Designing the Ideal Undergraduate Program in Tourism

Abstract

Globally, there are numerous undergraduate programs available in tourism that differ in content aims and scope. It is hard to judge which programs are preferable and on what criteria to base choice. Thus, this article provides a content analysis of 64 bachelor programs taught in English. The actual programs are compared to indicators identified in literature review. Furthermore, an adaptive conjoint analysis identifies the importance and utilities of different subject areas and themes that can compose a tourism program. The population is specified in a broad manner, including academics as well as industry professionals from both the private and public sectors. Results show that there are discrepancies between existing programs and what academics and industry professionals perceive as being important. The research offers recommendations on which topics and issues should be included in a tourism curriculum and provokes discussion on adaptation of existing curricula for the future.

The stereotyping of tourism management students in a business school setting

“…The number of institutions offering higher education in tourism has fluctuated and most of the relevant programs are hosted in departments or faculties of business or their equivalent (Ring, Dickinger & Wöber, 2009). The main bright spots in tourism management education are evident in developing countries such as China.…”

“…education subjects played a stronger role in acquiring their first and current jobs than specialist tourism, hotel management, and food service subjects. In another study by Ring, Dickinger, and Wöber (2009) Furthermore, tourism management is a newer domain with a shorter history than many longer established areas such as accounting, finance, or marketing that are prevalent in business school settings. A commonplace part of student life, regardless of specialization, is engaging in discussions with peers about why they selected their major.…”

“…Only a small minority reside in a social science or environment faculty, and there are now few standalone tourism and hospitality schools in Australia (Dredge, 2012). Although tourism degrees may be offered alongside cognate areas such as hospitality and events, as well as sport, park management and recreation, many tourismrelated programs coexist within a business department with longer established areas such as accounting, finance, marketing and human resources (Ring, Dickinger & Wöber, 2009). …”

Tourism Curriculum in a Global Perspective: Past, Present, and Future

“…Courses were then transitioned into undergraduate and graduate programs (Ring, Dickinger, & Wober, 2009). Numerous tourism education frameworks exist around the world.…”

Etourism Course Syllabus Development and Assessment. Evaluation of Alumni Perspective

“…To do so, continuous improvements and updates of the curriculum are needed. In the last years a strong necessity of developing eTourism modules and their integration into tourism and hospitality academic programs has been extensively discussed [3][4][5][6][7][8]. While a few cases of full eTourism curricula have been launched, several academic institutions around the globe have implemented single dedicated courses.…”