Masters of complexity & change: What travel & tourism needs from the academy
Many travel & tourism educational institutions could be unintentionally restricting students’ ability to see the ‘big picture’.
And some educators may be too tied to their pet perspectives and untested theories to be doing their students any favours.
Educator and entrepreneur Lauren Uğur reckons the academy can better reflect reality while equipping students to face it.
It’s a “Good Tourism” Insight. [You too can write a “GT” Insight.]
There are likely very few “GT” readers who would argue against the proposition that tourism is one of, if not the most dynamic and exciting industries in the world.
It is vast. It is varied. It is in constant flux. It is complex.
It is this complexity, however, that is simultaneously the beauty and the bane of an industry that stands on the cusp of a revolution; for better or for worse.
It is beautiful in its complexity in that it affords dynamism. It is packed full of opportunities at every turn. It’s engaging and exciting. One struggles to be bored by it.
Is there a better career pitch?
However, as with anything in life, there is a flip side to this.
Travel & tourism’s complexity, as much as it is exciting, is also overwhelming.
“[…] we must instill in our future generations the capability to master complexity and change.” _ Lauren Uğur
And, as human nature dictates, our tendency is to strive to maintain control.
This control is manifest in educational institutions where tourism’s complex challenges and opportunities are filtered down to their technicalities, siloed for “better” understanding, and partitioned into buzzword-laden specialties (read degree programmes).
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This is a mindset that the global economy, environment, and social situation has long since outgrown.
This “GT” Insight is not to be understood as a generic critique of education practices across the vast array of programs servicing the travel & tourism industry.
Rather it is a personal reflection on how we think about and approach education practices for an industry that is unarguably diverse and dynamic.
The objective of this piece is straightforward. It seeks to invite constructive debate and critical reflections on what the responsibility of educators is and should be.
Writing this from the perspective of an ardent teacher and coach, my firm belief is that the futures we want for our industry can only be premised on a fitting education.
After all, it is education, in all of its forms, that is the source of all innovation.
What do students and the travel & tourism industry need?
Therefore, the questions we need to ask in these exceptionally trying times are:
- What knowledge, skills, and competencies do our future generations need in order to have a fighting chance at prosperity?
- What kind of education will afford them these?
As a start, let’s look at … continue reading this “Good Tourism” Insight (and many like it) in full and for free at The “Good Tourism” Blog.
