Higher Hospitality Education Research Articles

Sustainability Issues and Higher Education in Hospitality and Tourism: Stakeholders’ Perspectives

ABSTRACT This study aimed to explore stakeholders’ perceptions on sustainability issues in the hospitality and tourism (H&T) sector, examine which sustainability issues should be suitably learned in the classroom, and which teaching activities must be introduced to enhance the learning of sustainability issues on the basis of the triple bottom line (TBL) concept. A self-administered survey was created and sent to H&T industry practitioners and educators and students in the H&T higher education program in Hong Kong. Results showed that the tourism sector was more desired than the hospitality sector on the sustainability issues of training and education and sustainable building. Moreover, stakeholders (industry practitioners over students) perceived that these sustainability issues (e.g., energy conservation) should be learned in the classroom. Lastly, stakeholders preferred the teaching activities of internship, experimental learning, and field trips to enhance the learning sustainability topics. This paper further discussed the curriculum development and educational implications.

Reflecting On Teaching and Ecovid-19: An Aggressive Digital Teaching Transformation Outbreak in Higher Hospitality Education in Cyprus

The purpose of this research inquiry was to reflect on: (a) how the dynamics or synergies formed by the enforced and hostile transition from traditional to online teaching and learning have affected the quality of the teaching and learning process in higher vocational education institutions in Cyprus; and (b) what the impact on teaching and learning in the post COVID-19 period has been. The DigCompEdu digital literacy framework has been used to stimulate research because of its strict and clear focus on educator-specific digital competencies. A descriptive qualitative case-study research design was used to explore the experiences of teaching staff and how they dealt with the enforced transition to online teaching. In total, 32 participants from 11 CHEIs teaching hospitality-related majors were interviewed, electronically. The data saturation point was determined by the sample size of the study. The transcription and coding of the collected data was performed using NVivo 10. The first research question identified the following emerging themes: a) the externalization of tacit aspects of digital realities knowledge, b) Collective and intelligent actions in sharing knowledge and practicing digital competencies, c) Principles of learning organization and practicing, and d) Empathy and high levels of emotional labor. The second research question revealed the following themes: a) the Changing nature of teaching and learning methodologies and approaches in hospitality studies, b) Student centered and interactive pedagogical approaches, c) Digital-based knowledge management ecosystem approach.

Comparative analysis of higher education in tourism in Latin America and Spain. Critical success factors and determinants of enrollment prices.

GoalTo improve the understanding of higher education in hospitality and tourism in Latin America and Spain, the critical success factors and the determinants of the price of the educational programs.Objectives* To identify the current market supply on offer of graduate and postgraduate programs of hospitality and tourism studies in Latin America and Spain.* To ascertain the critical success factors perception gaps between academic managers, program directors, tourism students and students from other subjects.* To evaluate the price impact of the determinants of the prices of the hospitality and tourism academic programs.MethodologyIn order to reach the first objective, in 2014 we collected data from the Webs of the academic institutions, as well as from the e-mail and telephone contacts with the persons of these institutions. The information was grouped in seven groups for further analysis: (1) Geographical area; (2) Typology; (3) Academic factors; (4) Convenience factors; (5) Financial factors; (6) Employment promotion factors and (7) Promotion and recruitment factors.From the universe of academic institutions we identified 906 both public and private institutions offering graduate and postgraduate education on hospitality and tourism in Latin America and Spain. These institutions are located in 21 countries, covering 2,380 programs, from which 1,717 are graduate and 863 are postgraduate.In relation to the second objective, we sent an on-line questionnaire to all managers of the programs and a sample of students. The sample sizes were 348 and 202 responses respectively. The number of academic institutions delivering responses was 231. These data was analysed utilizing a confirmatory analysis to determine the critical success factors.In relation to the third objective of this research, the analysis is based on the price data obtained from 617 postgraduate programs, which represents a 71.5% of the total postgraduate programs investigated. The methodology is based on the hedonic price model, which is based on the hypothesis that the price of an education program can be successfully explained by a set of explanatory characteristics of the programs. The prices for different countries were converted by the Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) index to enable comparability. We identified a total of 24 potential explanatory variables which were grouped into different categories according to the empirical evidence and similar models to be found in the literature.ResultsThe dissertation consists of three research works. The first one analyses the differences among the type of programs (graduate or postgraduate), country and region (Latin America or Spain) across the seven typical aforementioned groups of factors that commonly characterize an academic hospitality and tourism program. Latin America shares the largest number of programs (71.6%) with 1,705 individual degrees on offer, while Spain shares 28.4% with 675 programs. However, the distribution is uneven across graduate and postgraduate types. In 2015, Latin America offered 1,370 graduate programs and 335 postgraduate programs, while in Spain it was offered 147 graduate programs and 528 postgraduate programs. Spain, Brazil and Mexico share the largest shares of the total supply of academic programs in hospitality and tourism, with 28.4%, 22.4% and 19.5% respectively. Altogether they represent a 70.3% of the total supply. These shares are followed by Argentina (7.5%), Peru (2.8%) and Colombia (2.6%).In relation to the academic factors, a 71% of the institutions offering academic programs are private institutions. In respect of the convenience factors, it is found that the online mode represents an 11.9% in Latin America and 36.2% in Spain. The academic areas with more programs are Tourism Management, Hospitality Food and Beverage in both regions. There is also a growing interest in the area of MICE, Tourism Marketing and Sustainability. …

‘Folk’ understandings of quality in UK higher hospitality education

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the evolution of “folk” understandings of quality in higher hospitality education and the consequent implications of these understandings for current quality concerns in the field.Design/methodology/approach– The paper combines a historical survey of the stated topic together with an analysis of how the evolution of higher hospitality education provides insight into current issues and problems in the subject area.Findings– The paper suggests that only by thoroughly comprehending the past development of higher hospitality education is it possible to accurately map the field’s current travails and diagnose likely future trends.Practical implications– The paper outlines the implications of current understandings of quality in hospitality education for its future development and provision.Originality/value– The originality and value of this paper lie in its identification of the principal trends that contribute to understanding of current perceptions of the quality of higher hospitality education.

Identifying critical service quality attributes for higher education in hospitality and tourism: Applications of the Kano model and importance-performance analysis (IPA)

This study aims to identify critical education elements using the Kano model andimportance-performance analysis (IPA), and thus provide recommendations for college hospitality and tourism programmes. It makes an empirical contribution to the question of quality in hospitality and tourism education. The population sampled was hospitality and tourism students in higher education. A total of 338 valid questionnaires were collected, with a response rate of 61.4%. The results suggest that education elements can be categorized by their different quality attributes. The two most important elements perceived by students were, 1) teachers assess the academic performance of students in a true, correct, and reasonable way, and 2) teachers can provide students with information on future employment’. Key words: Hospitality and tourism higher education, SERVQUAL, Kano’s model, IPA.

Joint International Hospitality Management Programs: The Case of Cornell-Nanyang Institute of Hospitality Management, Singapore

New models for the internationalization of higher hospitality education are emerging, as education becomes a global business. The challenges for implementing these are considerable. Universities seeking to internationalize must address diverse cultures, multiple time zones, disparate economies, resource allocation, institutional compatibilities and new markets. These challenges form the context for forging a vision with a viable plan for international success. One approach for internationalization is through joint programs offered by two universities. The parameters for this model and how it was applied by Cornell University in the United States of America and Nanyang Technological University in the Republic of Singapore are discussed.

Tourism and Hospitality Higher Education in Israel

SUMMARY This paper presents the past and present of higher education in tourism and hospitality management in Israel. The paper discusses the growth of higher education in hospitality and tourism through local initiatives and by franchising and extensions from foreign institutions. The nature of the higher education system in Israel and the accreditation processes of local academic programs is discussed. The case of Ben-Gurion University is introduced to illustrate the development of an academic programinhospitality and tourism management. The paper also compares the current state of the available academic programs to the year of 2000, at the eve of the Palestinian uprising. The paper analyses the complex relations between the Israeli hospitality industry and the higher education programs, as well as the challenges of future graduate programs and industry-academe relationships.

The Past, Present, and Future of Hospitality and Tourism Higher Education in Hong Kong

SUMMARY Hospitality and tourism management programmes are widely available in Hong Kong. At present, there is no official publication on the history and development of higher education in hospitality and tourism management in Hong Kong. This paper aims to review the history and current status of hospitality and tourism higher education in Hong Kong, focusing on the programmes offered at sub-degree, degree, and post-graduate degree levels, and to explore future directions for its development.

Editorial: The Future of Higher Education in Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism

Editorial: The Future of Higher Education in Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism

A current look at hospitality and tourism education in China's colleges and universities

There has been a boom in the tourism industry in China within the last ten years. Hospitality and tourism education, especially higher education, has undergone rapid development. In 1978 there was not a single course offered in hospitality and tourism at any higher education institution. Today 69 institutions of higher education offer different programs at varying levels, including two-year diplomas, three-year certificates, and four-year Bachelor's and Master's degrees. This paper examines the development of higher education in hospitality and tourism, outlines the problems it faces, and discusses the possible solutions to the problems.