Are tourism courses academic subjects or more like skills-based trade training?
Tourism remained the third largest source of foreign currency earnings between 2014 and 2019 and contributed to about 14 per cent of total foreign currency earnings during this period. In 2018, it contributed US$4.4 billion (5.6% to GDP) only to be hit by the Easter Sunday suicide attacks in 2019, followed by the Covid pandemic in 2020, whereby earnings from tourism dropped to just 0.8% that year. An unprecedented economic crisis thereafter worsened the situation.
Since then, tourism has risen to regain its position as the island’s third highest export earner. We also know that to be able to generate greater revenue for Sri Lanka and be an invaluable export earner. we need to have a robust workforce including great talent coming through to join the tourism industry. All this at a time our industry (Sri Lanka and internationally), currently faces intensifying challenges, particularly around labour sustainability. Critically this links really clearly with the tourism growth road map, which the government and the industry are struggling to get behind at the moment.
Given the obvious importance of hospitality and tourism to both the national economy and business community, one would expect that a potential career in the industry would be something for a young person to aspire to.
Shouldn’t serious thought then be given by our Prime Minister who is concurrently the Minister for Education, to include Tourism education in the general subject list for secondary schools? Presently, tourism is a vocational subject and considered by struggling students as a spur of the moment ‘filler’, learnt after they leave school, rather than being seen as serious and rewarding career option for teenagers. Most end up doing a job with no prospects of growth or get ‘stuck’ in one position.
By having tourism education from the very outset in the academic senior subject area, we would be able to cultivate talent and create innumerable pathways for students to potentially go into tertiary university and hotel schools to learn more, study tourism and then be knowledgeably equipped to move up the leadership ladder with confidence.
The framing of this needs be balanced. It should not be simply forced into schools merely to meet workforce shortages or as a pipeline for immediate industry needs. It should educate teenagers that hospitality qualifications provide options as well, for the future. Essentially - keep all doors open. And that decision must be driven by students’ interest as well as one to serve the needs of the industry. A win-win situation!
Truth be told, the way things work at the moment, is that tourism studies is fast-tracked as a vocational unit standard – used mainly as an add-on; to fill immediate industry needs, rather than equipping teenagers with the skills and knowledge they need to make meaningful career and study choices. No wonder then that the perceptions of the tourism and hospitality industry are not great.
The disparity between the importance of hospitality and tourism to the economy and local communities, and the perception of a career in the industry can be addressed effectively if students are introduced to the study of hospitality and tourism at secondary school level. Thus, their early perceptions that it can potentially be a career choice are formed at this stage. These perceptions can lead to preparing students for further academic studies as effectively as other subjects might and that hospitality is a worthwhile choice – not a dumping ground.
Shafeek Wahab – Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka, Consultant, Trainer, Motivational Speaker, Ex-Hotelier
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