Understanding the philosophy of tourism education: A perspective study in Turkey

Abstract

Although tourism is an industry-driven discipline, its philosophical roots are inseparable in education. The nature of tourism, expectations of each stakeholder - industry, tourists, academia, students, educators, society - and managerial attitudes of universities in general and tourism schools in particular, make it controversial to design a flawless education system for the interest of all parties. Based on educational philosophies, this study aims to reveal the perspectives of academics on ontological and epistemological dimensions by seeking answers to the objective, role, responsibility, and problems of tourism education. The study applies content analysis as a qualitative research method. Data were collected among 30 tourism academics with at least a PhD through an unstructured online form. Results demonstrate that tourism faculties in Turkey had a symbolic or superficial structural change in recent years. Tourism academics espoused an eclectic approach, prioritizing the role of educators as well as a vocational curriculum. Results also reveal that tourism education has encountered various problems arising from intellectual resources and physical resources, managerial policies, and institutional changes.