The Management of Tourism - Essay Example

? SUMMARY IN TOURISM In 1986, Tourism undergraduate degrees were established; this led to the increase in the number of sat undergraduate level. Moreover, there has been significant growth in the provision of postgraduate courses. Tourism degree provision in the UK has increased tremendously because it attracts more applicants and cheap resources, there are notable comparisons. The same case was witnessed in Australia, when a few degree-awarding colleges were converted into universities and, simultaneously, tourism grew; this was because there was concern in increasing both the quality and quantity of tourism education, it was made to be a government policy (Pender & Sharpley, 2004). In 1992, 14 tourism courses in universities were introduced among others in different parts. This article is intended to review the term” vocationalism”, it also brings out the typology to highlight degree content, the influence of this industry on the curriculum in various learning institutions. Vocationalism in the context of tourism studies refers to competence-based qualifications, and to have appropriate balance between practice and theory. Any vocationalism consideration in terms of tourism studies requires mentioning the National Vocational Qualification. That is why, National Council for Vocational Qualifications was established at five levels. Level four entails complex technical, specialist and professional work activities including those associated with design planning and problem solving techniques. The article that should emphasize on flexibility and flatter management hierarchies that has led to the recommendation of generic core of knowledge and skills, it also gives individuals the concept of connective specialization (Pender & Sharpley, 2004). Students are given opportunity to make choices and combine different kinds of teaching and learning methods in order to meet their target. It also outlines the significance of specialists having oversight of the relationship between their specialization and the whole curriculum. Tourism has grown inconsiderately across industrial sectors and academic disciplines. Therefore it is very problematic to identify the contents of the course at higher levels. The teachers have also not given the relevant definition of what they teach, and as a result many related courses have so far evolved due to initiatives of individuals. This may be the cause of problems with the identification of laws for tourism industry as well as its needs that must be respected and given much consideration. According to Hunter-Jones’ view, the discipline taught must be able to reflect the obligations of managers to consumers, employee and the public at large. The course must at all times replicate the opportunities of organization to develop and run successfully. Therefore, a curriculum planning is very vital for educators to be able to operate their institutions with limited problems (Pender & Sharpley, 2004). There is a permanent problem of tourism versus hospitality studies that needs to be addressed. It is the issue of content of these related courses. According to the research carried out in Australia, many distinct learning towards hospitality and in one case it is hard to find any broader tourism content. It is clear that all institutions related to tourism or travel has tended to provide training for specific jobs that are vocationally motivated. These policies of universities have over the recent times become distorted, changing more and more toward career orientation. There is need for review of the type of tourism degree; this must consider the use issue of work experience- therefore training in practical skills should be seen as important by the industry. This should be reflected in the course structure, to offer guide to the business orientation of individual courses. A case study done by Swarbrooke in 1995, views tourism courses as vocational in nature and only focused on the supply side… leisure courses are split between the more vocational leisure management courses and the more academic leisure studies. According to him there are various courses which use tourism… to enrich… subject areas. Many undergraduate courses have been subdivided into relatively shorter topics and subtopics which only last for a semester. This leads to credit transfer that enables students to move between the larger numbers of participating universities during the life time of their degree (Pender & Sharpley, 2004). Through modularization, students have been provided with a variety of subjects; this has allowed them to tailor-make their courses. These should be done with the guidance of professionals not to provide the optimum mix for subsequent employment opportunities. Many degrees still have unexpected modules, and many students pursuing them are more vocational oriented. This provides a strong cultural awareness and can enhance employability. It is upon the professional field and academic area to share a common subject matter that will ensure a basic relevance to students with vocational motivations; there should be emphasis on critical academic values as some employers may actually be aggressive to graduates from this sort of course who will be knowledgeable without having received occupational training. The relevant professional bodies have done little more than to magnify the diversity of opinion. This is because of strong education membership of tourism society; therefore it is very difficult for the industry to state what it wants from education. The industry could have an impact upon the curriculum through frequent involvement with university staff and students. The growth in tourism degree provision is the concept of credential inflation, which provides a crucial dynamic which in turn changes the relationship between levels of qualification and levels of employment. It has in the recent past attracted more and more people into the higher levels of education. With the increasing globalization, there is need for effective education of cross cultural communication (Pender & Sharpley, 2004). This kind of effective education is lacking from the proposed core curriculum, there is also lack of attention to sustainability, a critical matter that also needs to be addressed. Since personnel are the back-bone of any industry, tourism/hospitality should look forward in developing their professionalism and satisfaction of the employees themselves. Tourism sector has been faced negative impact in terms impacts in terms of recruiting tourism graduates. The demand for graduates with vocational skills is on increase with employment in the personal sectors of tourism, leisure and catering projected. There are concerns that innovation will be stifled and that tourism will be further driven towards a vocational imperative. The most core elements have been integrated in the curriculum; therefore, there should be no contradiction in having a vocational education in which is broadly based and which also encompasses ‘a sound liberal education’. References Pender, L., & Sharpley, R. (2004). The management of tourism. London [u.a.: SAGE. Read More