Development of Tourism Programs in Higher Education - Essay Example

Development of tourism programs in higher education Introduction Visitors from different parts of the world flock the United States to enjoy the great scenes within the country and experience the American culture and dream. To support this sector, the universities and colleges in the country have introduced different tourism courses, ranging from two to four month courses. The need for producing stronger and capable graduates to handle the complexities of the sector has been attributed to the growth of new courses, some of which are modeled in line with the current challenges in the sector (Smith 92). The changes within the tourism work environment coupled with the current competition and increased demand from the tourists and changes in technological applications have been considered as some of the forces pushing changes in the educational curriculum in the sector. The evolution of the sector has placed more focus on the program curriculum developed by higher education institutions in the United States (Gee 76). Scholars have in the recent past criticized the tourism curriculum as lacking in its ability to mitigate the current and emerging needs within the sector. Some of the courses have been considered too technically oriented and lacking in applicability to address the challenges available. There is, therefore, need for the refinement of higher education tourism courses in universities and colleges to meet the needs of the market (Leiper 807). History of tourism education in the United States The development of tourism education began in Europe as technical and vocational training where key competencies on hospitality and management were offered. The expansion in international trade and globalization led to the influx of foreigners into these countries and this contributed to the growth of tourism. The public and private tourism sector was however understaffed as the vocational graduates were not well placed to handle the challenges of external tourism. As a result, the rapid growth of tourism studies and the development of travel and tour institution occurred in different institutions of higher learning in the United States and other countries (Smith 93). The development of courses and subjects in tourism has been focused towards striking a balance in the vocational and academic needs of the area. The courses which were developed within higher education institutions like colleges were referred to as vocational courses while universities focused on the production of knowledgeable managerial personal to meet the demand of the industry (Inui 28). The changes in the sector has contributed to the need for changes in the depth and complexity of the courses to increase the knowledge base of the professionals and their abilities to handle the current and emerging cases (Leiper 807). Tourism curriculum development Curriculum development is the design of learning approaches that is developed by faculties and departments in higher institutions with the need to address the emerging market dynamics. The process of changing curriculum is essential in the introduction of new courses in tourism as it provides ground for evaluating the weaknesses and strengths of the available programs in light of the emerging market needs. Through curriculum planning, the teaching of new units and courses is developed which can be devised to meet the changes in the market. This process is however affected and influenced by the varying epistemological beliefs within different departments within the faculty (Scotland 213). Four different models have been used in the historical development of courses and the changing of curriculum within the tourism discipline. These include the Chen and Groves model, the Reigel and Dallas approaches, Koh’s model and the Ritchie hybrid approach to curriculum development. According to Chen and Groves model, the philosophical differences found within the area of tourism and hospitality has influenced the independent development of tourism courses in higher education institutions in the United States (Leiper 806). Tourism skills gap The debate on the gap between the academic versus the vocational notion in tourism education has influenced the subject and course development in this area. Advances in human resource management in tourism have pointed to an emerging trend that if not well integrated into the education system will result into a fall in the sector. Tourism has witnessed massive changes since its inception and this has influenced the changes in educational curriculum. Today, the aspect of tourism has significantly changed and this can be attributed to the changes in technology, globalization of the world and the increased tourists flocking the United States (Lewis 5). With the vocational training that was offered to tourism professionals, the ability to manage the needs of the sector has been affected significantly. This explains the rise in the development of managerial courses in higher education centers which seeks to increase the number of tourism managers as compared to skilled employees. A number of factors have contributed to the changes that have been witnessed in the sector and these have encouraged the universities to develop new programs (Stuart 17). One of the contributing factors is the high competition within the labor market in the United States and other European countries where tourism is advanced. With the traditional tourism training has integrated the other sectors of hospitality and the areas of hospitality inclusive of tourism, competition has remained rife. This has however affected the nature of services offered within the tourism sectors as hospitality professional’s lack adequate training in the emerging issues of the sector. With the demands for future generation tourism professionals changing, higher education institution and more so tourism faculties must develop programs that will eliminate general competition from non-tourism professionals and improve the overall service delivery in the sector (Scotland 213). The vicious cycle created by the lack of well-trained tourism professionals in the country has also affected the development of the sector according to reports by human resource departments. With previous course focusing on vocational and skill based training targeting professionals tourism and hospitality sector, the general skills have remained inefficient in mitigating the current market challenges. However, the development of the national education system have created reforms in the sector and led to an increase in skilled graduates. The national education system has aimed to develop tourism courses that improve the communication abilities of such professionals to meet the needs of the market. For example, young professionals in the sector today have knowledge in a number of foreign languages and applications of information technology which has assisted in meeting the demands of the market (Smith 94). Possessing practical and vocational experience is considered as inadequate as the challenges in the sector have advanced making mitigation abilities to surpass practical and vocational skills only. This has been attributed to the strain of globalization which has increased the competitive forces experienced by professionals within the country. To increase the competitive strength of local graduates, courses must be introduced which can mitigate the current flaws and increase the abilities of the graduates to address the market needs. This will make them capable of meeting the market demands and competition from tourism professionals from different parts of the world (Stuart 12). Conclusion Tourism is a prime sector today thanks to the advances in globalization and international trade which have made the world to be one interconnected village. As a result, people from different parts of the world with unique cultures, languages and preferences visit the United States and increase the government revenues through foreign exchange. To tap on this opportunity, the current tourism educational programs must be revised and new courses introduced to meet the changing market dynamics and the competition created by the globalization of the sector (Scotland 214). The United States though its high education centers should therefore conduct a review of its tourism programs and makes mitigating changes. Works cited Stuart Marion. Critical influences on tourism as a subject in UK higher education: Lecturer perspective. Journal of hospitality, leisure, sports and tourism, 1.1 :( 2002), 5-15. Print. Leiper, Nancy. An Emerging Discipline. Annals of Tourism Research 27.3: (2000), 805-809. Print. Scotland, Miriam. Higher education program curricula models in tourism and hospitality education: A review of the literature. Texas A&M University. 2006. Print. Smith, Cooper. Competitive approaches to tourism and hospitality curriculum design. Journal of Travel Research, 39.1: (2000), 90-95. Gee, Yun. Tourism Employment Issues: The PATA Viewpoint. In: WTO. Human Resources in Tourism: Towards a new paradigm. (pp. 71-77). Madrid: OMT. 2002. Print. Inui, Lankford. Rethinking tourism education: what should schools teach? Journal of hospitality, leisure, sport and tourism education, 5.2; (2002), 25-35. Lewis, Antony. Rationalising a Tourism Curriculum for Sustainable Tourism Development in Small Island States: A Stakeholder Perspective. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sports and Tourism Education 4.2: (2006), pp4-15. Read More