11 May Laying a Solid Foundation for the Future of Tourism

As an educator committed to building a better world, I spend a lot of time thinking about how we can equip the new generation to tackle the challenges they will face ( or should I say – the challenges we leave them….)

While it is hard to anticipate the specific skills needed in the world of tomorrow, I believe there are some core values that will be critical to developing a better tourism system in the years to come. My friends at TEFI  – Tourism Education Futures Initiative – have identified 5  important sets of values that make a great foundation on which to build curriculum – and a career. Those value dimensions and their specific values/skills include:

• Stewardship: sustainability, responsibility, and service to the community
• Mutuality: diversity, inclusion, equity, humility and collaboration
• Ethics: Honesty, transparency, authenticity
• Professionalism: leadership, practicality, relevance, timeliness, teamwork and pro-activity
• Knowledge: critical thinking, innovation, creativity and networking.

Now – I’ll be the first to admit there may be a few things missing in this list – but it sure looks like a great place to start to me.