- Email: [email protected]
Tourism teaching into the 1990s
RESEARCH
123
NOTES AND REPORTS
However, in the assessment of economic impacts and the development of the tourist product, the research stream emphasized the necessity for a comprehensive data base. Given the aims of the conference, it was somewhat disappointing that the majority of papers were descriptive rather than analytical in their assessment of tourism’s impacts and future needs of the Australian tourism industry. One of the aims was to establish a formal network of researchers engaged in the tourism field. The objectives of the network are to facilitate contact and cooperation between researchers with common interests in tourism research and increase interaction between the Australian research community and research organizations overseas. No doubt such a network would facilitate transfer of information and help to overcome some of the gaps and deficiencies in existing statistical and research facilities. On the final day, the attention of the conference turned towards policy and research priorities and information and technology applications to tourism. The main areas of concern were identified as being the potential for the incorporation of tourism studies within a broader educational context rather than specialized courses; the restructuring of funding and marketing priorities of government tourism authorities; the need for a national tourism strategy which would encourage greater coordination between government and the private sector; and the current review of the Australian tourism industry by the Industries Assistance Commission. The conference provided a valuable insight into the present state of both the tourism industry and tourism research in Australia. If the papers presented at the conference were any indication, then Australian tourism is marked by a general lack of communication between its various sectors, a sometime overzealous faith in tourism’s economic benefits and relatively little appreciation of the possible negative impacts of tourism. Nevertheless, the conference represented a positive step towards a coordinated approach to tourism research in Australia and it is to be hoped that future conferences will reveal a greater understanding of tourism’s complexities than what has hitherto been the case. qO
REFERENCES BTR 1988 BTR Tourism Update l( 1). C an b erra: Bureau of Tourism Research. Submitted 28 July 1988 Accepted 4 August 1988
Tourism Teaching into the 1990s David Simmons Lincoln College,
New Zealand
All major industries eventually spur educational and training responses. The same is also becoming true for the tourism industry. To this end, the University of Surrey, United Kingdom (Department of Management Studies for Tourism and Hotel Industries), in association with The University of Calgary, Canada, (Faculty of Management), took the initiative in presenting
124
RESEARCH
NOTES AND REPORTS
“an international conference for tourism teachers.” They were well supported with American Express as the major sponsor, and support also from Greene BellieldSmith of Touche Ross, the English Tourist Board, and Alberta Tourism Education Council. Some 130 participants from 27 countries met from July 19-22 at the University of Surrey. Many were from institutions of higher education with representation also from government tourist boards and training departments, and the World Tourism Organisation. Within the group were senior representatives of many tourism associations (e.g., TTRA, AIEST), to whom participants interested in membership were directed. The aims of the conference were to act as a forum for debate on tourism education; to provide workshop sessions to ensure wide dissemination of views; to gain definite views from employers concerning teaching methods and courses relevant to their needs; to examine cross-cultural approaches to tourism education from around the world; and to provide up-to-date displays and interchanges of resources for tourism teaching. Relatively little attention has been paid to the teaching of tourism, and the program was necessarily broad. Many more issues were raised than could be debated fully. The program was grouped into four theme areas: keynote concepts in tourism education; cross-cultural approaches to the teaching of tourism (including summary papers from developed and developing countries); workshops (e.g., research methods and marketing courses, computer skills, working with industry); and views and needs of the end users (industry). One surprising aspect of the program was that the industry alone was seen as the “end user” of tourism teaching. Surely, the “student” is also a primary “user.” Their concerns, and factors that shape their career choices and educational decisions, would also have been of wide interest. That the tourism industry is seen as a fragmented one, is now almost folklore. What remains to be seen is whether or not tourism teaching will contribute to building either a more holistic view of tourism as a system, or exacerbate existing divisions by the proliferation of numerous vocational courses, at a range of educational levels. Those planning and developing new courses would do well to pay heed to the concerns raised in keynote papers by Ritchie (University of Calgary) and Goeldner (University of Colorado). Ritchie provided a succinct summary of the issues that underscore tourism teaching. He suggested that tourism teaching exists in a “truncated system” focussed largely at the vocational-community college level. This has occurred because the industry has risen to prominence at a time when resources for education were dwindling. Recognition in the school system is sparse, and adequate resources for university programs have been difficult to secure. Ritchic touched on the desirability of moving to a multidisciplinary academic approach for tourism teaching, and of students gaining a knowledge of tourism as a system, rather than traditional sectorial, unidisciplinary approach. Multilevel programing will also be needed to cater to a range of opportunities within the industry. Goeldner then evaluated the evolution of a discipline of tourism. He reported on the recent growth in professional associations, journals, conferences, and specific tourism texts. As the industry becomes more sophisticated and competitive, Goeldner stressed that greater emphasis will be placed on research, information management, strategic planning, and leadership. These trends are inevitable as the profession and discipline mature, and must be encouraged by broad based education. However, a balanced partnership with industry will remain as an ongoing challenge for teachers. Industry contributors highlighted the need for management and communication skills. Surprisingly, they appeared to opt for an educational (knowledge based) rather than vocational (skills based) approach. Although not formally
RESEARCH
NOTES AND REPORTS
125
debated, it was suggested that tourism teaching has been “too close to the industry,” and will require a multidisciplinary approach, with students gaining a holistic view of the industry. A number of worthwhile papers were presented at the Conference. The Program reports that Conference proceedings will be published in a forthcoming issue of Tourism Munugenmt. This issue should make fertile reading for all involved with tourism teaching. No firm plans exist for future conferences on this topic, although there seems sufficient motivation among organizers, enthusiasm among the audience, and many unanswered questions, to suggest that one may see increasing numbers of conferences addressing this important aspect of tourism. 00 Submitted 12 August 1988 Accepted 19 August 1988
123
NOTES AND REPORTS
However, in the assessment of economic impacts and the development of the tourist product, the research stream emphasized the necessity for a comprehensive data base. Given the aims of the conference, it was somewhat disappointing that the majority of papers were descriptive rather than analytical in their assessment of tourism’s impacts and future needs of the Australian tourism industry. One of the aims was to establish a formal network of researchers engaged in the tourism field. The objectives of the network are to facilitate contact and cooperation between researchers with common interests in tourism research and increase interaction between the Australian research community and research organizations overseas. No doubt such a network would facilitate transfer of information and help to overcome some of the gaps and deficiencies in existing statistical and research facilities. On the final day, the attention of the conference turned towards policy and research priorities and information and technology applications to tourism. The main areas of concern were identified as being the potential for the incorporation of tourism studies within a broader educational context rather than specialized courses; the restructuring of funding and marketing priorities of government tourism authorities; the need for a national tourism strategy which would encourage greater coordination between government and the private sector; and the current review of the Australian tourism industry by the Industries Assistance Commission. The conference provided a valuable insight into the present state of both the tourism industry and tourism research in Australia. If the papers presented at the conference were any indication, then Australian tourism is marked by a general lack of communication between its various sectors, a sometime overzealous faith in tourism’s economic benefits and relatively little appreciation of the possible negative impacts of tourism. Nevertheless, the conference represented a positive step towards a coordinated approach to tourism research in Australia and it is to be hoped that future conferences will reveal a greater understanding of tourism’s complexities than what has hitherto been the case. qO
REFERENCES BTR 1988 BTR Tourism Update l( 1). C an b erra: Bureau of Tourism Research. Submitted 28 July 1988 Accepted 4 August 1988
Tourism Teaching into the 1990s David Simmons Lincoln College,
New Zealand
All major industries eventually spur educational and training responses. The same is also becoming true for the tourism industry. To this end, the University of Surrey, United Kingdom (Department of Management Studies for Tourism and Hotel Industries), in association with The University of Calgary, Canada, (Faculty of Management), took the initiative in presenting
124
RESEARCH
NOTES AND REPORTS
“an international conference for tourism teachers.” They were well supported with American Express as the major sponsor, and support also from Greene BellieldSmith of Touche Ross, the English Tourist Board, and Alberta Tourism Education Council. Some 130 participants from 27 countries met from July 19-22 at the University of Surrey. Many were from institutions of higher education with representation also from government tourist boards and training departments, and the World Tourism Organisation. Within the group were senior representatives of many tourism associations (e.g., TTRA, AIEST), to whom participants interested in membership were directed. The aims of the conference were to act as a forum for debate on tourism education; to provide workshop sessions to ensure wide dissemination of views; to gain definite views from employers concerning teaching methods and courses relevant to their needs; to examine cross-cultural approaches to tourism education from around the world; and to provide up-to-date displays and interchanges of resources for tourism teaching. Relatively little attention has been paid to the teaching of tourism, and the program was necessarily broad. Many more issues were raised than could be debated fully. The program was grouped into four theme areas: keynote concepts in tourism education; cross-cultural approaches to the teaching of tourism (including summary papers from developed and developing countries); workshops (e.g., research methods and marketing courses, computer skills, working with industry); and views and needs of the end users (industry). One surprising aspect of the program was that the industry alone was seen as the “end user” of tourism teaching. Surely, the “student” is also a primary “user.” Their concerns, and factors that shape their career choices and educational decisions, would also have been of wide interest. That the tourism industry is seen as a fragmented one, is now almost folklore. What remains to be seen is whether or not tourism teaching will contribute to building either a more holistic view of tourism as a system, or exacerbate existing divisions by the proliferation of numerous vocational courses, at a range of educational levels. Those planning and developing new courses would do well to pay heed to the concerns raised in keynote papers by Ritchie (University of Calgary) and Goeldner (University of Colorado). Ritchie provided a succinct summary of the issues that underscore tourism teaching. He suggested that tourism teaching exists in a “truncated system” focussed largely at the vocational-community college level. This has occurred because the industry has risen to prominence at a time when resources for education were dwindling. Recognition in the school system is sparse, and adequate resources for university programs have been difficult to secure. Ritchic touched on the desirability of moving to a multidisciplinary academic approach for tourism teaching, and of students gaining a knowledge of tourism as a system, rather than traditional sectorial, unidisciplinary approach. Multilevel programing will also be needed to cater to a range of opportunities within the industry. Goeldner then evaluated the evolution of a discipline of tourism. He reported on the recent growth in professional associations, journals, conferences, and specific tourism texts. As the industry becomes more sophisticated and competitive, Goeldner stressed that greater emphasis will be placed on research, information management, strategic planning, and leadership. These trends are inevitable as the profession and discipline mature, and must be encouraged by broad based education. However, a balanced partnership with industry will remain as an ongoing challenge for teachers. Industry contributors highlighted the need for management and communication skills. Surprisingly, they appeared to opt for an educational (knowledge based) rather than vocational (skills based) approach. Although not formally
RESEARCH
NOTES AND REPORTS
125
debated, it was suggested that tourism teaching has been “too close to the industry,” and will require a multidisciplinary approach, with students gaining a holistic view of the industry. A number of worthwhile papers were presented at the Conference. The Program reports that Conference proceedings will be published in a forthcoming issue of Tourism Munugenmt. This issue should make fertile reading for all involved with tourism teaching. No firm plans exist for future conferences on this topic, although there seems sufficient motivation among organizers, enthusiasm among the audience, and many unanswered questions, to suggest that one may see increasing numbers of conferences addressing this important aspect of tourism. 00 Submitted 12 August 1988 Accepted 19 August 1988