Tourism education in New Zealand's secondary schools: the teachers' perspective

Tourism has major economic significance for global economies. In New Zealand, Tourism Industry Aotearoa’s Tourism 2025 strategy outlines the goal of increasing revenue from $24 billion in 2013 to $41 billion by 2025. The strategy highlights the shortage of workers, with the tourism industry needing to attract, recruit, and develop a skilled and qualified workforce. Research has shown that the study of tourism is stigmatised, stemming from its multidisciplinary nature and vocational roots. In addition, secondary school tourism students are labelled less academically capable in comparison to those students studying traditional subjects. Interviews conducted with teachers offer insights into the challenges encountered by tourism educators. The discussion highlights the disparity between tourism’s economic importance and the status and perception of tourism. This study identifies patterns in the data that can be theoretically generalised and has implications for tourism education in other economies in which tourism plays a significant role