Higher Education in Tourism

Gradually from 2004, several universities and postsecondary institutions have the opportunity to offer apprenticeship training programs and professional development in tourism management, in management of ecotourism and environmental protection, in hotel management and catering, and events management in entertainment, leisure’s and sports. These programs are fully offered online and via the Internet through both the creation and deployment of New Information Technologies and Communication (NITC) in several industrialized and emerging countries. These programs are so many around the world that is to be mistaken. In the United States of America, “More Hospitality colleges and universities are starting to offer online education programs for their students. These programs are attractive to students since they can take Hospitality courses from the comfort of their own home, on their own schedule. Courses are available in hundreds of topics and students may choose to take just a few classes or to earn their associates, bachelor’s or even master’s degree online”¹.

As a matter of fact in the European Union’s countries, other higher schools in hotel management and catering management schools or commercial tourism and hospitality attached to academic institutions or Chambers of Commerce have developed programs for the 2nd cycle of higher education in tourism management which is offered through distance learning or hybrid mode (partly in classroom face-to-face and remote part on paper or in part online via the web-based distance).

The actual operation of the academic management and administration of a program of distance education and their modeling have been highlighted by the analysis of case studies of these programs especially online or in hybrid mode, including tourism. Thereby « La formation en tourisme se trouve dans un contexte technologique et scientifique favorable : d’une part, l’importance d’une adaptation accrue des TIC dans l’enseignement supérieur et, d’autre part, l’émergence de nouvelles approches dans la recherche sociale, telle la transdisciplinarité suscitée par la complexité de la réalité à observer (en tourisme par exemple) (Kadri et Bédard, 2006). Cette conjonction offre à la formation en tourisme une base stratégique pour la diffusion des connaissances et le développement d’un partenariat interuniversitaire international visant à renforcer la recherche de nouvelles pratiques d’enseignement et de formation à la recherche en mode hybride (en classe et à distance). Le projet de développement d’un programme de doctorat en sciences du tourisme s’inscrit dans ce contexte de l’innovation dans la recherche sociale » (Boualem KADRI et François BÉDARD; UQAM, Centre international de formation et de recherche en tourisme (CIFORT), 2008).²

In Africa, on the one hand, The Open University of Tanzania – Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Degree Programs offered: BA and MA in Tourism Studies, on the other hand, The University of South Africa Online offering the undergraduate for the degree program and professional education, Bachelor of Commerce and the Certificate in Tourism Management. These academic programs are fully delivered online through the Internet and on paper-based distance learning.

In South Asia, India, the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) with collaboration of the National Council for Hotel Management Catering Technology & Applied Nutrition (NCHMCT), the History Faculty has launched nine (9) academic programs including the PhD degree in History Research and Tourism Studies, the Master of Science degree in Hospitality Administration, the Bachelor of Science degree in Hospitality and Hotel Administration, Bachelor of Tourism Studies and the Diploma in Tourism Studies, to name a few each. These programs are offered in hybrid mode (part in classroom face-to-face and partially online over the Internet).

“The Tourism Administration program provides opportunities for students to pursue tourism careers such as supervisors and managers in: guest services, attractions, transportation, recreation facilities, and travel services such as tour operators and travel agencies management, visitor and convention bureaus and is designed to qualify graduates for a wide range of positions in both the public and private sectors.” Copyright ©2005 Brock University, Faculty of Social Sciences, St. Catharines, ON, Canada

To conclude, in July 2010, we submitted requests on search engines they have allowed us to find on the Internet World Wide Web using the keywords ‘hospitality and tourism’ that there were 228 public and private organizations whose language of teaching is the English amongst which accredited academic establishments, institutions of higher education, and accredited training providers whose offered qualified programs Undergraduate, Graduate, MBA and Doctorate degrees in Business Sciences in Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Studies Management in the delivery mode of traditional face-to-face on campus course materials in a classroom or they are fully taught online (e-learning) off-campus through the Internet or paper-based distance learning off-campus course materials delivered at your home, workplace or while travelling across the world.