The theming of tourism education: a three-domain approach

Robinson, N; Dale, C

Abstract

Comments on the growth of tourism education and its specific nature, questioning whether in its current form it is serving the needs of either students or employers in the industry, and whether the content of such courses should be more standardized to allow comparability; observes that theming is taking place within tourism education, such that degree routes in the UK include, for example, rural tourism, adventure tourism management, sports tourism, and tourism and the environment. Contends that for tourism educators to meet the needs of this changing industry, programme developers should ensure graduates obtain a breadth of management skills and can add value to tourism enterprises through development of three domains within tourism education: generic tourism degrees; functional degrees (e.g. tourism marketing, tourism planning); and market/product-based degrees (e.g. heritage/cultural tourism, eco/adventure tourism). Offers a cost/benefit analysis of theming tourism education in this way, taking into account the needs of key stakeholders, and runs through action points arising from the discussion.

Citation

Robinson, N., & Dale, C. (2001). The theming of tourism education: a three-domain approach. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 13(1), 30-35. https://doi.org/10.1108/09596110110365616

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jul 1, 2001
• Deposit Date: Dec 23, 2008
• Journal: International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management
• Print ISSN: 0959-6119
• Publisher: Emerald
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 13
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 30-35
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/09596110110365616
• Keywords: education, specialization, tourism
• Publisher URL: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/09596110110365616