Online Education and Workforce Development: Ten Strategies to Meet Current and Emerging Workforce Needs in Global Travel and Tourism

Abstract

The travel and tourism industry provides extensive opportunities to expand economic and human capital development worldwide. By 2020, the World Travel & Tourism Council projects that the travel and tourism industry will increase to 10 percent of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP), approximately US$10 trillion, and account for 328 million jobs– 1 in every 10 jobs worldwide. To meet this projection, educational policy and the quality of the workforce will be quintessential. Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) are primed to develop curricula that align with the current and emerging needs of today’s workforce. Through online education, IHEs can also meet the increasing demand of non-traditional students seeking certificate and degree completion programs through flexible delivery formats. The authors provide ten strategies for developing online education programs to meet current and emerging workforce needs in global travel and tourism. Additionally, the authors provide ten travel and tourism issues to consider when developing online programs.