Tourism education and curriculum design: a practitioner perspective

Academic and practitioner courses in travel and tourism have developed substantially in the past thirty years. The force behind this change can be attributed to the growth of tourism as an activity and the organisations involved in meeting the needs of tourists expanding to cater for this demand. This growth,combined with the increasing professionalism of tourism suppliers, played its part in prompting educational institutions to meet the demands and opportunities created by tourism employers. It also contributed to the strong vocational orientation of many of these programmes. In the early years of the development of the subject, the curriculum was informed by extra disciplinary knowledge – knowledge from industry, government, think tanks, interest groups, research institutes and consultancies. Curriculum planners have also supplemented the curriculum with multidisciplinary knowledge, drawing various ideas, skills and methodologies from other subject disciplines. The subsequent maturity of the subject has come to be reflected in the creation of interdisciplinary knowledge whereby scholars have been able to draw upon more than one discipline to explain a solution to specific industry-related problems and issues

Maritime tourism and terrorism: Customer perceptions of the potential terrorist threat to cruise shipping

Maritime terrorism is a neglected area of research in tourism, particularly the use of scenario planning to understand potential threats to the cruise industry. Since the events of 9/11, terrorism, and the threat of terrorism, has become a major concern within the tourism industry. This article analyses tourist perception of perceived terrorist threats given that many ships are American owned. Using the scenario analysis presented by Greenberg, Chalk, Willis, Khilko, and Ortiz, this study suggests that an attack on a cruise ship is a distinct possibility. Indeed, 44% of respondents questioned perceived the possibility of a terrorist attack on a cruise ship to be likely despite the fact that safety and security is seen by the industry as a 'hallmark' of cruising. Differences in attitude among potential passengers revealed a high level of confidence in the cruise ship companies. This finding is particularly marked among more experienced cruise ship passengers. However, this did not necessarily preclude the possibility of security measures being improved. All passengers appeared generally resigned to the fact that risk is associated with travel in the twenty-first century and welcomed any efforts by cruise shipping companies to improve safety and security. © 2012 © 2012 Taylor & Francis

Making career decisions in a changing graduate labour market: A Hospitality perspective

The study seeks to understand how prospective hospitality graduates tackle the career decision-making task. In-depth interviews were conducted with 28 undergraduate hospitality students in the UK. The findings highlight the challenging nature of career decisions within the context of a changing graduate labour market. The adoption of a qualitative method, coupled with career decision-making theory has resulted in a study that gives a voice to the key participants in the education-to-work transition, the students themselves. These insights will enable higher education, policy makers and employers to assist students in their quest for employment

The Holy Grail route: a study of mystic routes and activities to improve local tourism

This case study attempts to outline GRAIL; a European Union sponsored research project designed to develop and examine the importance of religious and cultural routes and how they might act as a catalyst for regional development and improve local tourism. It will be shown the project aims to develop a Pan-European tourism route based on the legend of the Holy Grail. The study identifies the challenges and opportunities posed by the development of tourism routes in general and the Grail Route in particular. It considers the problems posed by the complexity of the subject matter; different interpretations of the Grail in European literature; the fact that there are different contenders for the title of the ‘Holy Grail’ and the possibility of there being not one, but several routes based on different cultural and spiritual perceptions of the Grail

The science of sex and gender online course

This short video introduces faculty and researchers to the free online course The Science of Sex and Gender (offered by the National Institutes of Health) and the importance of considering gender and gender differences in health sciences research.National Library of Medicin

Research therapy: women???s health resources

This multi-media learning object introduces Women's Health Resources, an aggregation of United States government health resources. The learning object is aimed at 18-22 year old students who are researching women's health topics for personal or assignment needs.National Library of Medicin

Tourism Futures - developing the Holy Grail route

This presentation discusses the research background to the the development of the Holy Grail Route. It explains the work of the Grail Team and what has been produced

Developing film induced tourism: the film set project

This paper, presented at the HUBS Conference, outlines the aims and objectives of the Film Set Project. This is a EU funded research project designed to create a new cultural route in Europe based on film. The power of film locations is general recognised in attracting tourists to specific destinations. The sustainable benefits of attracting tourists to film locations extends beyond the economic into environmental improvement and community pride and recognition. Film Set is based on developing such a sustainable paradigm and incorporates a wide variety of film locations drawn from throughout Europe. How the British section of the route was compiled is discussed here

Problems and opportunities in developing tourism routes: the case of the Holy Grail route

The paper attempts to outline the findings of a European Union sponsored research project (GRAIL) designed to develop and examine the importance of cultural and mystic routes based on culture, traditions, myths and legends and how they might improve local tourism. The Project aims to develop a Pan-European tourism route based on the legend of the Holy Grail. This paper identifies the challenges and opportunities posed by the development of such routes in general and the Grail Route in Great Britain in particular. It considers the problems posed by the complexity of the subject matter; different interpretations of the Grail in European literature; the fact that there are different contenders for the title of the ‘Holy Grail’ and the possibility of there being not one, but several routes based on different cultural and spiritual perceptions of the Grail