Naslov
In Search of the Best Practices' Model for Croatian Tourism Education

Autori
Krbec, Denisa

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, neobjavljeni rad, znanstveni

Skup
Higher Tourism Education : Issues and Practices

Mjesto i datum
Rimini, Italija, 16.10.2009. - 17.10.2009

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Pozvano predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Nije recenziran

Ključne riječi
study programs of tourism; academic disciplines; quality; higher education institutions; Croatia

Sažetak
There is a general agreement that an internationalization of higher education became mainstreamed and is regarded now as a key part of national higher education policy. Simultaneously, what was earlier called education policy has become subject to international debate and decision-making of ‘ internationalization’ . Universities and other higher education institutions increasingly become “ motors” of development through responding to powerful market forces and through their experiences in international partnerships. Looking from more general perspective, the growth of human capital’ s quality is a key-influence also to the development of tourism on the site (local, regional, national, and international). This means that education/training programs for tourism professionals should continuously offer more competitive, quality, and valuable subjects in order to maintain and improve their skills. As tourism matures as an academic subject, the interdisciplinary nature of tourism enhances the students learning environment. Over the last ten years the development of tourism study programs has continued to change the tourism and hospitality scene. Even the number of study programs offering tourism majors primarily in Economics and Business haven’ t increased, there is an evidence of the provision of more diversified tourism degrees today. Trying to find the best practices’ model of tourism education (and following some suggestions already presented by the UNWTO), the author analyzes current state of tourism education and training programs in Croatian higher education. Under the influence of social, economic, business and overall developmental conditions, tourism study programs already implemented following perspectives: 1.Orientation towards tourism’ s quality and sustainability ; 2.Interdisciplinarity of the study programs of tourism (reconstruction from « ; pure» ; economic approach toward sociological and psychological -in terms of tourism motivation – courses' subjects), taking into account that future tourism’ professionals have to be leaders’ in tourism businesses ; 3.Re-orientation from current knowledge in hotels or tourist agencies' management (on micro-level) to mezzo- and macro-level related courses' subject as academic disciplines. All these perspectives complement each other – they entwine and in the long run result in changed structure as well as changed principles of the educational system in tourism, encouraged by the acceptance of the Bologna Declaration and its introduction into the system of higher education in Croatia, the process which has begun during in academic year 2005/2006. The analysis of present tourism education programs in Croatian higher education should assist further researches to elaborate which alternatives are already known in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), and whether some additional ones should be adopted/adapted for implementation.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Sociologija

Napomena
Prijava u postupku međunarodne recenzije : rok 15.lipnja 2009.

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