Camargo, Blanca

Sanchez Villareal, Isabel

English

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Thompson Rivers University
Digital Commons @ TRU Library
Tourism Education Futures Initiative (TEFI)
Conference
9th Tourism Education Futures Initiative
Conference (TEFI9)
Jun 26th, 2:00 PM - 2:15 PM
'Educators' Perceptions and Incorporation of
Critical Perspectives in Tourism Programs: The
Case of Mexico
Blanca Camargo
Universidad de Monterray
Isabel Sanchez Villareal
Universidad de Monterray
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Camargo, Blanca and Sanchez Villareal, Isabel, "'Educators' Perceptions and Incorporation of Critical Perspectives in Tourism
Programs: The Case of Mexico" (2016). Tourism Education Futures Initiative (TEFI) Conference. 11.
http://digitalcommons.library.tru.ca/tefi/tefi9/day1/11
Educators´	Perceptions	and	Incorporation	of	Critical	Perspectives	in	Tourism	
Programs:	The	Case	of	Mexico	
Blanca	A.	Camargo	and	Isabel	Sánchez	Villareal,	Universidad	de	Monterrey,	Mexico	Given	the	pressing	issues	of	the	21st	century	and	potential	contribution	of	tourism	to	the	Millennium	Development	Goals,	tourism	research	is	moving	beyond	discourses	of	sustainability	to	address	critical	issues	related	to	climate	change,	race,	ethnicity	and	gender,	ethics,	equity	and	justice,	and	disability,	among	others.	At	the	same	time,	calls	have	been	made	for	tourism	programs	to	move	from	delivering	theoretical	and	applied	knowledge	to	develop	reflection,	analytical	skills	and	critical	thinking	about	such	issues	among	its	students.	However,	while	progress	is	noticeable	in	incorporating	sustainable	tourism	and	sustainability	related	topics	to	tourism	curricula,	little	is	known	whether	critical	perspectives	and	issues	are	also	being	incorporated	in	tourism	education,	as	they	are	in	tourism	research.	Therefore,	the	purpose	of	our	research	was	to	explore	if	and	how	critical	perspectives	are	being	embedded	in	tourism	programs	in	Mexico.	Specifically,	our	research	sought	to	answer	the	following	questions:	What	critical	issues	do	tourism	educators	consider	most	relevant	to	teach	in	tourism	programs?	2)	What	critical	issues	are	currently	being	taught	in	tourism	programs,	and	3)	What	pedagogic	practices	are	being	used	to	teach	critical	issues	in	tourism?	To	accomplish	our	purpose,	we	conducted	a	content	analysis	of	tourism	curricula	of	accredited	tourism	programs	in	Mexico	as	well	as	a	survey	to	the	program	directors	and	professor	of	these	programs.		As	Belhassen	and	Caton	(2011)	argue,	a	critical	pedagogy	in	tourism	education	can	result	in	positive	outcomes	for	individuals,	society	and	businesses.	Through	this	study	we	can	explore	whether	the	critical	turn	in	the	social	sciences	is	mirrored	in	the	tourism	educational	space,	establish	how	open	and	supportive	tourism	educators	are	to	teaching	critical	issues	in	their	classes,	and	identify	current	strategies	undertaken	to	convey	critical	perspectives	in	the	classroom.	
References	Belhassen,	Y.	&	Caton,	K.	(2011).	On	the	need	for	critical	pedagogy	in	tourism	education.	Tourism	Management	32(6),	1389-1396.	


\u27Educators\u27 Perceptions and Incorporation of Critical Perspectives in Tourism Programs: The Case of Mexico

https://digitalcommons.library.tru.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1008&amp;context=tefi

\u27Educators\u27 Perceptions and Incorporation of Critical Perspectives in Tourism Programs: The Case of Mexico

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