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World Tourism Organization




UNWTO.TEDQUAL
ASIA&THE PACIFIC
MAGAZINE
[first edition]


MAGAZINEINDEX
                                               1




 I                                             2


 II                                            5




III                                            7




IV                                             9


 V                                             12




VI                                             16




VII                                            19




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UNWTO.TEDQUAL
                                                               ASIA&THE PACIFIC
                                 World Tourism Organization
                                                               MAGAZINE
                                                               [first edition]




EDITORIAL
In December 2010 Professor Douglas Pearce and his                      The idea of a news magazine devoted to the dissemination
colleagues at Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand,            of ideas of good teaching practice resulted from this wish,
hosted a meeting of those Higher Tourism Education                     and the present editors were asked by Loreto Ibanez to
Institutions accredited by the United Nations World                    implement this idea. The concentration on teaching
Tourism Organization (UNWTO) under its UNWTO.TedQual                   practice was thought important because (a) it permitted a
Programme. This meeting was specific to such institutions              distinction and complementarity between this and the
located in the Asia-pacific Region and thus there were                 existing newsletter generated on behalf of UNWTO by our
representatives from Australia, India, Indonesia, P.R China,           colleagues in Korea, (b) it continued the themes laid down
and invited guests from New Zealand tourism related and                by Professor Pearce and his colleagues and (c) it is
governmental bodies. At that meeting Loreto Ibanez,                    consistent with a major theme of the UNWTO.TedQual
UNWTO.TedQual Programme Manager, asked people what                     Programme. Hence this first edition!
their expectations were from such an inaugural meeting,                Naturally, conditions are never static, and as a UN
and a variety of suggestions emanated as to what could                 specialized agency, UNWTO itself is undergoing changes as
possibly be done. This exercise could be summarised as one             it increasingly aligns its programmes with the purposes and
of generally high aspirations but tempered by senses of                principles of United Nations, and is working with other UN
reality in terms of funding, time commitment and what                  Agencies to complement their work in areas of mutual
might be achievable in the short term.                                 interest, such as World Heritage Sites with UNESCO and
                                                                       making tourism more sustainable with UNEP.
During and after this meeting it was determined that if
genuine networks are to be established among those                     It is suspected that over time these will begin to challenge
interested in the provision of tourism education, there                our role as educators, and indeed some of those concerns
needs to be a formalised albeit perhaps initially a minimal            will come to be reflected in the newsletter.
means of communication amongst the members of
UNWTO TedQual Institutions that would retain a
consciousness of the network and what might be achieved.
The theme of the Victoria University Wellington
Conference was best practice in teaching and, prior to
departure, those present committed themselves to
holding a second conference in late 2012, with the
delegates from Indonesia wishing to host such a
conference. The question was how communications might
be sustained in the interim.
                                                                                    Chris Ryan, Lisa Ruhanen, and Xu Honggang




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UNWTO.TEDQUAL
                                                                  ASIA&THE PACIFIC
                                  World Tourism Organization
                                                                  MAGAZINE
                                                                  [first edition]




                                                                                                                          [Xu Honggang
                                                                                                      Sun Yat-Sen University, Guanzhou]




Tourism higher education has been growing very rapidly                     For the past 3 years, over 200 undergraduate students have
for the past thirty years in China. Today there are more than              taken this approach and over 50 projects have been offered
300 higher education institutions which offer tourism                      to the students. These projects are divided into two types.
programmes, ranging from the technical institutes to the                   One third of the projects are organized by faculty staff who
research oriented universities such as Sen yat-sen                         have research or consultancy projects, such as the
University and Zhejiang University.                                        monitoring of sustainable tourism, a survey of a historical
                                                                           village, or surveys of the satisfaction of the hotel customers,
There are advantages and challenges of placing the                         etc. Since the teaching staff in Sun Yat-sen University are
tourism program within a research-oriented university. The                 under pressure to apply and win various research projects,
major advantages lie in the fact that the students have                    it is possible for them to incorporate some of the
developed good analytical and problem solving skills                       undergraduate students in their research or consulting
through solid training. The great challenges lie in the efforts            projects. Two thirds of such projects are funded by national
that have to be made in balancing the practical and                        or provincial education committees and the university,
theoretical components of learning in the course structure.                such as the border heritage in the Greater Pearl River delta
The conventional way of using the industrial placement to                  and the heritage conservation of Xiguan house. Having
provide the practical component that has been inherited                    been trained quite extensively in research methods, the
from countries like the USA and United Kingdom is not as                   students gain competitive advantages among their peers.
effective in China because the interns are often treated as                A tutor also provides assistance in the projects. Three cases
employees without proper guidance from the industry and                    are presented here to illustrate the organization of the
are given the same positions as vocational school interns                  projects.
without the opportunity to demonstrate their own learning
and skills. Thus it is not uncommon that satisfaction with                 Lucun heritage village study
the industry actually declines after the period of internship.
                                                                           Lucun is a historical village close to the world heritage of
After studying the strengths and challenges of internship                  Hungcun and Xidi village, each of which attracts 700
programmes, the School of Tourism Management, Sun Yat-                     thousand tourists every year. Some tourists have also
Sen University decided to design research projects for the                 begun to explore the surrounding villages. Having seen the
undergraduate students to bridge the link between                          tourism impacts in Hungcun and Xidi, the local
industry practice and theoretical leaning through their                    government wanted to formulate conservation strategies
participation in these projects and so develop further                     before large scale tourism development occurs. A team
student enthusiasm and care about working in the tourism                   from Sun Yat-sen University was asked to help to identify
sector.                                                                    the heritage buildings and other cultural heritages in Lucun
                                                                           for the preparation of the conservation plan. So a team was
                                                                           organized that comprised three teachers (one from tourism
                                                                           and two from architecture), and four graduate and eight
                                                                           undergraduate students.



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                                                                ASIA&THE PACIFIC
                                 World Tourism Organization
                                                                MAGAZINE
                                                                [first edition]




                                                                                                                      [Xu Honggang
                                                                                                  Sun Yat-Sen University, Guanzhou]




Many more than 8 students applied for the opportunity to                The self-organized research project
participate. They were selected based on their preparation
for the exercise and every one had to present on what it was            A study of brand management of traditional catering and
on which they would like to focus. The task for the students            outlets in Guangzhou was funded in 2010 from the National
was to survey every household and interview the owners                  Educational Committee. Usually these projects can last one
about their housing conditions and to understand the                    year. The research team was required to survey traditional
factors which influence the maintenance of the heritage.                catering in the historical center of Guangzhou and conduct
The team stayed in the village for a week and documented                the research on the brand value of these outlets and their
the houses and the layout of the village in detail. Maps were           cuisine. Seven undergraduate students were involved in
also drawn to illustrate the conservation needed for the                the projects. They interviewed the owners, customers, and
houses.                                                                 members of the government in order to understand the
                                                                        potential brand value of these traditional cuisines. Based on
Yangshuo sustainable tourism monitoring                                 the survey, they also provided suggestions to the owners
                                                                        and to the government on how to better promote the
From 2005, Sun Yat-sen University has established                       culture of traditional catering and to effectively conserve
collaboration with the World Tourism Organization in                    these businesses. Their reports were delivered to the
setting up a sustainable tourism monitoring programme. A                government and the catering establishments involved in
monitoring station was established in Yangshuo Yulong                   the project.
scenic area. Every year, in the summer time, students are               Some feedback has been collected to review the results of
organized and trained to participate in the monitoring                  these research projects. The motivations for the students to
programme. The monitoring project usually takes one                     participate are: 1) to gain the capacity to deal with the
week. Students were asked to work with the communities                  practical issues, 2) to broaden their vision and knowledge of
and other stakeholders to review the social, economic and               the tourism industry, and 3) to apply the theories learned in
environmental changes for the past year and identify the                the classrooms to analyze real world problems. Students
emerging major issues. Based on the survey, the students                pointed out that they had indeed improved their
submitted reports on the social, economic and                           understanding of knowledge gained from the class. They
environmental status of Yangshuo and summarize the                      also developed capacities to identify real world problems
short term and long term change. These reports are                      and apply appropriate theories to solve these problems.
provided and local community for publicity.                             Another important gain is to develop capacities to work
                                                                        with the research team and various stakeholders in this
                                                                        process. However, they also pointed out some issues about
                                                                        the research funded projects. For example, due to the lack
                                                                        of requirements of a strict time framework, students are
                                                                        often more enthusiastic at the beginning of the project but
                                                                        find it difficult to sustain their enthusiasm throughout the
                                                                        project if the project lasts for more than one year.


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                                                               ASIA&THE PACIFIC
                                 World Tourism Organization
                                                               MAGAZINE
                                                               [first edition]




                                                                                                                         [Xu Honggang
                                                                                                     Sun Yat-Sen University, Guanzhou]




A review process was conducted in 2011 to evaluate the
outcomes of the undergraduate student research projects.
It was found that a proper management of the project is
crucial to be effective. Good guidance from the faculty, a
mixture of the graduate and undergraduate students in a
team and a proper time framework are necessary to
improve the outcomes.
However the research projects have increased faculty's
workload and there is also uncertainty as to whether there             [ Students conducting interviews in Lucun Heritage Village]

are enough projects contracted to the school to meet the
needs of all students. As a project, major efforts have been
made between the School and tourism destinations to
develop a long term partnership. Longitudinal research can
provide better service to the local stakeholders, reduce the
workload for the faculty to find and organize such projects
and increase the possibility for the faculty to publish the
research outcomes in academic journals.




                                                                       [ Students at work in Yangshuo]




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                                 World Tourism Organization
                                                                MAGAZINE
                                                                [first edition]




    II    Tourism Industry-Academe Partnerships: Opportunities and Challenges


                                                                           [Dr Lisa Ruhanen, Dr Noreen Breakey & Mr Richard Robinson
                                                                                      School of Tourism, The University of Queensland]




Amongst tourism and hospitality tertiary degree programs,               For TRIP 2009, sixteen students were competitively
internships are a reasonably common feature. This is                    selected and placed in one of two south-east Queensland
because internships provide students with valuable                      host destinations over the mid-semester break for 10 days.
practical work experiences, linking theoretical knowledge               The 2009 iteration of the program had two discrete
through practice, and improving students' ability to enter              components. Firstly, students were placed with a rotation
the workforce 'industry ready'. For the industry hosts,                 of industry operators in the respective destinations and
educators and education institutions, internships can                   during this time participated in the more 'traditional'
enhance relationships and strengthen strategic and                      internship or work experience common in many tourism
collaborative networks. It is within this context that the              and hospitality programs. To support the learning
School of Tourism at The University of Queensland (UQSoT)               outcomes of the internship, the students were required to
developed the Tourism Regional Immersion Program                        complete a journal-style workbook, providing reflective
(TRIP). This 'destination immersion experience' was                     entries on their experiences in the region. Secondly, the
designed to provide an opportunity for students to live,                students in each of the destinations undertook a strategic
work and interact with the broader community in a                       research project nominated by the host region which was
regional tourism destination.                                           delivered at a Knowledge Exchange Workshop several
                                                                        weeks after the internship period.
Mindful of the importance of internships for student
learning and the opportunities such programmes                          In 2010 however, based on feedback from the students,
represent for industry and the institution, a re-designed               industry and participating School of Tourism faculty, the
professional development course for final year                          TRIP model was further revised and instead only
undergraduate tourism, hospitality and event students                   incorporated the research project component. Other
undertaking UQSoT's Bachelor of International Hotel and                 elements such as the destination immersion (living and
Tourism Management (BIHTM) was first introduced in 2009.                working in the destination) remained. TRIP 2010 was
TRIP is one of four work-integrated learning (WIL) options in           delivered in partnership with five regional destinations in
the professional development course and is considered                   south-east Queensland. Another notable change was the
innovative in terms of providing an alternative to a                    decision to reduce the time in region to 5 days and to make
traditional internship or work experience program where                 a mutually beneficial destination-driven research project
students are placed with a single host business for a                   the focal point of TRIP. It was also decided to reduce the
specified period of time. However, the TRIP model has had               student group size from eight to no more than five per
several evolutions in its short history.                                destination and mandate that the projects be completed
                                                                        within the five day internship period. This reconciled the
                                                                        interests of all parties. Lobbying destination hosts to
                                                                        participate in TRIP focused on identifying a suitable project,
                                                                        and the capacity and willingness of the host to provide
                                                                        accommodation and transfers for the students and
                                                                        resource the project requirements.



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                                                                                   ASIA&THE PACIFIC
                                            World Tourism Organization
                                                                                   MAGAZINE
                                                                                   [first edition]




     II       Tourism Industry-Academe Partnerships: Opportunities and Challenges


                                                                                              [Dr Lisa Ruhanen, Dr Noreen Breakey & Mr Richard Robinson
                                                                                                         School of Tourism, The University of Queensland]




Across the five TRIP projects for 2010 there was                                           The immersion-style model remains, although arguably
considerable diversity which reflects that of the tourism                                  there are pressures on the length of time the students
industry. As such, the requirements from the destination,                                  spend on TRIP with a significant reduction between 2009
the dates the students completed their internships, and the                                and 2010; this has some practical advantages for all
r e s o u r c e s r e q u i r e d v a r i e d t r e m e n d o u s l y. S i n c e           stakeholders but arguably does place constraints on the
expectations from all parties were high, UQSoT decided to                                  program. Importantly though, the immersion approach
again competitively select TRIP student candidates                                         can assist in the development of relationships, both
through a combination of a written proposal and                                            between students and also with the local community of the
participation in an interview. Once students were selected                                 host destination. This is considered an important aspect if
and groups had been formed, the students were invited to                                   the knowledge exchange component of the program is to
scope their destination projects, collect resources and do                                 be successful. At this stage the TRIP team continue to
preliminary research before contacting the destination                                     evaluate and assess the most appropriate and sustainable
hosts to organize a pre-internship familiarization. These                                  TRIP model.
occurred at various times before the students finally went
in region during their September mid-semester break. All
the TRIP placements occurred as planned during the
September mid-semester break. However, some
unanticipated events transpired which suggest the
program is leaving a legacy. Two destinations, invited their
TRIP groups back to present their project findings to council
and industry stakeholders within their region and UQSoT
sponsored a south-east Queensland tourism industry
conference with the express purpose of showcasing TRIP
and its destination hosts.

The TRIP model is constantly evolving and shifting, as the
TRIP team look for a 'sustainable' model. Obviously there is
considerable commitment from the School, participating
faculty members, industry hosts and of course the students.
As such, as noted above, changes were instigated following
the 2009 iteration to make the program more manageable.
From our experience in 2009 it was found that the industry
valued the research project very highly and this aspect was
the focus of the 2010 TRIP process and will again be the
focus of the 2011 iteration of the program.




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                                  World Tourism Organization
                                                                   MAGAZINE
                                                                   [first edition]




                                                               III The Job-Search and Promotion-Seeking
                                                                  Stategies of Tourism Graduates at Victoria
                                                                    University of Wellington in New Zealand.
                                                                                         [Adam Weaver,Victoria University Wellington]




From Anxiety to Action

When speaking with university students about their                         Methods and Key Findings
studies, one becomes acquainted with some of their
anxieties     the same anxieties that their university                     The main findings of this study emerged as the author
instructors may have had when they were students.                          interviewed twenty-one recent graduates of the degree,
Students are typically concerned about courses that                        Bachelor of Tourism Management (BTM). These graduates
address concepts they find difficult to grasp, assignment                  had full-time jobs within the tourism industry in New
deadlines that are ominously close, and the way end-of-                    Zealand. Recent graduates were considered to be
term examinations come ever nearer. These anxieties are                    graduates who had received their BTM (their only university
often accompanied by others that are probably more                         degree) within five years of the research interview. The
central to students' thoughts once classes have ended;                     interviews were conducted over the course of a year, from
assignments that have yet to be submitted, and                             April 2007 to April 2008. An examination of job-search and
examinations to be written: and after that issues of finding               promotion-seeking strategies of BTM graduates had not
jobs after graduation and forging a satisfying career path.                been the original focus of the research. The main purpose
The search for work and the pursuit of promotions by recent                of the interviews was to explore graduates' perceptions of
graduates of a tourism management programme are the                        jobs in New Zealand's tourism industry (Weaver, 2009).
subject of this article as well as a longer contribution to an             However, the final section of the interview schedule
academic journal (Weaver, 2011).                                           addressed the topics of job search and the pursuit of
                                                                           promotions. Graduates, often without much prompting,
In response to their desire for (and anxieties about) work                 spoke in some detail about the techniques they used and
and career advancement, some recent graduates tried to                     ones they would recommend to students about to
take certain matters into their own hands. They exercised                  complete the BTM.
human agency and sought to market their capabilities to
targeted audiences in enterprising ways. This                              A key finding of this research project was that graduates
entrepreneurialism of the self is arguably a function of                   use forms of emotional labour to advance their interests.
broader socio-cultural shifts within New Zealand, and                      Many graduates of university tourism programmes use
probably in many Western countries, since the 1970s and                    emotional labour when they work in the tourism industry.
1980s. Taking initiative, demonstrating a degree of                        They project certain emotions as an essential part of their
boldness, and effectively promoting one's own personal                     jobs, especially when interacting with customers
achievements or potential are seen as increasingly                         (Hochschild, 1983). Emotional labour, however, is not
prominent features of successful people. Graduates of                      simply performed to satisfy one's work requirements. For
Victoria University of Wellington's Bachelor of Tourism                    example, graduates use and recommend sociable labour
Management (BTM) programme seem to approach their                          as a means to search for jobs.
nascent careers as if they were a business venture. They
attempt to self-market their availability and suitability for
jobs, and they appear to deploy strategy in particular,
when seeking more advanced positions within the tourism
industry.


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                                 World Tourism Organization
                                                                  MAGAZINE
                                                                  [first edition]




                                                              III The Job-Search and Promotion-Seeking
                                                                 Stategies of Tourism Graduates at Victoria
                                                                   University of Wellington in New Zealand.
                                                                                            [Adam Weaver,Victoria University Wellington]




They seek opportunities to interact with prospective                      As well, faculty members could pay a visit to their
employers. Networking was a crucial dimension of their                    university's student employment centre to discover the
efforts to find jobs. This networking may, for instance, take             ways in which their institution is trying to prepare students
place at industry-related functions. Once graduates found                 for the world of work.
work, they were eager to secure promotions. Promotions
were seen as a reward for dedicated service and                           The findings discussed in this article need some
exceptional workplace performance. In order to improve                    qualification. Only the views of recent graduates were
their chances of promotion, graduates worked in a                         sought. The perspectives of employers would be worth
demonstrative fashion ( demonstrative labour ) so that                    obtaining as they are the intended targets of the sociable
their managers would notice their achievements.                           and demonstrative labour used by graduates. In fact,
Emotional labour is required of many graduates who work                   employers may see certain types of sociable and
in the tourism industry, but it is also apparent that they                demonstrative labour as bothersome. Perhaps these forms
deploy types of emotional labour (sociable and                            of labour, when they are effective, involve subtleties related
demonstrative labour) for their own purposes. Sociable                    to timing, tact, and tone that employers could help to
and demonstrative labour are consistent with the notion of                identify and describe. An underside to demonstrative
an entrepreneurial culture: individuals (the graduates)                   labour was noted by a post-graduate student with industry
acting as if they are one-person firms and marketing their                experience who read the study's findings: working in a way
own talents to customers (in this case, potential employers               that gets one noticed (working demonstratively) could
or current managers).                                                     involve sabotaging one's rivals so they appear incompetent
                                                                          compared to oneself in the eyes of managers. He was a
Implications, Caveats, and Concluding Thoughts                            witness to such sabotage. The nature of demonstrative
                                                                          labour in the workplace raises certain ethical issues that
The study's findings have potential implications for tourism              could be the subject of some intellectually rewarding, and
programmes at tertiary education providers such as                        relevant, class discussion.
universities. There is scope for faculty members and
current students to reflect upon the skills emphasized                    References
within their academic programme. Both sociable and
demonstrative labour require sound communication skills                   Hochschild, A. (1983). The managed heart: Commercialization of human
                                                                          feeling. Berkeley, CA: University of California.
and confidence in one's own abilities. It would perhaps be
worthwhile for current tourism students to hear from                      Weaver, A. (2009). Perceptions of job quality in the tourism industry: The
                                                                          views of recent graduates of a university's tourism management
recent graduates about their job- and promotion-seeking                   programme. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality
experiences      both positive and negative. Faculty                      Management, 21(5), 579-593.

members could organize seminars or functions where                        Weaver, A. (2011). Pursing jobs and promotions: University graduates in
recent graduates share their trials and tribulations with                 tourism as enterprising self-marketers. Journal of Human Resources in
                                                                          Hospitality & Tourism, 10(1), 80-95.
students. )




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                                                                                                  IV Breaching the
                                                                                           Research-Teaching Divide.
                                                                                     [Anne L. Zahra, University of Waikato, New Zealand]




From my personal experience and from observations and                      There are a number of dimensions to the interconnection of
discussions with colleagues, academic staff tend to                        teaching and research. Figure One shows a two
compartmentalise their teaching and research functions.                    dimensional representation that I will use to structure part
Universities in their promotion processes tend to place                    of this reflection.
greater weighting to the quantity and quality of research                  Generally universities compared to higher technical
outputs in comparison to teaching quality and innovation.                  institutions have always given importance to research-led
This is further exacerbated by university sector research                  teaching ( Zamorski, 2002 ) whereby the teaching content
performance evaluation exercises in which some                             of undergraduate and postgraduate courses is informed by
developed countries have engaged over the last twenty                      the personal research of the lecturer. For the tourism field
years ( Hall, 2010; Tribe, 2003 ) . Empirical studies support              this is not as easy as it seems, as our research can be in a very
                                                                           specialised subject area, yet we are required to teach broad
the claim being made that there is a dichotomy between
                                                                           multidisciplinary content in undergraduate and sometimes
teaching and research in higher education institutions
                                                                           even in postgraduate courses ( Kinchin & Hay, 2007 ) . A
(Clark, 1991; Hattie & Marsh, 1996; Ramsden & Moses, 1992).
                                                                           personal example is that one of my research subject areas
There has long been a call to breach this teaching-research
                                                                           over the last few years has been volunteer tourism and I
divide (Marsh & Hattie, 2002; Trowler & Wareham, 2007) yet
                                                                           have never been able to incorporate this research in any of
the challenge still remains on how to support academic
                                                                           the courses I have taught. Yet, despite the difficulties
staff to better align their teaching and research functions. In
                                                                           sometimes encountered for the tourism subject area,
this reflective article I will share my experience of how I have           research-led teaching for most of us is the major conduit to
tried to align my teaching and research roles as a way of                  align research and teaching.
resolving this polarisation.                                               One criterion in determining the quality of a tourism and
                                                                           hospitality degree can be the extent to which research
                                                                           informed assessments are used to meet degree objectives,
                                                                           such as analytical skills, problem solving and critical
                                                                           thinking. Although very beneficial to students, under-
                                                                           graduate research informed assessments rarely contribute
                                                                           to furthering the research agenda of academic staff unless it
                                                                           is a new research subject area for the lecturer. At the post-
                                                                           graduate level specialised topics for research assessments
                                                                           can on occasions aid the lecturer in either keeping abreast
                                                                           with the research literature or lead to the discovery of new
                                                                           literature and insights. However it is my experience that you
                                                                           cannot rely on this as it dependent on the few high
                                                                           achieving students you have and it only happens from time
                                                                           to time.
                                                                           only limited experience in teaching research methodology
                                                                           papers and therefore I cannot share any experiences in this
                                                                           regard.
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                                                                                                IV Breaching the
                                                                                         Research-Teaching Divide.
                                                                                    [Anne L. Zahra, University of Waikato, New Zealand]




Rresearch orientated teaching is introducing students to                  To progress conference papers to journal publications
the knowledge construction process of research or what is                 usually requires time and work on behalf of the academic
commonly known as the research process. Students are                      ( Locke & Zahra, 2011) but this time and effort is clearly an
taught how to undertake research. This is commonly taught                 alignment of teaching and research. The question often
in either of two ways: in a purely theoretical manner,                    arises of who should be the first author when academics
describing the research process, or in a practical way                    publish with their students? In post-graduate research
whereby students undertake small or large practical                       'conversations'/seminars I have attended at the University
research assessment tasks or a combination of both the                    of Waikato it seems that common practice is that the first
theory and the practice of research. The practice of research             author should be the person who came up with the
generally entails some form of data collection, data analysis             research topic and who did most of the work, which in my
and reporting of the findings. The practice of research can               case for the conference papers was the student. It is also
either be quantitative or qualitative research. The practice              considered good research protocol and a contribution to
of quantitative research at the postgraduate level can                    the research environment for the senior researcher to
sometimes lead to a research publication if the right                     encourage and foster the junior researcher to take the lead
research question had been asked, if the sample size is                   wherever possible. In my view developing future
adequate, if there is a robust research methodology and if                researchers is also a teaching function, once again an
the publication addresses a gap in the literature. It is very             alignment of the teaching and research functions.
difficult for a research methodology paper to deliver all of
the above, but an experienced researcher can attain this                  There is still two more ways of aligning research and
with careful planning and a good knowledge of the                         teaching that are not represented in Figure One - research
literature. I am not an experienced researcher and I have                 outputs from teaching practice ( Zahra, 2008, 2009, 2010 )
The fourth and final quadrant in Figure One is research-                  and the scholarship of teaching and learning with students
based teaching assessments. This is where students                        as potential co-enquirers and co-researchers thought the
themselves undertake enquiry-based learning. There are                    learning process. However it is beyond the scope of this
many similarities between research-orientated teaching                    short article to discuss these options. They can be dealt with
and research-based teaching. However the chief distinction                in future issue of this publication.
is that for the latter the students are the main drivers of the
research project and in many instances generate the
research topic. Research outputs from research-based
teaching are very dependent on the quality of the student
(generally post-graduate students) and the nature of the
topic. From my experience conference research
publications are very achievable from research based
teaching ( McArthur & Zahra, 2009; Song & Zahra, 2009;
Zahra & McFarlane, 2009 ).




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                                                                    IV Breaching the
                                                             Research-Teaching Divide.
                                                    [Anne L. Zahra, University of Waikato, New Zealand]




                                      lark, B. R. (1991). The Fragmentatio nof res earch, teachi ng and study: An
                                                  explorative essay. InM . A. Trow & T. Nybom (Eds.), University and
                                                  Society: Essays on the so cial rol e of research and hig her edu cati on (pp.
                                                  101-111). London: Jessic a Ki ngsley Publishers.
                                      Hall, C. M. (2010). Pu blis hor perish? Bi bliometric analysis, jou rnal ranking an d
                                                  the ass es sment of researc hquality in Tou rism. Tou rism Management,
                                                  32(1), 16-27.
                                      Hattie, J., & Marsh, H. W. (1996). The relationship between research and teaching:

                                                  A meta-an al ys is. Review of Educ ational Research, 66(4), 507 -542.
                                      Kinchi n, I., & Hay, D. (2007). The myth of the res earc h-led teacher. T eac hers an d
                                                  teaching: Theo ry and practice, 13(1), 43-61.
                                      Locke, M ., & Zahra, A. L. (2011). Are medi a reports represtentative of host
                                                  community support for meg a events? The c ase of Sydney World You th
                                                  Day 2008. . Event Management, 15(3), In press.
                                      Marsh, H. W., & Hattie, J. (2002). The Relati onBetween Rese arch Productivity and
                                                  Teaching Effec ti venes s: Complementary, Antag onistic , or

                                                  Independent Cons tru cts? The Jou rnal of Hi gher Education, 73(5 ), 603-
                                                  641.
                                      McArthur, M., & Zahra, A. (2009). How do es the H amilton 400 V8 Event impac t on
                                                  the hospi tali ty sector. Pap er presented at the I nternational
                                                  Hospital ity Conference, Tau ran ga, New Z ealan d. 15-17 November.
                                      Rams den, P., & Mos es , I. (1992). Asso ciations between research and tea ching in
                                                  Australian Higher Education. Higher Education, 23 (3), 273-2 95.
                                      Song , X., & Zahra, A. (20 09). International Hospitality Conference. Paper

                                                  presented at the International Hospitality Conference, Taurang a, New
                                                  Zealand. 15-17 November
                                      Tribe, J. (200 3). The RAE-ification of touri smresearch in the UK. Internati onal
                                                  Journal of Touris mResearch, 5(5), 225-234.
                                      Trowler, P., & Wareham, T. (2007). Re-conceptualis ing the teaching-research
                                                  nexus Retrieved 30/9/2010, 2010, from www.portal-l ive.so lent.ac.uk
                                      Zahra, A. (2008). Empi ri cal evidence of learning journal s as a formo f assessment.

                                                  Pap er presented at the 18 th Internati onal Researc hC onference of the
                                                  Cou ncil for Au stral ian Uni versity To urism and Hospitality Education,

                                                  Gold Coast, Australia. Febru ary 10-13 .
                                      Zahra, A. (2009). Langu ag e and cu ltural c onsiderations when implementing
                                                  innovati ve approaches to assessments: Reflective learning journals
                                                  and the perc eption of non-Eng lish speaking stu dents. Jo urnal o f
                                                  Tourism and Hospitality Educ ati on, 21(3), 54-59.
                                      Zahra, A. (2010). Learning jou rnals as a form of assessment in a hospi tali ty
                                                  context. Paper presented at the CHME 19 th Annu al Resear ch
                                                  Conference, Surry, UK. May 5-6.




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                             V          Building Capacities at the Frontline:
                                        UNESCO Cultural Heritage Specialist
                                          Guide Programme for Asia-Pacific.
                                                      [Chin-Ee Ong, Heritage Studies Centre,
                                                       Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao,]




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                                                                V          Building Capacities at the Frontline:
                                                                           UNESCO Cultural Heritage Specialist
                                                                             Guide Programme for Asia-Pacific.
                                                                                                    [Chin-Ee Ong, Heritage Studies Centre,
                                                                                                     Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao,]




Boasting a CV that includes re-opening the UNESCO Office                    The provision of economic benefits and meaningful
in Cambodia during the transitory and still turbulent times                 employment at World Heritage sites, the programme
in the early 1990s and directing the international effort to                argues, need not derive from the selling of standardised
safeguard the Angkor Monuments, Sir Richard (the title                      merchandises in shopping malls. Between 2005 and 2010,
Commandeur de l'Ordre Royal du Cambodge was                                 Professor Engelhardt's team from UNESCO Bangkok and
bestowed upon Professor Engelhardt by His Majesty King                      The Heritage Studies Centre of The Institute for Tourism
Norodom Sihanouk) has witnessed much on the a frontline                     Studies, Macao, with the help of Architectural Conservation
of heritage conservation from countering Khmer Rouge                        Programme at The University of Hong Kong and an
cultural violence to combatting 'tomb-raiding' poachers                     international board of advisors, supported by seed funding
and smugglers. Today, the internationally-recognised                        from the Asian Development Bank, conceptualised and
heritage expert is wary of other forms of 'violence'. The                   conducted catalytic train-the-trainer workshops in
former UNESCO Regional Advisor for Culture explained,                       fourteen locations in Asia.
'today, we see so much commercialisation happening in
and around many World Heritage sites because local                          Professionalising and improving the image and expertise of
communities and businesses do not understand the                            tour guides and interpretation is seen as a route to advance
fundamental, underlying values of these sites and                           economic and other benefits for communities at World
mistakenly believe their only value is as a mass market                     Heritage sites. In addition to prompting better salaries for
consumer products'. The result is the overly-simplistic                     specialised and better-trained guides, the programme also
deployment of World Heritage sites as mere tourist                          hopes to create Gianna Moscardo's 'mindful visitors' at
magnets and the ringing of heritage sites with shopping                     Asia's World Heritage sites through better quality
malls and other forms of commercial and recreational                        interpretation that both engages and informs visitors of the
aimed at the mass market.                                                   heritage values of the sites they are visiting.

[Figure 2: Playful postmodern tourists at Angkor? The need                   [Figure 3: Group package tourists climbing scared and
to create more mindful visitation at World Heritage sites                    fragile temples of Angkor.
*Source: Author, 2008*]                                                      *Source: Author, 2008*]




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                                                                V          Building Capacities at the Frontline:
                                                                           UNESCO Cultural Heritage Specialist
                                                                             Guide Programme for Asia-Pacific.
                                                                                                  [Chin-Ee Ong, Heritage Studies Centre,
                                                                                                   Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao,]




Places, not mere attractions                                                Launched by UNESCO-ICCROM Asian Academy of Heritage
                                                                            Management (AAHM) in 2005 after a UNESCO-
 Attractions is a word tourism marketers like to use but                    commissioned study conducted by Institute for Tourism
these are places we are dealing with. People live in and                    Studies, Macao in 2004 revealed poor visitor satisfaction
around heritage sites and many of these people benefit                      with guiding and interpretation in World Heritage sites in
little from mass tourism but have to cope with mass                         Asia, the programme is also a response to concerns of
tourism's many negative impacts , explained Dr Sharif                       potential impacts of mass tourism at World Heritage sites in
Shams Imon, lead author and trainer of the programme and                    Asia. In the programme, instructors seek to steer tour
Director of The Heritage Studies Centre, Institute for                      guides' gazes towards seeing World Heritage sites are seen
Tourism Studies, Macao. A conservation architect by                         as lived-in places and not just tourism attractions. Unlike
training and a consultant to International Council on                       cultural heritage management strategies that focus on
Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), Dr Imon is critical of the                    carrying-capacity, engineering and architectural and
ways in which unguided visitation and unchecked rise in                     economic aspects of visitation, engaging and lively
mass tourism is benefiting preservation of the World                        interpretation of heritage resources based on their heritage
Heritage places and the livelihoods of their communities.                   values is seen by UNESCO and AAHM as an important
 More tourists do not always mean better tourism. We have                   strategy in protecting heritage places and enriching visitor
to look at how tourists experience the sites and how their                  experiences. This programme seeks to improve the
visitations create better employment for people in the                      experience of visitors and protection of cultural heritage
communities .                                                               resources and communities at UNESCO World Heritage
                                                                            sites by improving and professionalising interpretation and
[Figure 4: UNESCO Cultural Heritage Specialist Guiding                      guiding. It seeks to complement existing local and national
in Training at Champasak, Laos.                                             frameworks for tour guide certification and training by
*Source: Imon, 2007*]
                                                                            providing expert training for motivated licensed guides
                                                                            wishing to specialise in World Heritage guiding.

                                                                            Capacity-building from Macao to India
                                                                            UNESCO Project Officer Ms Montira Horayangura Unakul
                                                                            stressed the catalytic function the programme seeks to
                                                                            achieve through its numerous strategically placed regional
                                                                            train-the-trainer workshops: Through the conduct of
                                                                            these regional train-the-trainer workshops, we hope to
                                                                            create lead trainers capable of conducting training in their
                                                                            own countries and nurturing their own sets of specialist
                                                                            guides. This programme also aims at building upon and
                                                                            complementing existing certification and licensing
                                                                            systems for tour guiding within the respective national
                                                                            frameworks.


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                                                               V          Building Capacities at the Frontline:
                                                                          UNESCO Cultural Heritage Specialist
                                                                            Guide Programme for Asia-Pacific.
                                                                                                   [Chin-Ee Ong, Heritage Studies Centre,
                                                                                                    Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao,]




An architect by professional training, Ms Unakul revealed                   Faculty members in IFT helped develop the training
that the programme seeks to ignite capacities for:                          manuals for the programme in English. Today, the main
                                                                            manual has been translated into at least six other
1.      providing accredited guides the opportunity to                      languages (simplified and traditional Chinese, Bahasa
strengthen their skills in interpreting heritage sites,                     Indonesia, Khmer, Lao, Thai and Vietnamese) and used in
with an emphasis on World Heritage Sites                                    training workshops in Asia-Pacific. A complementary
2.      enhancing the educational experience of visitors                    manual for site managers was also written in 2007 under
(both local and international), leading to longer                           the endorsement of United Nations Economic and Social
stays and repeat visitation                                                 Commission for Asia and the Pacific. As part of the
3.      contributing to the sustainable safeguarding of                     programme and as the regional focal point of AAHM, IFT
UNESCO World Heritage sites by educating visitors                           faculty members have so far conducted train-the trainer
about conservation issues and advocating codes of                           workshops in Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
responsible conduct                                                         Thailand and Vietnam and trained academics, government
4.      benefiting local communities by promoting their                     officials and professionals from fourteen countries. From
role as hosts and active participants in the cultural                       the later part of 2007, the UNESCO New Delhi office
tourism                                                                     brought the programme into India and furthered the
5.      improving career prospects for accredited guides.                   programme by introducing sophisticated thematic
                                                                            modules on specialist topics such as Buddhism and
This training and certification programme is being                          Vijayanagara Art, Architecture and History.
implemented through active partnerships between
members of AAHM, training institutions from the UNESCAP
Asia Pacific Education and Training Institutes in Tourism
                                                                           [Figure 5: Learning about heritage conservation
(APETIT) network and National Tourism Organizations
                                                                           in Hoi An shophouses, Vietnam.
(NTOs), with the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) serving               *Source: Author, 2007*]
as the Knowledge Management Hub and UNESCO
providing technical advisory. In 2007, the programme was
commended in the 31st Session of the World Heritage
Committee meeting in Christchurch: a best-practice
example of an initiative aiming at integrating the
conservation of World Heritage within the wider
sustainable development framework for the benefit of local
communities .




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                                                              VI


                                                                                                          [Kaye Chon and Chris Ryan]




Historically a distinction was made between a 'polytechnic'            This tension between the applied and the theoretical is
and 'university' - the former being more oriented toward               obviously applicable to the hospitality industry. Hotel
vocational education and the latter concerned with                     groups expect graduates to emerge with strong
intellectual endeavour for the sake of generating new                  managerial skills within the context of operational and
concepts and understandings. The one was applied and the               strategic management. Front of house operations,
second theoretical. However, starting arguably in the                  restaurant management, food operations, yield
1960s, governments around the world commenced                          management, hotel and room design and many other
increasing the provision of university places in the belief            features are all part of the standard curriculum for many
that future economic success would be dependent on the                 hotel schools. Yet like many universities, HK PolyU would
existence of a well trained university core of young people            wish its teaching to be research led, and in a world where so
able to meet the challenges of technological and other                 much more selling is done via the internet, where
challenges becoming apparent as the world moved into                   environmental management systems are increasingly
the second half of the twentieth century. It seems now                 allied to knowledge management systems, staff
almost impossible to believe that in a country like the                participation in human resource management systems
United Kingdom that the number of university students                  and where all are entwined in emergent notions of
was little more than 60,000 in the 1950s - today that would            corporate socially responsible management the issues
be the equivalent of just three moderately sized                       are not simply what to research, but the context within
universities.                                                          which they are taught to students.

By the 1980s it became increasingly apparent that the                  The context also refers to the physical space and many
models of 30 years earlier were inappropriate in many ways.            universities and hotel schools operate training restaurants
Small tutorial groups began to disappear under financial               and have students spend periods of time in hotel
pressures, universities were expected to be more aware of              internships so that students acquire the practical context
employer needs, and the distinction between the applied                within which to make sense of their class room knowledge.
and the theoretical soon buckled under the realisation that            The question posed to Hong Kong PolyU staff was whether
good practice informs theoretical formation and equally                a closer symbiotic relationship between classroom and
theory informs better practice. In some countries former               practical context could not be achieved. The answer has
polytechnics became universities and attained the title of             now a glass and steel physical presence at Hong Kong
university even as the nature of what was being taught                 PolyU called Hotel ICON at a building cost US$170 million,
changed in both traditional and new universities. Some                 which houses not only the staff and students of the
universities such as Virginia Tech proudly proclaimed the              university but operates daily as a hotel.
applied within their titles, and Hong Kong Polytechnic
University is another.




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                                                                VI


                                                                                                             [Kaye Chon and Chris Ryan]




As a hotel, Hotel ICON has 262 deluxe rooms and suites,                  In addition to a training restaurant Hong Kong PolyU has
three F&B outlets, a 300-seat Silver Box ballroom, a                     looked at best practice from other parts of the university
conference centre, a swimming pool and a harbour-facing                  system in Asia such as National Kaoshiung University of
fitness centre. The hotel also features a spa managed by the             Hotel and Tourism Management's wine and viticulture
noted resort and spa company, Banyan Tree. In accordance                 testing rooms, and has installed the 'Vinoteca Lab' that
with the concept that teaching should be research driven                 offers students opportunities to not only talk about but to
and practical there exist three dedicated "prototype                     actually practice and learn about the best means of keeping
guestrooms" used primarily for research and innovation                   wines and of course, eventually serving them. It is expected
which have now been in use since 2010. Each of these three               this will be a popular class!
prototype guestrooms have been developed according to
its respective theme, namely design," "technology" and                   As noted, all of this has meant a challenge to staff to revise
"well being." While tailor making experiences for guests, the            their curriculum and teaching methods. Professor Chon
prototype guestrooms also allows further research into and               has stated that 'As Hotel ICON will have to serve the
the application of advanced concepts in hotel                            teaching needs of the School, we have already undergone
management fashioned to make possible a more                             the strenuous process of revising the course syllabi of more
sustainable future. This opens up a new mode of teaching                 than 40 courses so as to facilitate and ensure a full Hotel and
(and challenge) for teaching staff. It is permitting the                 School integration'. The School has integrated Hotel ICON
development of ideas by students and staff in components                 into a number of cutting-edge research projects including
such as room design, the use of sustainable materials, how               Hotel Customer Behaviour Studies and Environmental
rooms may better incorporate sustainable engineering                     Management in Hospitality Industry in addition to the
features, and the use of integrated IT systems to better meet            active internship programme for students and ensuring the
the clients' need of a seamless transition between a                     hotel's facilities are subsumed into the daily teaching and
television entertainment medium that also uses internet                  experience of the students.
facilities for business purposes. It is also offering
opportunities for experimentation in price/facility                      Hotel ICON is fully owned and operated by PolyU's
provision alternatives all of which can be tested on actual              subsidiary "Hotel ICON Company Limited". About 300 full-
guests.                                                                  time employees are currently working in the Hotel
                                                                         supported by some 100 students of the School who will
Modern hotel management education also requires hands                    have their periods of internship within the hotel. The
on experience with new managerial and analytical software                General Manager, Richard Hatter, has 25 years of
that aids the profitable running of a hotel. Like other                  international experience in the hospitality industry
universities (for example Beijing International Studies                  including past positions as General Manager and Director of
University) a state of the art Samsung Digital Lab for                   the Shangri-La Group's Asia region covering Hong Kong,
Hospitality Technology supported by the company has                      Mainland China, Singapore and Indonesia.
been installed.




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                                                                  VI


                                                                                      [Kaye Chon and Chris Ryan]




The purpose behind the development is to ensure that
students will have the best possible opportunity to
combine the theoretical and practical with the
environment of a working hotel a hotel with professional
staff and guests a hotel where the students' decisions may
well influence guest experience! Of course, students will
not be immediately exposed to the risks of making poor
decisions, but by the time they are in that position the aim is
that they will be assured in their decision making,
professional in their dealings with guests, and laying the
foundations of a long career in the industry.




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                                                                                    VII Higher Tourism Education:
                                                                                   Guiding students and graduates
                                                                                   to make things right at all times.
                                                                                                           [Loreto Ibañez Castillo,
                                                                                              UNWTO. TEDQUAL Programme Manager]




Ethics is never forgotten in the definition and development               This article seeks to share worldwide experiences on this
of any higher tourism education programme; and no one -                   matter, by analyzing the key moments within the definition
neither management, faculty, students nor future                          and implementation of the programme that could
employers - disagrees on its importance. But a real                       contribute to guiding students towards making things
commitment to go beyond the classic approach of                           right at all times.
delivering and learning the concepts to focus on guiding
students and graduates to make things right at all times, is              The development of the programme                   building
perhaps a less developed issue.                                           expectations.

How many students might have finished their studies                       The development of a programme's vision, mission and aim
as an automaton, knowing that this is not what                            and its subsequent dissemination to potential students is
they really want to do with their lives? And how many                     perhaps the first moment when students' expectations
Institutions/Programmes have not invested much time in                    about their professional future start to be built; however, it
encouraging their students to pay attention to whether                    is also when, for the first time, gaps between these
they have chosen the right career, in order not to lose                   expectations and reality start to appear.
students?
Equally, employers are now increasingly focusing on                       But why is this happening? Could it be that that sometimes
selecting those students who feel a passion for what they                 information seems to be 'overwritten' for commercial
have studied and are ready to continue learning, so                       purposes or are there other reasons behind it all?
students who have solely focused on obtaining good
grades might not obtain the expected results while looking                There are several answers to this question. The
for a job.                                                                'commercial' reasoning seems to be one of the main ones,
                                                                          but in many cases the gaps are due to other deeper reasons.
On the other hand, Institutions/Programmes have the hard                  Often, those defining the three key elements of the
task to recruit students every year; and of having to                     programme - vision, mission and aim - are not directly
constantly prove to the industry, the potential students, the             connected to the tourism sector on a day-today basis, or
market and the competitors that their reputation and the                  have written about these elements in a generic way by
employment rate of graduate students are justifiably high.                using a fixed recipe that could in theory be applied to any
                                                                          tourism programme but which, in reality, implies the loss of
But what happens when students are not happy with what                    an opportunity to integrate the views of management,
they have studied, and in most cases with their work?                     students, faculty and the future employers in its definition
Would it have been better to encourage students to stop                   and implementation right from the very beginning of the
and think about whether they should discontinue their                     conceptualization, therefore leading to increasing the
present studies if it is not what they are looking for or want            probabilities that the programme will not to be connected
to do as a job in the future?                                             to reality, and consequently, building expectations in the
                                                                          students which might not be realistic.



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                                                                         VII Higher Tourism Education:
                                                                        Guiding students and graduates
                                                                        to make things right at all times.
                                                                                                    [Loreto Ibañez Castillo,
                                                                                       UNWTO. TEDQUAL Programme Manager]




Admission and induction process                                    In most programmes, interaction with future employers is
                                                                   available either through internships or thanks to a strategy
The second crucial moment that contributes to students             where the sector directly participates in the programme as
making the right decision concerning their future is the           faculty members. However a closer approach that could
admission and induction process, at which point students           generate other types of interaction         such as inviting
expect to feel identified with their choice of study.              faculty, students and employers to create a common
Nevertheless, this feeling is not always fulfilled. The            project is not frequently implemented, although it could
admission process might not depend directly on the                 work towards obtaining the employers' commitment to
Institution but on intermediaries and the induction process        safeguard the students' future as well as encouraging
is sometimes considered more of a second marketing                 commitment on behalf of students and faculty to respond
opportunity for the Institution, rather than an opportunity        and consider the needs of these future employers as part of
to share both success and non-success stories with new             the Programme.
students as both of these would help the student realize
and decide whether the choice is correct.                          And we find this situation again in the connection students
                                                                   should have with day-to-day reality. This connection at
As a result, students usually finish building their initial        local, national and international levels - would ensure
expectations based on the success stories they hear about          students' minds are open to live their profession with
during the induction process, while the down sides are             understanding about cultural differences, sensitiveness
often forgotten in the construction of the path they are           towards the positive impact any tourism activity should
willing to follow; a second significant gap that can distort       have in its host countries and communities, and respect for
the main aim of guiding students to make things right at all       the tourist as an individual, and not just as a source of
times.                                                             income.

The implementation of the Programme                                All the above aspects link directly to the importance of
                                                                   encouraging a relation between faculty and students
Some aspects/actions regarding the implementation of the           beyond the classroom while the programme is
programme, are crucial when guiding students towards               implemented. An example would be the organization of
their future:                                                      cooperation for development activities and joint students'
1) interaction with future employers, 2) connection with           internship/faculty placement experiences abroad - a
day-to-day reality, and 3) communication with faculty              practice that has started to be implemented in fast
beyond the classrooms.                                             emerging tourism destinations and that could help
                                                                   students get the full picture concerning the work
                                                                   environment they will find in the tourism sector.




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                                                                                     VII Higher Tourism Education:
                                                                                    Guiding students and graduates
                                                                                    to make things right at all times.
                                                                                                          [Loreto Ibañez Castillo,
                                                                                             UNWTO. TEDQUAL Programme Manager]




The post-graduate follow-up

Finally, the follow-up given to graduating students could
be considered the 'finishing touch' in the whole 'making
sure students have done things right at all times' process.
This follow-up should include: 1) helping students select
companies/organizations where basic ethical principles
are followed when applying for a jobto; 2) encouraging
ethical behaviour on the job and, 3) encouraging them to
be citizens who, through work, are seeking to contribute to
the economic and social development of the country, place
of residence and family. All of these are key aspects that will
help students become positive leaders in the tourism
sector while making a significant contribution to the
accomplishment of the UN purposes and principles
reflected in the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, ILO policy
papers and Millennium Development Goals.

References

This paper has been based on the author's experience and
reports of the UNWTO.TedQual auditors' visit to Higher
Tourism Education Institutions worldwide, after
interviewing Employers of the tourism sector, Faculty
Members, Students and Management team.




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Why submit yourself to the UNWTO-TEDQUAL Accreditation Process?
[Gu Huimin, Beijing International Studies University. Chris Ryan, University of Waikato.]




INTERVIEW
The School of Hospitality Management at Beijing                                  CR      You referred to 'process' earlier – what did you learn
International Studies University recently went through the                       from the process, and how did it differ from what you normally
process of accreditation for UNWTO.TedQual accreditation.                        do?
Professor Gu Huimin, Deputy Dean of the School of Tourism
Management and Director of the China Hospitality Industry                        GH         Well, as I said, usually in China there is a lot of emphasis
                                                                                 on the quality of provision, and of course that too was covered by
Research Centre at the university, was asked about the
                                                                                 who was our UNWTO.TedQual auditor. I have to say that the
United Nations World Tourism Organisation's accreditation
                                                                                 auditor did a very good job. Usually any inspection by the Chinese
process. Her replies to the questions posed by Chris Ryan                        authorities is a team so we expected more than one person would
are reproduced below.                                                            come to look at us, but the auditor was very thorough. A key issue
                                                                                 as I said was that of the process by which I mean the experience of
                                                                                 the students. It was not only a question of what they lean but also
CR       Why did you apply for UNWTO.TedQual?                                    how they learn, and how do we as teachers not only teach but
                                                                                 establish learning environments for the students. So we were
GH        We wanted to measure ourselves against international                   forced to look carefully at our curriculum and how not only did we as
best practice, and the United Nations World Tourism Organization                 staff relate to the wider industry, but also how we could use those
is also a very recognizable label by which others can judge us. We               relationships to help establish a better understanding on the part of
are highly regarded in China but it was important that we should                 the students. So this could involve different things, from the
obtain an internationally recognizable accreditation to complement               periods of internship in industry, to the use of industry examples in
our Chinese accreditations and recognitions. Indeed we found                     our teaching so that it was relevant, to the use of case studies. In
that there was a difference between what we were used to in China                that way our research activities are also important because it is a
and what was required of us by the UNWTO moderator. In China                     means by which we as teachers keep up to date, are cognizant of
the inspections are very much about 'supply' factors – that is how               governmental initiatives and industry movements and can pass
many computers do we have, how many classroom, what                              this to our students. I know this is important in most countries – but
standards of accommodation do we offer for the students, how                     it is especially important in China because things are changing so
many staff do we have and what qualifications do the staff have?                 very rapidly here.
With the UNWTO we had to look more carefully at the processes
we engage in.                                                                    CR         So, was the accreditation worthwhile?

CR       So, just how many people did you have involved in                       GH         To be honest, we are still waiting for the outcome as the
writing the submission for the accreditation?                                    auditor was here only about 6 weeks ago, and so we are still waiting
                                                                                 for the final result. I am confident we will gain accreditation, but the
GH        In total we have about 50 staff, and of these about 10 were            question is for how long. However, to answer your question, apart
engaged in the writing of the documentation with perhaps a smaller               from any 'prestige' that may be associated with the accreditation,
group being the core. We also involved two of our administrative                 and I won't pretend that is not important – because in gaining such
staff. Throughout the process we had meetings with all the staff so              recognition it places Beijing International Studies University's
they knew what was happening.                                                    programme alongside those of well- known and internationally
                                                                                 famous universities like Hong Kong and say your's too – but it was
                                                                                 an important learning process. I found it interesting also seeing a



                                                                                                                                                            22
UNWTO.TEDQUAL
                                                                        ASIA&THE PACIFIC
                                     World Tourism Organization
                                                                        MAGAZINE
                                                                         [first edition]




Why submit yourself to the UNWTO-TEDQUAL Accreditation Process?
[Gu Huimin, Beijing International Studies University. Chris Ryan, University of Waikato.]




INTERVIEW
western perspective or approach to education. Perhaps in China                   Note
as an university it is taken for granted that you know what you are
doing – perhaps that is why we primarily look at resources, but in               Beijing International Studies University (formerly Beijing
this process we had to say not only what processes we engage in                  Foreign Language University) is one of the major providers of
but also support it with evidence – for example, details of meetings             university level education in tourism and hospitality in China.
with industry, use of visiting speakers, examples of student work,               It has been providing such courses for nearly 40 years and has
evidence of discussion of curriculum, and that forced us to ask                  been at the forefront of such education in China for much of
some pretty basic questions about what we do and why we do it. So                this time. It courses are taught in English and its graduates
apart from anything else that was a good experience for us and so I              have gone on to achieve significant positions in the growing
can frankly say, yes – the accreditation was worthwhile even                     Chinese tourism industry and they are much sought by the
though it took a lot of work on our part, especially as we had to                industry keen to recruit knowledgeable young people.
change our mindset a little.                                                     Professor Gu has several roles apart from being a researcher
                                                                                 of note in China, and one of these is the assessments of hotels
                                                                                 for China's hotel star rating system.

                                                                                 In June 2011, The Bachelor in Tourism Management of the
                                                                                 Beijing International Studies University had obtained – for
                                                                                 the maximum number of years - The UNWTO.TedQual
                                                                                 Certification.




                                                                                                                                                   23
UNWTO.TedQual Magazine

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UNWTO.TedQual Magazine

  • 1. World Tourism Organization UNWTO.TEDQUAL ASIA&THE PACIFIC MAGAZINE [first edition] MAGAZINEINDEX 1 I 2 II 5 III 7 IV 9 V 12 VI 16 VII 19 22
  • 2. UNWTO.TEDQUAL ASIA&THE PACIFIC World Tourism Organization MAGAZINE [first edition] EDITORIAL In December 2010 Professor Douglas Pearce and his The idea of a news magazine devoted to the dissemination colleagues at Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand, of ideas of good teaching practice resulted from this wish, hosted a meeting of those Higher Tourism Education and the present editors were asked by Loreto Ibanez to Institutions accredited by the United Nations World implement this idea. The concentration on teaching Tourism Organization (UNWTO) under its UNWTO.TedQual practice was thought important because (a) it permitted a Programme. This meeting was specific to such institutions distinction and complementarity between this and the located in the Asia-pacific Region and thus there were existing newsletter generated on behalf of UNWTO by our representatives from Australia, India, Indonesia, P.R China, colleagues in Korea, (b) it continued the themes laid down and invited guests from New Zealand tourism related and by Professor Pearce and his colleagues and (c) it is governmental bodies. At that meeting Loreto Ibanez, consistent with a major theme of the UNWTO.TedQual UNWTO.TedQual Programme Manager, asked people what Programme. Hence this first edition! their expectations were from such an inaugural meeting, Naturally, conditions are never static, and as a UN and a variety of suggestions emanated as to what could specialized agency, UNWTO itself is undergoing changes as possibly be done. This exercise could be summarised as one it increasingly aligns its programmes with the purposes and of generally high aspirations but tempered by senses of principles of United Nations, and is working with other UN reality in terms of funding, time commitment and what Agencies to complement their work in areas of mutual might be achievable in the short term. interest, such as World Heritage Sites with UNESCO and making tourism more sustainable with UNEP. During and after this meeting it was determined that if genuine networks are to be established among those It is suspected that over time these will begin to challenge interested in the provision of tourism education, there our role as educators, and indeed some of those concerns needs to be a formalised albeit perhaps initially a minimal will come to be reflected in the newsletter. means of communication amongst the members of UNWTO TedQual Institutions that would retain a consciousness of the network and what might be achieved. The theme of the Victoria University Wellington Conference was best practice in teaching and, prior to departure, those present committed themselves to holding a second conference in late 2012, with the delegates from Indonesia wishing to host such a conference. The question was how communications might be sustained in the interim. Chris Ryan, Lisa Ruhanen, and Xu Honggang 1
  • 3. UNWTO.TEDQUAL ASIA&THE PACIFIC World Tourism Organization MAGAZINE [first edition] [Xu Honggang Sun Yat-Sen University, Guanzhou] Tourism higher education has been growing very rapidly For the past 3 years, over 200 undergraduate students have for the past thirty years in China. Today there are more than taken this approach and over 50 projects have been offered 300 higher education institutions which offer tourism to the students. These projects are divided into two types. programmes, ranging from the technical institutes to the One third of the projects are organized by faculty staff who research oriented universities such as Sen yat-sen have research or consultancy projects, such as the University and Zhejiang University. monitoring of sustainable tourism, a survey of a historical village, or surveys of the satisfaction of the hotel customers, There are advantages and challenges of placing the etc. Since the teaching staff in Sun Yat-sen University are tourism program within a research-oriented university. The under pressure to apply and win various research projects, major advantages lie in the fact that the students have it is possible for them to incorporate some of the developed good analytical and problem solving skills undergraduate students in their research or consulting through solid training. The great challenges lie in the efforts projects. Two thirds of such projects are funded by national that have to be made in balancing the practical and or provincial education committees and the university, theoretical components of learning in the course structure. such as the border heritage in the Greater Pearl River delta The conventional way of using the industrial placement to and the heritage conservation of Xiguan house. Having provide the practical component that has been inherited been trained quite extensively in research methods, the from countries like the USA and United Kingdom is not as students gain competitive advantages among their peers. effective in China because the interns are often treated as A tutor also provides assistance in the projects. Three cases employees without proper guidance from the industry and are presented here to illustrate the organization of the are given the same positions as vocational school interns projects. without the opportunity to demonstrate their own learning and skills. Thus it is not uncommon that satisfaction with Lucun heritage village study the industry actually declines after the period of internship. Lucun is a historical village close to the world heritage of After studying the strengths and challenges of internship Hungcun and Xidi village, each of which attracts 700 programmes, the School of Tourism Management, Sun Yat- thousand tourists every year. Some tourists have also Sen University decided to design research projects for the begun to explore the surrounding villages. Having seen the undergraduate students to bridge the link between tourism impacts in Hungcun and Xidi, the local industry practice and theoretical leaning through their government wanted to formulate conservation strategies participation in these projects and so develop further before large scale tourism development occurs. A team student enthusiasm and care about working in the tourism from Sun Yat-sen University was asked to help to identify sector. the heritage buildings and other cultural heritages in Lucun for the preparation of the conservation plan. So a team was organized that comprised three teachers (one from tourism and two from architecture), and four graduate and eight undergraduate students. 2
  • 4. UNWTO.TEDQUAL ASIA&THE PACIFIC World Tourism Organization MAGAZINE [first edition] [Xu Honggang Sun Yat-Sen University, Guanzhou] Many more than 8 students applied for the opportunity to The self-organized research project participate. They were selected based on their preparation for the exercise and every one had to present on what it was A study of brand management of traditional catering and on which they would like to focus. The task for the students outlets in Guangzhou was funded in 2010 from the National was to survey every household and interview the owners Educational Committee. Usually these projects can last one about their housing conditions and to understand the year. The research team was required to survey traditional factors which influence the maintenance of the heritage. catering in the historical center of Guangzhou and conduct The team stayed in the village for a week and documented the research on the brand value of these outlets and their the houses and the layout of the village in detail. Maps were cuisine. Seven undergraduate students were involved in also drawn to illustrate the conservation needed for the the projects. They interviewed the owners, customers, and houses. members of the government in order to understand the potential brand value of these traditional cuisines. Based on Yangshuo sustainable tourism monitoring the survey, they also provided suggestions to the owners and to the government on how to better promote the From 2005, Sun Yat-sen University has established culture of traditional catering and to effectively conserve collaboration with the World Tourism Organization in these businesses. Their reports were delivered to the setting up a sustainable tourism monitoring programme. A government and the catering establishments involved in monitoring station was established in Yangshuo Yulong the project. scenic area. Every year, in the summer time, students are Some feedback has been collected to review the results of organized and trained to participate in the monitoring these research projects. The motivations for the students to programme. The monitoring project usually takes one participate are: 1) to gain the capacity to deal with the week. Students were asked to work with the communities practical issues, 2) to broaden their vision and knowledge of and other stakeholders to review the social, economic and the tourism industry, and 3) to apply the theories learned in environmental changes for the past year and identify the the classrooms to analyze real world problems. Students emerging major issues. Based on the survey, the students pointed out that they had indeed improved their submitted reports on the social, economic and understanding of knowledge gained from the class. They environmental status of Yangshuo and summarize the also developed capacities to identify real world problems short term and long term change. These reports are and apply appropriate theories to solve these problems. provided and local community for publicity. Another important gain is to develop capacities to work with the research team and various stakeholders in this process. However, they also pointed out some issues about the research funded projects. For example, due to the lack of requirements of a strict time framework, students are often more enthusiastic at the beginning of the project but find it difficult to sustain their enthusiasm throughout the project if the project lasts for more than one year. 3
  • 5. UNWTO.TEDQUAL ASIA&THE PACIFIC World Tourism Organization MAGAZINE [first edition] [Xu Honggang Sun Yat-Sen University, Guanzhou] A review process was conducted in 2011 to evaluate the outcomes of the undergraduate student research projects. It was found that a proper management of the project is crucial to be effective. Good guidance from the faculty, a mixture of the graduate and undergraduate students in a team and a proper time framework are necessary to improve the outcomes. However the research projects have increased faculty's workload and there is also uncertainty as to whether there [ Students conducting interviews in Lucun Heritage Village] are enough projects contracted to the school to meet the needs of all students. As a project, major efforts have been made between the School and tourism destinations to develop a long term partnership. Longitudinal research can provide better service to the local stakeholders, reduce the workload for the faculty to find and organize such projects and increase the possibility for the faculty to publish the research outcomes in academic journals. [ Students at work in Yangshuo] 4
  • 6. UNWTO.TEDQUAL ASIA&THE PACIFIC World Tourism Organization MAGAZINE [first edition] II Tourism Industry-Academe Partnerships: Opportunities and Challenges [Dr Lisa Ruhanen, Dr Noreen Breakey & Mr Richard Robinson School of Tourism, The University of Queensland] Amongst tourism and hospitality tertiary degree programs, For TRIP 2009, sixteen students were competitively internships are a reasonably common feature. This is selected and placed in one of two south-east Queensland because internships provide students with valuable host destinations over the mid-semester break for 10 days. practical work experiences, linking theoretical knowledge The 2009 iteration of the program had two discrete through practice, and improving students' ability to enter components. Firstly, students were placed with a rotation the workforce 'industry ready'. For the industry hosts, of industry operators in the respective destinations and educators and education institutions, internships can during this time participated in the more 'traditional' enhance relationships and strengthen strategic and internship or work experience common in many tourism collaborative networks. It is within this context that the and hospitality programs. To support the learning School of Tourism at The University of Queensland (UQSoT) outcomes of the internship, the students were required to developed the Tourism Regional Immersion Program complete a journal-style workbook, providing reflective (TRIP). This 'destination immersion experience' was entries on their experiences in the region. Secondly, the designed to provide an opportunity for students to live, students in each of the destinations undertook a strategic work and interact with the broader community in a research project nominated by the host region which was regional tourism destination. delivered at a Knowledge Exchange Workshop several weeks after the internship period. Mindful of the importance of internships for student learning and the opportunities such programmes In 2010 however, based on feedback from the students, represent for industry and the institution, a re-designed industry and participating School of Tourism faculty, the professional development course for final year TRIP model was further revised and instead only undergraduate tourism, hospitality and event students incorporated the research project component. Other undertaking UQSoT's Bachelor of International Hotel and elements such as the destination immersion (living and Tourism Management (BIHTM) was first introduced in 2009. working in the destination) remained. TRIP 2010 was TRIP is one of four work-integrated learning (WIL) options in delivered in partnership with five regional destinations in the professional development course and is considered south-east Queensland. Another notable change was the innovative in terms of providing an alternative to a decision to reduce the time in region to 5 days and to make traditional internship or work experience program where a mutually beneficial destination-driven research project students are placed with a single host business for a the focal point of TRIP. It was also decided to reduce the specified period of time. However, the TRIP model has had student group size from eight to no more than five per several evolutions in its short history. destination and mandate that the projects be completed within the five day internship period. This reconciled the interests of all parties. Lobbying destination hosts to participate in TRIP focused on identifying a suitable project, and the capacity and willingness of the host to provide accommodation and transfers for the students and resource the project requirements. 5
  • 7. UNWTO.TEDQUAL ASIA&THE PACIFIC World Tourism Organization MAGAZINE [first edition] II Tourism Industry-Academe Partnerships: Opportunities and Challenges [Dr Lisa Ruhanen, Dr Noreen Breakey & Mr Richard Robinson School of Tourism, The University of Queensland] Across the five TRIP projects for 2010 there was The immersion-style model remains, although arguably considerable diversity which reflects that of the tourism there are pressures on the length of time the students industry. As such, the requirements from the destination, spend on TRIP with a significant reduction between 2009 the dates the students completed their internships, and the and 2010; this has some practical advantages for all r e s o u r c e s r e q u i r e d v a r i e d t r e m e n d o u s l y. S i n c e stakeholders but arguably does place constraints on the expectations from all parties were high, UQSoT decided to program. Importantly though, the immersion approach again competitively select TRIP student candidates can assist in the development of relationships, both through a combination of a written proposal and between students and also with the local community of the participation in an interview. Once students were selected host destination. This is considered an important aspect if and groups had been formed, the students were invited to the knowledge exchange component of the program is to scope their destination projects, collect resources and do be successful. At this stage the TRIP team continue to preliminary research before contacting the destination evaluate and assess the most appropriate and sustainable hosts to organize a pre-internship familiarization. These TRIP model. occurred at various times before the students finally went in region during their September mid-semester break. All the TRIP placements occurred as planned during the September mid-semester break. However, some unanticipated events transpired which suggest the program is leaving a legacy. Two destinations, invited their TRIP groups back to present their project findings to council and industry stakeholders within their region and UQSoT sponsored a south-east Queensland tourism industry conference with the express purpose of showcasing TRIP and its destination hosts. The TRIP model is constantly evolving and shifting, as the TRIP team look for a 'sustainable' model. Obviously there is considerable commitment from the School, participating faculty members, industry hosts and of course the students. As such, as noted above, changes were instigated following the 2009 iteration to make the program more manageable. From our experience in 2009 it was found that the industry valued the research project very highly and this aspect was the focus of the 2010 TRIP process and will again be the focus of the 2011 iteration of the program. 6
  • 8. UNWTO.TEDQUAL ASIA&THE PACIFIC World Tourism Organization MAGAZINE [first edition] III The Job-Search and Promotion-Seeking Stategies of Tourism Graduates at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. [Adam Weaver,Victoria University Wellington] From Anxiety to Action When speaking with university students about their Methods and Key Findings studies, one becomes acquainted with some of their anxieties the same anxieties that their university The main findings of this study emerged as the author instructors may have had when they were students. interviewed twenty-one recent graduates of the degree, Students are typically concerned about courses that Bachelor of Tourism Management (BTM). These graduates address concepts they find difficult to grasp, assignment had full-time jobs within the tourism industry in New deadlines that are ominously close, and the way end-of- Zealand. Recent graduates were considered to be term examinations come ever nearer. These anxieties are graduates who had received their BTM (their only university often accompanied by others that are probably more degree) within five years of the research interview. The central to students' thoughts once classes have ended; interviews were conducted over the course of a year, from assignments that have yet to be submitted, and April 2007 to April 2008. An examination of job-search and examinations to be written: and after that issues of finding promotion-seeking strategies of BTM graduates had not jobs after graduation and forging a satisfying career path. been the original focus of the research. The main purpose The search for work and the pursuit of promotions by recent of the interviews was to explore graduates' perceptions of graduates of a tourism management programme are the jobs in New Zealand's tourism industry (Weaver, 2009). subject of this article as well as a longer contribution to an However, the final section of the interview schedule academic journal (Weaver, 2011). addressed the topics of job search and the pursuit of promotions. Graduates, often without much prompting, In response to their desire for (and anxieties about) work spoke in some detail about the techniques they used and and career advancement, some recent graduates tried to ones they would recommend to students about to take certain matters into their own hands. They exercised complete the BTM. human agency and sought to market their capabilities to targeted audiences in enterprising ways. This A key finding of this research project was that graduates entrepreneurialism of the self is arguably a function of use forms of emotional labour to advance their interests. broader socio-cultural shifts within New Zealand, and Many graduates of university tourism programmes use probably in many Western countries, since the 1970s and emotional labour when they work in the tourism industry. 1980s. Taking initiative, demonstrating a degree of They project certain emotions as an essential part of their boldness, and effectively promoting one's own personal jobs, especially when interacting with customers achievements or potential are seen as increasingly (Hochschild, 1983). Emotional labour, however, is not prominent features of successful people. Graduates of simply performed to satisfy one's work requirements. For Victoria University of Wellington's Bachelor of Tourism example, graduates use and recommend sociable labour Management (BTM) programme seem to approach their as a means to search for jobs. nascent careers as if they were a business venture. They attempt to self-market their availability and suitability for jobs, and they appear to deploy strategy in particular, when seeking more advanced positions within the tourism industry. 7
  • 9. UNWTO.TEDQUAL ASIA&THE PACIFIC World Tourism Organization MAGAZINE [first edition] III The Job-Search and Promotion-Seeking Stategies of Tourism Graduates at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. [Adam Weaver,Victoria University Wellington] They seek opportunities to interact with prospective As well, faculty members could pay a visit to their employers. Networking was a crucial dimension of their university's student employment centre to discover the efforts to find jobs. This networking may, for instance, take ways in which their institution is trying to prepare students place at industry-related functions. Once graduates found for the world of work. work, they were eager to secure promotions. Promotions were seen as a reward for dedicated service and The findings discussed in this article need some exceptional workplace performance. In order to improve qualification. Only the views of recent graduates were their chances of promotion, graduates worked in a sought. The perspectives of employers would be worth demonstrative fashion ( demonstrative labour ) so that obtaining as they are the intended targets of the sociable their managers would notice their achievements. and demonstrative labour used by graduates. In fact, Emotional labour is required of many graduates who work employers may see certain types of sociable and in the tourism industry, but it is also apparent that they demonstrative labour as bothersome. Perhaps these forms deploy types of emotional labour (sociable and of labour, when they are effective, involve subtleties related demonstrative labour) for their own purposes. Sociable to timing, tact, and tone that employers could help to and demonstrative labour are consistent with the notion of identify and describe. An underside to demonstrative an entrepreneurial culture: individuals (the graduates) labour was noted by a post-graduate student with industry acting as if they are one-person firms and marketing their experience who read the study's findings: working in a way own talents to customers (in this case, potential employers that gets one noticed (working demonstratively) could or current managers). involve sabotaging one's rivals so they appear incompetent compared to oneself in the eyes of managers. He was a Implications, Caveats, and Concluding Thoughts witness to such sabotage. The nature of demonstrative labour in the workplace raises certain ethical issues that The study's findings have potential implications for tourism could be the subject of some intellectually rewarding, and programmes at tertiary education providers such as relevant, class discussion. universities. There is scope for faculty members and current students to reflect upon the skills emphasized References within their academic programme. Both sociable and demonstrative labour require sound communication skills Hochschild, A. (1983). The managed heart: Commercialization of human feeling. Berkeley, CA: University of California. and confidence in one's own abilities. It would perhaps be worthwhile for current tourism students to hear from Weaver, A. (2009). Perceptions of job quality in the tourism industry: The views of recent graduates of a university's tourism management recent graduates about their job- and promotion-seeking programme. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality experiences both positive and negative. Faculty Management, 21(5), 579-593. members could organize seminars or functions where Weaver, A. (2011). Pursing jobs and promotions: University graduates in recent graduates share their trials and tribulations with tourism as enterprising self-marketers. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism, 10(1), 80-95. students. ) 8
  • 10. UNWTO.TEDQUAL ASIA&THE PACIFIC World Tourism Organization MAGAZINE [first edition] IV Breaching the Research-Teaching Divide. [Anne L. Zahra, University of Waikato, New Zealand] From my personal experience and from observations and There are a number of dimensions to the interconnection of discussions with colleagues, academic staff tend to teaching and research. Figure One shows a two compartmentalise their teaching and research functions. dimensional representation that I will use to structure part Universities in their promotion processes tend to place of this reflection. greater weighting to the quantity and quality of research Generally universities compared to higher technical outputs in comparison to teaching quality and innovation. institutions have always given importance to research-led This is further exacerbated by university sector research teaching ( Zamorski, 2002 ) whereby the teaching content performance evaluation exercises in which some of undergraduate and postgraduate courses is informed by developed countries have engaged over the last twenty the personal research of the lecturer. For the tourism field years ( Hall, 2010; Tribe, 2003 ) . Empirical studies support this is not as easy as it seems, as our research can be in a very specialised subject area, yet we are required to teach broad the claim being made that there is a dichotomy between multidisciplinary content in undergraduate and sometimes teaching and research in higher education institutions even in postgraduate courses ( Kinchin & Hay, 2007 ) . A (Clark, 1991; Hattie & Marsh, 1996; Ramsden & Moses, 1992). personal example is that one of my research subject areas There has long been a call to breach this teaching-research over the last few years has been volunteer tourism and I divide (Marsh & Hattie, 2002; Trowler & Wareham, 2007) yet have never been able to incorporate this research in any of the challenge still remains on how to support academic the courses I have taught. Yet, despite the difficulties staff to better align their teaching and research functions. In sometimes encountered for the tourism subject area, this reflective article I will share my experience of how I have research-led teaching for most of us is the major conduit to tried to align my teaching and research roles as a way of align research and teaching. resolving this polarisation. One criterion in determining the quality of a tourism and hospitality degree can be the extent to which research informed assessments are used to meet degree objectives, such as analytical skills, problem solving and critical thinking. Although very beneficial to students, under- graduate research informed assessments rarely contribute to furthering the research agenda of academic staff unless it is a new research subject area for the lecturer. At the post- graduate level specialised topics for research assessments can on occasions aid the lecturer in either keeping abreast with the research literature or lead to the discovery of new literature and insights. However it is my experience that you cannot rely on this as it dependent on the few high achieving students you have and it only happens from time to time. only limited experience in teaching research methodology papers and therefore I cannot share any experiences in this regard. 9
  • 11. UNWTO.TEDQUAL ASIA&THE PACIFIC World Tourism Organization MAGAZINE [first edition] IV Breaching the Research-Teaching Divide. [Anne L. Zahra, University of Waikato, New Zealand] Rresearch orientated teaching is introducing students to To progress conference papers to journal publications the knowledge construction process of research or what is usually requires time and work on behalf of the academic commonly known as the research process. Students are ( Locke & Zahra, 2011) but this time and effort is clearly an taught how to undertake research. This is commonly taught alignment of teaching and research. The question often in either of two ways: in a purely theoretical manner, arises of who should be the first author when academics describing the research process, or in a practical way publish with their students? In post-graduate research whereby students undertake small or large practical 'conversations'/seminars I have attended at the University research assessment tasks or a combination of both the of Waikato it seems that common practice is that the first theory and the practice of research. The practice of research author should be the person who came up with the generally entails some form of data collection, data analysis research topic and who did most of the work, which in my and reporting of the findings. The practice of research can case for the conference papers was the student. It is also either be quantitative or qualitative research. The practice considered good research protocol and a contribution to of quantitative research at the postgraduate level can the research environment for the senior researcher to sometimes lead to a research publication if the right encourage and foster the junior researcher to take the lead research question had been asked, if the sample size is wherever possible. In my view developing future adequate, if there is a robust research methodology and if researchers is also a teaching function, once again an the publication addresses a gap in the literature. It is very alignment of the teaching and research functions. difficult for a research methodology paper to deliver all of the above, but an experienced researcher can attain this There is still two more ways of aligning research and with careful planning and a good knowledge of the teaching that are not represented in Figure One - research literature. I am not an experienced researcher and I have outputs from teaching practice ( Zahra, 2008, 2009, 2010 ) The fourth and final quadrant in Figure One is research- and the scholarship of teaching and learning with students based teaching assessments. This is where students as potential co-enquirers and co-researchers thought the themselves undertake enquiry-based learning. There are learning process. However it is beyond the scope of this many similarities between research-orientated teaching short article to discuss these options. They can be dealt with and research-based teaching. However the chief distinction in future issue of this publication. is that for the latter the students are the main drivers of the research project and in many instances generate the research topic. Research outputs from research-based teaching are very dependent on the quality of the student (generally post-graduate students) and the nature of the topic. From my experience conference research publications are very achievable from research based teaching ( McArthur & Zahra, 2009; Song & Zahra, 2009; Zahra & McFarlane, 2009 ). 10
  • 12. UNWTO.TEDQUAL ASIA&THE PACIFIC World Tourism Organization MAGAZINE [first edition] IV Breaching the Research-Teaching Divide. [Anne L. Zahra, University of Waikato, New Zealand] lark, B. R. (1991). The Fragmentatio nof res earch, teachi ng and study: An explorative essay. InM . A. Trow & T. Nybom (Eds.), University and Society: Essays on the so cial rol e of research and hig her edu cati on (pp. 101-111). London: Jessic a Ki ngsley Publishers. Hall, C. M. (2010). Pu blis hor perish? Bi bliometric analysis, jou rnal ranking an d the ass es sment of researc hquality in Tou rism. Tou rism Management, 32(1), 16-27. Hattie, J., & Marsh, H. W. (1996). The relationship between research and teaching: A meta-an al ys is. Review of Educ ational Research, 66(4), 507 -542. Kinchi n, I., & Hay, D. (2007). The myth of the res earc h-led teacher. T eac hers an d teaching: Theo ry and practice, 13(1), 43-61. Locke, M ., & Zahra, A. L. (2011). Are medi a reports represtentative of host community support for meg a events? The c ase of Sydney World You th Day 2008. . Event Management, 15(3), In press. Marsh, H. W., & Hattie, J. (2002). The Relati onBetween Rese arch Productivity and Teaching Effec ti venes s: Complementary, Antag onistic , or Independent Cons tru cts? The Jou rnal of Hi gher Education, 73(5 ), 603- 641. McArthur, M., & Zahra, A. (2009). How do es the H amilton 400 V8 Event impac t on the hospi tali ty sector. Pap er presented at the I nternational Hospital ity Conference, Tau ran ga, New Z ealan d. 15-17 November. Rams den, P., & Mos es , I. (1992). Asso ciations between research and tea ching in Australian Higher Education. Higher Education, 23 (3), 273-2 95. Song , X., & Zahra, A. (20 09). International Hospitality Conference. Paper presented at the International Hospitality Conference, Taurang a, New Zealand. 15-17 November Tribe, J. (200 3). The RAE-ification of touri smresearch in the UK. Internati onal Journal of Touris mResearch, 5(5), 225-234. Trowler, P., & Wareham, T. (2007). Re-conceptualis ing the teaching-research nexus Retrieved 30/9/2010, 2010, from www.portal-l ive.so lent.ac.uk Zahra, A. (2008). Empi ri cal evidence of learning journal s as a formo f assessment. Pap er presented at the 18 th Internati onal Researc hC onference of the Cou ncil for Au stral ian Uni versity To urism and Hospitality Education, Gold Coast, Australia. Febru ary 10-13 . Zahra, A. (2009). Langu ag e and cu ltural c onsiderations when implementing innovati ve approaches to assessments: Reflective learning journals and the perc eption of non-Eng lish speaking stu dents. Jo urnal o f Tourism and Hospitality Educ ati on, 21(3), 54-59. Zahra, A. (2010). Learning jou rnals as a form of assessment in a hospi tali ty context. Paper presented at the CHME 19 th Annu al Resear ch Conference, Surry, UK. May 5-6. 11
  • 13. UNWTO.TEDQUAL ASIA&THE PACIFIC World Tourism Organization MAGAZINE [first edition] V Building Capacities at the Frontline: UNESCO Cultural Heritage Specialist Guide Programme for Asia-Pacific. [Chin-Ee Ong, Heritage Studies Centre, Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao,] 12
  • 14. UNWTO.TEDQUAL ASIA&THE PACIFIC World Tourism Organization MAGAZINE [first edition] V Building Capacities at the Frontline: UNESCO Cultural Heritage Specialist Guide Programme for Asia-Pacific. [Chin-Ee Ong, Heritage Studies Centre, Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao,] Boasting a CV that includes re-opening the UNESCO Office The provision of economic benefits and meaningful in Cambodia during the transitory and still turbulent times employment at World Heritage sites, the programme in the early 1990s and directing the international effort to argues, need not derive from the selling of standardised safeguard the Angkor Monuments, Sir Richard (the title merchandises in shopping malls. Between 2005 and 2010, Commandeur de l'Ordre Royal du Cambodge was Professor Engelhardt's team from UNESCO Bangkok and bestowed upon Professor Engelhardt by His Majesty King The Heritage Studies Centre of The Institute for Tourism Norodom Sihanouk) has witnessed much on the a frontline Studies, Macao, with the help of Architectural Conservation of heritage conservation from countering Khmer Rouge Programme at The University of Hong Kong and an cultural violence to combatting 'tomb-raiding' poachers international board of advisors, supported by seed funding and smugglers. Today, the internationally-recognised from the Asian Development Bank, conceptualised and heritage expert is wary of other forms of 'violence'. The conducted catalytic train-the-trainer workshops in former UNESCO Regional Advisor for Culture explained, fourteen locations in Asia. 'today, we see so much commercialisation happening in and around many World Heritage sites because local Professionalising and improving the image and expertise of communities and businesses do not understand the tour guides and interpretation is seen as a route to advance fundamental, underlying values of these sites and economic and other benefits for communities at World mistakenly believe their only value is as a mass market Heritage sites. In addition to prompting better salaries for consumer products'. The result is the overly-simplistic specialised and better-trained guides, the programme also deployment of World Heritage sites as mere tourist hopes to create Gianna Moscardo's 'mindful visitors' at magnets and the ringing of heritage sites with shopping Asia's World Heritage sites through better quality malls and other forms of commercial and recreational interpretation that both engages and informs visitors of the aimed at the mass market. heritage values of the sites they are visiting. [Figure 2: Playful postmodern tourists at Angkor? The need [Figure 3: Group package tourists climbing scared and to create more mindful visitation at World Heritage sites fragile temples of Angkor. *Source: Author, 2008*] *Source: Author, 2008*] 13
  • 15. UNWTO.TEDQUAL ASIA&THE PACIFIC World Tourism Organization MAGAZINE [first edition] V Building Capacities at the Frontline: UNESCO Cultural Heritage Specialist Guide Programme for Asia-Pacific. [Chin-Ee Ong, Heritage Studies Centre, Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao,] Places, not mere attractions Launched by UNESCO-ICCROM Asian Academy of Heritage Management (AAHM) in 2005 after a UNESCO- Attractions is a word tourism marketers like to use but commissioned study conducted by Institute for Tourism these are places we are dealing with. People live in and Studies, Macao in 2004 revealed poor visitor satisfaction around heritage sites and many of these people benefit with guiding and interpretation in World Heritage sites in little from mass tourism but have to cope with mass Asia, the programme is also a response to concerns of tourism's many negative impacts , explained Dr Sharif potential impacts of mass tourism at World Heritage sites in Shams Imon, lead author and trainer of the programme and Asia. In the programme, instructors seek to steer tour Director of The Heritage Studies Centre, Institute for guides' gazes towards seeing World Heritage sites are seen Tourism Studies, Macao. A conservation architect by as lived-in places and not just tourism attractions. Unlike training and a consultant to International Council on cultural heritage management strategies that focus on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), Dr Imon is critical of the carrying-capacity, engineering and architectural and ways in which unguided visitation and unchecked rise in economic aspects of visitation, engaging and lively mass tourism is benefiting preservation of the World interpretation of heritage resources based on their heritage Heritage places and the livelihoods of their communities. values is seen by UNESCO and AAHM as an important More tourists do not always mean better tourism. We have strategy in protecting heritage places and enriching visitor to look at how tourists experience the sites and how their experiences. This programme seeks to improve the visitations create better employment for people in the experience of visitors and protection of cultural heritage communities . resources and communities at UNESCO World Heritage sites by improving and professionalising interpretation and [Figure 4: UNESCO Cultural Heritage Specialist Guiding guiding. It seeks to complement existing local and national in Training at Champasak, Laos. frameworks for tour guide certification and training by *Source: Imon, 2007*] providing expert training for motivated licensed guides wishing to specialise in World Heritage guiding. Capacity-building from Macao to India UNESCO Project Officer Ms Montira Horayangura Unakul stressed the catalytic function the programme seeks to achieve through its numerous strategically placed regional train-the-trainer workshops: Through the conduct of these regional train-the-trainer workshops, we hope to create lead trainers capable of conducting training in their own countries and nurturing their own sets of specialist guides. This programme also aims at building upon and complementing existing certification and licensing systems for tour guiding within the respective national frameworks. 14
  • 16. UNWTO.TEDQUAL ASIA&THE PACIFIC World Tourism Organization MAGAZINE [first edition] V Building Capacities at the Frontline: UNESCO Cultural Heritage Specialist Guide Programme for Asia-Pacific. [Chin-Ee Ong, Heritage Studies Centre, Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao,] An architect by professional training, Ms Unakul revealed Faculty members in IFT helped develop the training that the programme seeks to ignite capacities for: manuals for the programme in English. Today, the main manual has been translated into at least six other 1. providing accredited guides the opportunity to languages (simplified and traditional Chinese, Bahasa strengthen their skills in interpreting heritage sites, Indonesia, Khmer, Lao, Thai and Vietnamese) and used in with an emphasis on World Heritage Sites training workshops in Asia-Pacific. A complementary 2. enhancing the educational experience of visitors manual for site managers was also written in 2007 under (both local and international), leading to longer the endorsement of United Nations Economic and Social stays and repeat visitation Commission for Asia and the Pacific. As part of the 3. contributing to the sustainable safeguarding of programme and as the regional focal point of AAHM, IFT UNESCO World Heritage sites by educating visitors faculty members have so far conducted train-the trainer about conservation issues and advocating codes of workshops in Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, responsible conduct Thailand and Vietnam and trained academics, government 4. benefiting local communities by promoting their officials and professionals from fourteen countries. From role as hosts and active participants in the cultural the later part of 2007, the UNESCO New Delhi office tourism brought the programme into India and furthered the 5. improving career prospects for accredited guides. programme by introducing sophisticated thematic modules on specialist topics such as Buddhism and This training and certification programme is being Vijayanagara Art, Architecture and History. implemented through active partnerships between members of AAHM, training institutions from the UNESCAP Asia Pacific Education and Training Institutes in Tourism [Figure 5: Learning about heritage conservation (APETIT) network and National Tourism Organizations in Hoi An shophouses, Vietnam. (NTOs), with the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) serving *Source: Author, 2007*] as the Knowledge Management Hub and UNESCO providing technical advisory. In 2007, the programme was commended in the 31st Session of the World Heritage Committee meeting in Christchurch: a best-practice example of an initiative aiming at integrating the conservation of World Heritage within the wider sustainable development framework for the benefit of local communities . 15
  • 17. UNWTO.TEDQUAL ASIA&THE PACIFIC World Tourism Organization MAGAZINE [first edition] VI [Kaye Chon and Chris Ryan] Historically a distinction was made between a 'polytechnic' This tension between the applied and the theoretical is and 'university' - the former being more oriented toward obviously applicable to the hospitality industry. Hotel vocational education and the latter concerned with groups expect graduates to emerge with strong intellectual endeavour for the sake of generating new managerial skills within the context of operational and concepts and understandings. The one was applied and the strategic management. Front of house operations, second theoretical. However, starting arguably in the restaurant management, food operations, yield 1960s, governments around the world commenced management, hotel and room design and many other increasing the provision of university places in the belief features are all part of the standard curriculum for many that future economic success would be dependent on the hotel schools. Yet like many universities, HK PolyU would existence of a well trained university core of young people wish its teaching to be research led, and in a world where so able to meet the challenges of technological and other much more selling is done via the internet, where challenges becoming apparent as the world moved into environmental management systems are increasingly the second half of the twentieth century. It seems now allied to knowledge management systems, staff almost impossible to believe that in a country like the participation in human resource management systems United Kingdom that the number of university students and where all are entwined in emergent notions of was little more than 60,000 in the 1950s - today that would corporate socially responsible management the issues be the equivalent of just three moderately sized are not simply what to research, but the context within universities. which they are taught to students. By the 1980s it became increasingly apparent that the The context also refers to the physical space and many models of 30 years earlier were inappropriate in many ways. universities and hotel schools operate training restaurants Small tutorial groups began to disappear under financial and have students spend periods of time in hotel pressures, universities were expected to be more aware of internships so that students acquire the practical context employer needs, and the distinction between the applied within which to make sense of their class room knowledge. and the theoretical soon buckled under the realisation that The question posed to Hong Kong PolyU staff was whether good practice informs theoretical formation and equally a closer symbiotic relationship between classroom and theory informs better practice. In some countries former practical context could not be achieved. The answer has polytechnics became universities and attained the title of now a glass and steel physical presence at Hong Kong university even as the nature of what was being taught PolyU called Hotel ICON at a building cost US$170 million, changed in both traditional and new universities. Some which houses not only the staff and students of the universities such as Virginia Tech proudly proclaimed the university but operates daily as a hotel. applied within their titles, and Hong Kong Polytechnic University is another. 16
  • 18. UNWTO.TEDQUAL ASIA&THE PACIFIC World Tourism Organization MAGAZINE [first edition] VI [Kaye Chon and Chris Ryan] As a hotel, Hotel ICON has 262 deluxe rooms and suites, In addition to a training restaurant Hong Kong PolyU has three F&B outlets, a 300-seat Silver Box ballroom, a looked at best practice from other parts of the university conference centre, a swimming pool and a harbour-facing system in Asia such as National Kaoshiung University of fitness centre. The hotel also features a spa managed by the Hotel and Tourism Management's wine and viticulture noted resort and spa company, Banyan Tree. In accordance testing rooms, and has installed the 'Vinoteca Lab' that with the concept that teaching should be research driven offers students opportunities to not only talk about but to and practical there exist three dedicated "prototype actually practice and learn about the best means of keeping guestrooms" used primarily for research and innovation wines and of course, eventually serving them. It is expected which have now been in use since 2010. Each of these three this will be a popular class! prototype guestrooms have been developed according to its respective theme, namely design," "technology" and As noted, all of this has meant a challenge to staff to revise "well being." While tailor making experiences for guests, the their curriculum and teaching methods. Professor Chon prototype guestrooms also allows further research into and has stated that 'As Hotel ICON will have to serve the the application of advanced concepts in hotel teaching needs of the School, we have already undergone management fashioned to make possible a more the strenuous process of revising the course syllabi of more sustainable future. This opens up a new mode of teaching than 40 courses so as to facilitate and ensure a full Hotel and (and challenge) for teaching staff. It is permitting the School integration'. The School has integrated Hotel ICON development of ideas by students and staff in components into a number of cutting-edge research projects including such as room design, the use of sustainable materials, how Hotel Customer Behaviour Studies and Environmental rooms may better incorporate sustainable engineering Management in Hospitality Industry in addition to the features, and the use of integrated IT systems to better meet active internship programme for students and ensuring the the clients' need of a seamless transition between a hotel's facilities are subsumed into the daily teaching and television entertainment medium that also uses internet experience of the students. facilities for business purposes. It is also offering opportunities for experimentation in price/facility Hotel ICON is fully owned and operated by PolyU's provision alternatives all of which can be tested on actual subsidiary "Hotel ICON Company Limited". About 300 full- guests. time employees are currently working in the Hotel supported by some 100 students of the School who will Modern hotel management education also requires hands have their periods of internship within the hotel. The on experience with new managerial and analytical software General Manager, Richard Hatter, has 25 years of that aids the profitable running of a hotel. Like other international experience in the hospitality industry universities (for example Beijing International Studies including past positions as General Manager and Director of University) a state of the art Samsung Digital Lab for the Shangri-La Group's Asia region covering Hong Kong, Hospitality Technology supported by the company has Mainland China, Singapore and Indonesia. been installed. 17
  • 19. UNWTO.TEDQUAL ASIA&THE PACIFIC World Tourism Organization MAGAZINE [first edition] VI [Kaye Chon and Chris Ryan] The purpose behind the development is to ensure that students will have the best possible opportunity to combine the theoretical and practical with the environment of a working hotel a hotel with professional staff and guests a hotel where the students' decisions may well influence guest experience! Of course, students will not be immediately exposed to the risks of making poor decisions, but by the time they are in that position the aim is that they will be assured in their decision making, professional in their dealings with guests, and laying the foundations of a long career in the industry. 18
  • 20. UNWTO.TEDQUAL ASIA&THE PACIFIC World Tourism Organization MAGAZINE [first edition] VII Higher Tourism Education: Guiding students and graduates to make things right at all times. [Loreto Ibañez Castillo, UNWTO. TEDQUAL Programme Manager] Ethics is never forgotten in the definition and development This article seeks to share worldwide experiences on this of any higher tourism education programme; and no one - matter, by analyzing the key moments within the definition neither management, faculty, students nor future and implementation of the programme that could employers - disagrees on its importance. But a real contribute to guiding students towards making things commitment to go beyond the classic approach of right at all times. delivering and learning the concepts to focus on guiding students and graduates to make things right at all times, is The development of the programme building perhaps a less developed issue. expectations. How many students might have finished their studies The development of a programme's vision, mission and aim as an automaton, knowing that this is not what and its subsequent dissemination to potential students is they really want to do with their lives? And how many perhaps the first moment when students' expectations Institutions/Programmes have not invested much time in about their professional future start to be built; however, it encouraging their students to pay attention to whether is also when, for the first time, gaps between these they have chosen the right career, in order not to lose expectations and reality start to appear. students? Equally, employers are now increasingly focusing on But why is this happening? Could it be that that sometimes selecting those students who feel a passion for what they information seems to be 'overwritten' for commercial have studied and are ready to continue learning, so purposes or are there other reasons behind it all? students who have solely focused on obtaining good grades might not obtain the expected results while looking There are several answers to this question. The for a job. 'commercial' reasoning seems to be one of the main ones, but in many cases the gaps are due to other deeper reasons. On the other hand, Institutions/Programmes have the hard Often, those defining the three key elements of the task to recruit students every year; and of having to programme - vision, mission and aim - are not directly constantly prove to the industry, the potential students, the connected to the tourism sector on a day-today basis, or market and the competitors that their reputation and the have written about these elements in a generic way by employment rate of graduate students are justifiably high. using a fixed recipe that could in theory be applied to any tourism programme but which, in reality, implies the loss of But what happens when students are not happy with what an opportunity to integrate the views of management, they have studied, and in most cases with their work? students, faculty and the future employers in its definition Would it have been better to encourage students to stop and implementation right from the very beginning of the and think about whether they should discontinue their conceptualization, therefore leading to increasing the present studies if it is not what they are looking for or want probabilities that the programme will not to be connected to do as a job in the future? to reality, and consequently, building expectations in the students which might not be realistic. 19
  • 21. UNWTO.TEDQUAL ASIA&THE PACIFIC World Tourism Organization MAGAZINE VII Higher Tourism Education: Guiding students and graduates to make things right at all times. [Loreto Ibañez Castillo, UNWTO. TEDQUAL Programme Manager] Admission and induction process In most programmes, interaction with future employers is available either through internships or thanks to a strategy The second crucial moment that contributes to students where the sector directly participates in the programme as making the right decision concerning their future is the faculty members. However a closer approach that could admission and induction process, at which point students generate other types of interaction such as inviting expect to feel identified with their choice of study. faculty, students and employers to create a common Nevertheless, this feeling is not always fulfilled. The project is not frequently implemented, although it could admission process might not depend directly on the work towards obtaining the employers' commitment to Institution but on intermediaries and the induction process safeguard the students' future as well as encouraging is sometimes considered more of a second marketing commitment on behalf of students and faculty to respond opportunity for the Institution, rather than an opportunity and consider the needs of these future employers as part of to share both success and non-success stories with new the Programme. students as both of these would help the student realize and decide whether the choice is correct. And we find this situation again in the connection students should have with day-to-day reality. This connection at As a result, students usually finish building their initial local, national and international levels - would ensure expectations based on the success stories they hear about students' minds are open to live their profession with during the induction process, while the down sides are understanding about cultural differences, sensitiveness often forgotten in the construction of the path they are towards the positive impact any tourism activity should willing to follow; a second significant gap that can distort have in its host countries and communities, and respect for the main aim of guiding students to make things right at all the tourist as an individual, and not just as a source of times. income. The implementation of the Programme All the above aspects link directly to the importance of encouraging a relation between faculty and students Some aspects/actions regarding the implementation of the beyond the classroom while the programme is programme, are crucial when guiding students towards implemented. An example would be the organization of their future: cooperation for development activities and joint students' 1) interaction with future employers, 2) connection with internship/faculty placement experiences abroad - a day-to-day reality, and 3) communication with faculty practice that has started to be implemented in fast beyond the classrooms. emerging tourism destinations and that could help students get the full picture concerning the work environment they will find in the tourism sector. 20
  • 22. UNWTO.TEDQUAL ASIA&THE PACIFIC World Tourism Organization MAGAZINE [first edition] VII Higher Tourism Education: Guiding students and graduates to make things right at all times. [Loreto Ibañez Castillo, UNWTO. TEDQUAL Programme Manager] The post-graduate follow-up Finally, the follow-up given to graduating students could be considered the 'finishing touch' in the whole 'making sure students have done things right at all times' process. This follow-up should include: 1) helping students select companies/organizations where basic ethical principles are followed when applying for a jobto; 2) encouraging ethical behaviour on the job and, 3) encouraging them to be citizens who, through work, are seeking to contribute to the economic and social development of the country, place of residence and family. All of these are key aspects that will help students become positive leaders in the tourism sector while making a significant contribution to the accomplishment of the UN purposes and principles reflected in the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, ILO policy papers and Millennium Development Goals. References This paper has been based on the author's experience and reports of the UNWTO.TedQual auditors' visit to Higher Tourism Education Institutions worldwide, after interviewing Employers of the tourism sector, Faculty Members, Students and Management team. 21
  • 23. UNWTO.TEDQUAL ASIA&THE PACIFIC World Tourism Organization MAGAZINE [first edition] Why submit yourself to the UNWTO-TEDQUAL Accreditation Process? [Gu Huimin, Beijing International Studies University. Chris Ryan, University of Waikato.] INTERVIEW The School of Hospitality Management at Beijing CR You referred to 'process' earlier – what did you learn International Studies University recently went through the from the process, and how did it differ from what you normally process of accreditation for UNWTO.TedQual accreditation. do? Professor Gu Huimin, Deputy Dean of the School of Tourism Management and Director of the China Hospitality Industry GH Well, as I said, usually in China there is a lot of emphasis on the quality of provision, and of course that too was covered by Research Centre at the university, was asked about the who was our UNWTO.TedQual auditor. I have to say that the United Nations World Tourism Organisation's accreditation auditor did a very good job. Usually any inspection by the Chinese process. Her replies to the questions posed by Chris Ryan authorities is a team so we expected more than one person would are reproduced below. come to look at us, but the auditor was very thorough. A key issue as I said was that of the process by which I mean the experience of the students. It was not only a question of what they lean but also CR Why did you apply for UNWTO.TedQual? how they learn, and how do we as teachers not only teach but establish learning environments for the students. So we were GH We wanted to measure ourselves against international forced to look carefully at our curriculum and how not only did we as best practice, and the United Nations World Tourism Organization staff relate to the wider industry, but also how we could use those is also a very recognizable label by which others can judge us. We relationships to help establish a better understanding on the part of are highly regarded in China but it was important that we should the students. So this could involve different things, from the obtain an internationally recognizable accreditation to complement periods of internship in industry, to the use of industry examples in our Chinese accreditations and recognitions. Indeed we found our teaching so that it was relevant, to the use of case studies. In that there was a difference between what we were used to in China that way our research activities are also important because it is a and what was required of us by the UNWTO moderator. In China means by which we as teachers keep up to date, are cognizant of the inspections are very much about 'supply' factors – that is how governmental initiatives and industry movements and can pass many computers do we have, how many classroom, what this to our students. I know this is important in most countries – but standards of accommodation do we offer for the students, how it is especially important in China because things are changing so many staff do we have and what qualifications do the staff have? very rapidly here. With the UNWTO we had to look more carefully at the processes we engage in. CR So, was the accreditation worthwhile? CR So, just how many people did you have involved in GH To be honest, we are still waiting for the outcome as the writing the submission for the accreditation? auditor was here only about 6 weeks ago, and so we are still waiting for the final result. I am confident we will gain accreditation, but the GH In total we have about 50 staff, and of these about 10 were question is for how long. However, to answer your question, apart engaged in the writing of the documentation with perhaps a smaller from any 'prestige' that may be associated with the accreditation, group being the core. We also involved two of our administrative and I won't pretend that is not important – because in gaining such staff. Throughout the process we had meetings with all the staff so recognition it places Beijing International Studies University's they knew what was happening. programme alongside those of well- known and internationally famous universities like Hong Kong and say your's too – but it was an important learning process. I found it interesting also seeing a 22
  • 24. UNWTO.TEDQUAL ASIA&THE PACIFIC World Tourism Organization MAGAZINE [first edition] Why submit yourself to the UNWTO-TEDQUAL Accreditation Process? [Gu Huimin, Beijing International Studies University. Chris Ryan, University of Waikato.] INTERVIEW western perspective or approach to education. Perhaps in China Note as an university it is taken for granted that you know what you are doing – perhaps that is why we primarily look at resources, but in Beijing International Studies University (formerly Beijing this process we had to say not only what processes we engage in Foreign Language University) is one of the major providers of but also support it with evidence – for example, details of meetings university level education in tourism and hospitality in China. with industry, use of visiting speakers, examples of student work, It has been providing such courses for nearly 40 years and has evidence of discussion of curriculum, and that forced us to ask been at the forefront of such education in China for much of some pretty basic questions about what we do and why we do it. So this time. It courses are taught in English and its graduates apart from anything else that was a good experience for us and so I have gone on to achieve significant positions in the growing can frankly say, yes – the accreditation was worthwhile even Chinese tourism industry and they are much sought by the though it took a lot of work on our part, especially as we had to industry keen to recruit knowledgeable young people. change our mindset a little. Professor Gu has several roles apart from being a researcher of note in China, and one of these is the assessments of hotels for China's hotel star rating system. In June 2011, The Bachelor in Tourism Management of the Beijing International Studies University had obtained – for the maximum number of years - The UNWTO.TedQual Certification. 23