| Abstract: |
The field of tourism was noted at the 2005 Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD) conference to be global and growing (Keler,
2005). That growth has continued today, with no signs of abatement (Todd,
2008). Globally, international tourists numbered 900 million in 2007 (UNWTO,
2008). This figure is estimated to grow to 1.6 billion by 2020 (World Tourism
Organization, 2005) and 1.9 billion by 2030 (Yeoman, 2008). In the two
countries (Canada and France) examined in this paper, the tourism industry is
important within the economy. Tourism contributes $28.6 billion (CDN) or 9.7
percent of Canada's gross domestic product in 2007 (Hernandez, 2008) and 36.9
million euros or 6.3 percent to France's gross domestic product in 2007
(Ministère de l'Economie des Finances et de l'Emploi, 2008). The tourism
industry in Canada provided over 1.8 million jobs in 2006 or 11 percent of the
national economy (Tourism Satellite Account, 2008). Despite France being the
number one tourist destination in the world, it represents only six percent of
its national income (Tourisme Infos Stat, 2008) and two million jobs
(French-Property.com, 2008). It must be noted that these figures are based on
different components and therefore may not be comparable. In both of these
countries, as well as globally, the growth in the tourism industry is
facilitated by information and communication technologies (ICT), including the
Internet (Bloch and Segev, 1996). It is estimated that half the global B2C
e-commerce turnover is in the travel and tourism sector (Fodor and Werthner,
2004-2005). With increasing time and economic pressures, ICT is an
increasingly important component of tourism today. ICT facilitates travellers
who do not have time to visit travel agencies or are looking to save money and
travellers who are looking to design their own travel itinerary. Further, ICT
provides an equalizing platform for increasing numbers of tourist
destinations, many in developing countries (About UNWTO, n.d.) broadening the
competition internationally. This inclusivity is incorporated into the
practical environment (Cunliffe, 2008) as discussed by the World Tourism
Organization (Tourism 2020 Vision, n.d.). Given that both private and pubic
post-secondary educational institutions are the training ground that readies
the graduate for the field of practice; these institutions have the
opportunity to connect anticipated actions within society (Gherardi, 2009). In
using mock real-life situations, it is found that student professionals are
capable of learning at a new level with enhanced understanding (Gold et al
2007). With the emergence of ICT and virtual learning communities (Allan,
2007), the question of the inclusion of ICT in the curriculum of tourism
programs is raised. Education performs two functions. One is the provision of
specific, structured skill development that is based on behavioural
modification such that the graduate ‘fits' into the workplace. Although
beginning in technical and apprentice programs, many university programs,
specifically those training individuals for the professional workplace, have
answered industry's call to make higher education relevant to the workplace.
The other function is the traditional purview of universities: training
students to think independently, analyze, conceptualize, and innovate. Today,
the traditional function to prepare them for the evolution occurring in
practice has become blurred with institutions of higher education focusing on
the established employment needs of their graduates (Gunn, 1991) and the
industry (Bount, Castleman, and Swatman, 2005). Recognizing the dichotomy of
training for an industry that is becoming more reliant on ICT while individual
operators often do not recognize the need for ICT, we examine the educational
training in etourism and ICT of graduates from public and private institutions
of higher education in France and Canada. We find that the training provided
reflects the status of the industry that has few standards. Thus different
institutions interpret the industries needs uniquely. Following this
discussion, we present recommendations for the industry and the trainers to
establish a minimum standard for employability. We begin with a review of the
literature that examines the training available for e-tourism. |