I began this blog with an homage to all the people with a lack of knowledge about Tourism and responsibility over it.
(By the way, the post was written mixing Spanish, Catalan and English… I love mixtures!)
They are still here; they are very powerful… if we want TOURISTOLOGY to become the best Science ever! If we want Touristology to be the driver of increasing add value of our beloved sector…we have to say goodbye to them... the homage didn’t work!!!
Long time ago, I enjoyed practicing a little bit of “Bleisure” in Peru. I gave some classes in the morning in different Universities. Some consultancy projects the rest of the day… Some visits to wonderful places…
I was perplexed, when I discovered that in some Universities of Tourism, in the subject of Geography they taught the geography of Spain! Why? Maybe, some copied the subjects from Spanish Universities… maybe….
Nowadays, I have the same feeling when I saw Universities of Tourism that just teach how to manage Tourists when they are in the Tourism Destination or Enterprise.
Forget about managing all the trip!
Forget about understanding and building a Chain of Value! Forget about offering International Routes!
Forget about TOURISTOLOGY!!!
WHY?
Maybe, because some people don’t know about how to create and manage trips…
Maybe, because they don’t believe that Tourists can improve their personal/professional life through a trip meanwhile they also increase the profit and wages of local enterprises and take care of local culture and heritage.
Maybe, because they like to say that Tourism is a low-level Grade in the University.
Maybe, because they think that to teach Tourism you only need to be an expert in another Science and provide some examples about Hotels, or Tourism Destinations…
Maybe, because they like, so much, to say that Tourism is a low add value sector.
Is it so difficult to see that almost any sector in the world is low value IF YOU DON’T CONTROL THE CHAIN OF VALUE and you are focus on customers low price orientated?!?!?! Is it so difficult to understand that Generic and Specialized Tourism have different chains of value?
Maybe, because some people don’t believe that Touristology is a Science…
All these experiences arousal in my a very interesting question… What is the criteria to select the subjects, the teachers, the competencies, the concepts, the language of the subject, the necessity to teach how to code to the future of Touristology????
As always, Ferreter and Mora can help us to make a good consideration… “extremes are not for situating yourself they are for knowing your situation” Let’s see the two extremes
We want to help to create minds able to improve our beloved sector… Or we just want to get temporally happy students?
Can you imagine in HEALTH… the important thing is to have HAPPY CUSTOMERS?
Obviously, in health the important thing is to be healthy!!!
The same in EDUCATION. The important thing is that they learn USEFUL things that allow them to understand reality and be able to improve our beloved sector!!!
The battle is going on my fellow Touristologists!
Be aware, be ready! Be the best minds in the best sector ever!!!
