Abstract
The developments occurring in recent years in the Information and Communication Technologies led inevitably to a great effect on the operation, structure and strategy of organizations around the world, and obviously also in the tourist sector organizations. With the rapid expansion of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) throughout almost all aspects of tourism and hospitality industries, the task of integrating technology into education curriculum will be a need. Information and Communication Technologies appear one of the most critical area to the success of tourism in the future and the way it will promote the tourist destinations. This paper aims to analyze the relevance given by the various Portuguese and Spanish institutions of higher education to Information and Communication Technologies in their degrees. The analysis carried out was done in degree courses operating in this school year, 2012/2013, in Portuguese and Spanish universities and polytechnics, public and private.
Highlights
Tourism is reputed to be the world’s largest industry
With the current economic context to be based on the knowledge society, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), with the proliferation of Internet use, play a key role in all sectors of the industry in general, and tourism in particular
This paper shows values related to ICT, and the weight that the curricular units of ICT have in the plans for undergraduate studies in the tourism sector in the Iberian Peninsula, and concluded that on average, curricular units of ICT represent about 3% of the ECTS in Tourism degrees, and not 15% - 30% as some authors argue that it should be (Buhalis, 1998; Majó, 2004)
Summary
Tourism is reputed to be the world’s largest industry. Its revenues support a significant proportion of the economies of many nations and it is one of the largest employers worldwide. Its contribution to gross national product, employment and regional development are well documented and, unlike many other sectors, it is forecast to grow in importance in the coming decades as leisure time increases (Tahayori and Moharrer, 2006). Industry members are forced to keep up with new technologies to remain competitive, and hospitality and tourism graduates are increasingly challenged to bring forward current skills and competencies in the field of e-tourism. The need to constantly update educational curriculum is critical, as new technologies continue to span across hospitality organizations and the globe (Elliot & Joppe, 2009)
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