Tourism is much more than an economic sector, it is also a social, cultural, political, and environmental force that drives societal change. Understanding, responding to, and managing this change will inevitably require knowledge workers who are able to address a range of problems associated with tourism, travel, hospitality, and the increasingly complex operating environment within which they exist.

The purpose of this Handbook is to provide an insightful and authoritative account of the various issues that are shaping the higher educational world of tourism, hospitality and events education and to highlight the creative, inventive and innovative ways that educators are responding to these issues. It takes as its central focus a dynamic curriculum space shaped by internal and external factors from global to local scales, a variety of values and perspectives contributed by a range of stakeholders, and shifting philosophies about education policy, pedagogy and teaching practice. A benchmark for future curriculum design and development, it critically reviews the development of conceptual and theoretical approaches to tourism and hospitality education. The Handbook is composed of contributions from specialists in the field, is interdisciplinary in coverage and international in scope through its authorship and content.

Providing a systematic guide to the current state of knowledge on tourism and hospitality education and its future direction this is essential reading for students, researchers and academics in Tourism, Hospitality, Events, Recreation and Leisure Studies.

"This highly authoritative text provides a very timely, reflective and forward-looking critique of tourism and hospitality education and the forces impacting its development and delivery across the world. The breadth and depth of issues included in the text provide comprehensive coverage of the subject with the international and inter-disciplinary approach adopted making it a highly useful, even essential, text for all tourism and hospitality scholars worldwide" - Professor Alan Fyall, Orange County Endowed Professor of Tourism Marketing Rosen College of Hospitality Management, University of Central Florida, USA"The editors have assembled a well crafted, timely and authoritative collection offering rich coverage of educational provision in diverse settings. Based on philosophical principles and drawing upon a strong research base, they convey the dynamic and challenging environment which is confronting tourism and hospitality educators in the classroom and beyond." -Professor Brian King - Associate Dean (Executive Education and Partnership) and Professor, School of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University "Comprehensive and provocative, this book is a "must read" for faculty and administrators in hospitality and tourism programs the world over. It effectively presents the history and evolution of our programs, curricular challenges and innovations, and threats and opportunities for the future. Without doubt, hospitality and tourism have taken their rightful place in the higher education landscape. But, as this handbook so aptly argues, this is a landscape that is forever shifting. It is up to us to successfully navigate these changes and successfully chart a course for the future. Like many of the authors in this volume, I applaud the recognition that hospitality and tourism have the opportunity to shape the world for the better. It is up to us develop the curriculum that makes this abundantly clear; one that provides our students with the opportunity to develop the knowledge, skills and values that will help this be so. I have no doubt that this handbook will prove to be an immensely useful resource in this essential endeavour." Julia Christensen Hughes, College of Business and Economics Dean, University of Guelph