Opportunities and Challenges of Creating Hotel Management and Tourism Education Programs in Developing Countries

Abstract

The rapid expansion of Western hotel corporations into the international market and specifically into developing countries has created a demand for professionally educated and trained nationals with expertise in all areas of hotel and tourism management. Traditionally these academic programs have not been available in existing institutions. The growing reluctance of developing countries to grant work permits to foreign employees in the hotel industry, other than general managers and chef, has further complicated the problems caused by the lack of professionally educated local staff. While there is still some disagreement on how schools can best prepare their students for the hospitality industry of the future, the problems facing an educator developing a new academic program in a developing country are first and foremost problems of immediacy. When the development of such a program has begun, it is usuallybecause the need forentrylevel professionals has become acute. This paper identifies the challenges facing the educatorattempting to establish an independent hotel management and tourism academic and training program in a developing country with a rapidly expanding tourism economy. The program must serve a multitude of purposes and meet a variety of needs from different industry sectors. This factoralone makes the problem more complex. This paperjustifies the use of an industryneeds assessment approach to curriculum development and program design which might meet opposition from educators in a different setting. The experience outlined supports the view that concentrated skills training can exist in harmony with an academic program designed to fill long-term industry needs for graduates with supervisory and management skills. The paper identifies the majorhurdles to success of such a program. These are program accreditation through a complex bureaucracy; limited English level of students; cultural variation in learning and study patterns; insufficient funds for necessary equipment in kitchen and service; the comparative high cost of imported textbooks, learning materials and library resources. The biggest challenge is iden tified as the problem of finding qualified faculty for specialized courses in hotel management and tourism as well as business subjects and language. The difficulty in obtaining work permits for foreign faculty is noted as well as the problem of attracting qualified nationals away from industry when teaching salaries do not match those found in industry. Key Words: Curriculum Development, Industry Needs Assessment, International Hotel Management Edu cation, Cultural Variations in Learning Styles, Hotel Management Education in Developing Countries.