research was to determine the role of tourism education and local employment as factors contributing to the sustainable development of tourism in the context of a SIDS destination. The context of the Maldives was selected as the SIDS case. This research indicated that in aggressive pursuit of increasing the number of international arrivals and with an ‘expansionist’ attitude, the SIDS case under study has neglected the crucial aspects of tourism education and local employment as contributors to the sustainable development of tourism. Consequently, tourism education neither meets the local needs for employment nor the industry needs for a skilled and educated workforce. The research revealed that this is an outcome of insufficient attention being given at policy level to tourism education, and local employment. Indeed, the research revealed that an increase in the number of international tourist arrivals and subsequent increase in foreign exchange earnings does not necessary mean that tourism brings economic sustainability to the destination by providing employment opportunities to the local communities and increased income. The research further revealed the complexity of issues which affect local participation in tourism. Moreover, the research also indicated how sustainable tourism development is intrinsically linked to tourism education and local employment. As the SIDS governments have a catalytic role to play in ensuring that tourism is developed in a sustainable manner that benefits all stakeholders, instead of implementing piecemeal policies in tourism education and local employment, this study advocates the integration of tourism education and local employment policies as part of the broader national development plan. This thesis contributes to tourism policy and practice. From a theoretical perspective, this research adds to the body of knowledge relating to the study of sustainable development of tourism in the context of a SIDS destination. Further, this research presents a number of practical recommendations for the government and the industry to ensure that tourism is indeed developed on a sustainable manner that benefits all stakeholders.

<p>  </p> <p>Global hospitality and tourism activities are becoming increasingly diverse in the profile of international visitors as well as in the destination communities that host them. Along with the geographic and demographic shifts, today’s hospitality and tourism employees not only come from multicultural backgrounds themselves but also serve and interact with guests and visitors of different cultures from all over the world. The study was conducted against this backdrop and focused on intercultural competence and intercultural learning in four-year hospitality and tourism programs in the universities of the United States. The purpose of the study is to advance intercultural learning of hospitality and tourism undergraduate students through forward-looking curriculum design. Specifically, the study aims to 1) analyze the extent to which intercultural learning is embedded in current hospitality and tourism programs; 2) identify the intercultural competence in undergraduate students presently enrolled in the programs and effective formats for students’ intercultural learning; 3) evaluate desirable learning materials, approaches, and assessments of intercultural learning from the perspectives of students, educators, and industry professionals; and 4) propose a model of and make recommendations for intercultural learning through curriculum design.</p> <p>A series of mixed methods were adopted to achieve the research goal and objectives. They include descriptive and semantic analyses, a self-administered survey questionnaire, and semi-structured in-depth interviews. The data were collected from 53 four-year bachelor’s hospitality and tourism programs in public or land-grant universities. The results of descriptive and semantic analyses show that clear and direct statements and content about intercultural learning are lacking in general program literature as well as in specific course syllabi. Results of survey questionnaire data demonstrate that the intercultural competence level of undergraduate students in hospitality and tourism programs is neither high nor low. The most effective format for intercultural learning is through personal involvement and interaction. Intercultural activities organized by the university and community are examples of this format. The findings from the interviews reveal the core characteristics of intercultural learning materials, approaches, and assessments. The learning materials need to be current, visualized, and industry-focused. The learning approaches should be interactive and active to place students in the center during their intercultural learning process. The learning assessments are expected to provide opportunities and platforms for students to share their experiences and reflect on what they have learned from intercultural courses. Based on the key findings from the study, a conceptual model of intercultural learning through curriculum design is proposed for hospitality and tourism programs. </p> <p>The study makes some theoretical and practical contributions. Theoretically, the study enriches the literature on intercultural learning and intercultural competence in hospitality and tourism from the curriculum design viewpoint and multiple perspectives of students, educators, and industry professionals. The research integrates intercultural curriculum and internationalization at home into an innovative learning approach to facilitate students’ intercultural learning. The proposed model lays a conceptual foundation for future academic discourse and empirical research. Practically in the educational context, the study offers guidelines for hospitality and tourism programs to develop and design intercultural curriculum through an illustration of an introductory tourism course. The study contextualizes intercultural learning as involving two or more world cultures. The findings are significant in intracultural and subcultural settings as well. The expectations of guests and visitors, be they international or domestic, are influenced by their primary cultures and subcultures alike. Hospitality businesses and tourism organizations can provide a higher level of service quality to their guests and visitors from diverse cultural backgrounds if their employees are interculturally competent through education and training and other human resource functions. </p> <p>The findings from the study bear implications beyond higher education and hospitality and tourism. The study suggests that hospitality businesses and tourism organizations can contribute to building an inclusive community when they are staffed by interculturally competent employees. There have been increasing occurrences of direct and indirect forms of prejudice, discrimination, group profiling, social exclusion, and even hostility both in the United States and around the globe. While these occurrences are rooted in historical, geopolitical, and ideological contexts, they also result from the absence or lack of cultural understanding. Intercultural competence through intercultural learning plays a direct role in promoting harmony and inclusiveness on campus, in the workplace, and in society at large. </p>