Abstract
This paper argues for the importance of design thinking as a creative, collaborative activity to equip students, instructors, and practitioners with important skills to address “wicked problems” that are transforming tourism and hospitality in a (post-)COVID-19 Anthropocene. Design Thinking (DT) and Design Thinking for Engaged Learning (DTEL) are becoming increasingly popular to incorporate in practice and in courses offered across various fields of study, including tourism and hospitality. The paper reviews some of their applications and uses, drawing on a range of cross-disciplinary literature. A small case study conducted over the Summer of 2020 in an undergraduate tourism course helps to reflect on existing weaknesses in DT and the original DTEL model, which the revisions reported here seek to address. Although the model engaged learners in developing innovative solutions to real problems, the incorporation of a critical, decolonizing pedagogy is needed to help learners break free of deeply entrenched assumptions, and intentionally develop pluralistic, relational solutions to address injustices and suffering. The previous emphasis on perspective taking through a dominantly cognitive (mind) empathy approach (in traditional DT models) is balanced with affective (heart) and conative (action) empathy, as aspects of care ethics that facilitate epistemic justice and praxis.
Highlights
The tourism and hospitality industry has faced enormous pressures since the WorldHealth Organization declared a global pandemic on March 11, 2020
The main purpose of this paper is to examine the use and potential of design thinking in hospitality and tourism education as well as in practice, and to offer new critical and caring, empathetic directions for the challengingCOVID-19 Anthropocene that awaits
The section provides an overview and “critical” review of design thinking, along with examples from tourism studies. This is followed by a course-based case example that was inspired by designerly thinking (DT), and as shown below, reveals opportunities to better design affective dimensions and embodied experiences that are important to facilitating care and action. We address this in the subsequent section where we present a revised theoretical model for DT and detailed stepby-step guidance to implement the DT model in engaged learning
Summary
The tourism and hospitality industry has faced enormous pressures since the World. Health Organization declared a global pandemic on March 11, 2020. Adjusting to the pandemic has resulted in socioeconomic and societal changes that are anticipated to cause deep-seated structural changes in travel and service delivery. The race is on towards digital transitions, integrated technologies drawing on big data, SMART Tourism for value co-creation and enhanced service delivery, along with service robots and other forms of automation [2,3]. Systemic changes had already been foreshadowed and disruptive technologies add further complexity to the accelerating climate crisis and global threats to planetary sustainability in the Anthropocene. It is a brave new world that awaits rebuilding ecological, social, and cultural resilience and sustainable post-pandemic futures
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
