The integration of tourism into secondary school curricula: A case study from the Australian Capital Territory

In recent years major controversy has reigned over the nature of tourism education at the tertiary level, but relatively little attention has been given to the characteristics of tourism education at the secondary school level. Given the current debate over competencies and industry relevance in both the secondary and tertiary education sectors, the present paper provides a case study of the current development of tourism curricula in the Australian Capital Territory. The paper discusses the demands for the incorporation of tourism and related fields in the secondary school system, the consultative mechanisms by which stakeholders are identified and incorporated into the development process, and the problems encountered in formulating educational outputs. Particular attention will be paid to the conflict that emerges in reconciling industry and educational needs, and defining what is an appropriate body of tourism knowledge. The paper concludes that difficulties in developing secondary tourism curricula reflect problems encountered in tertiary tourism education. Indeed, the thorny issue of 'What is Tourism?' remains paramount in many discussions! In addition, the issues of teacher education and the role of tertiary institutions and external agencies in influencing the nature of direction, content, and philosophy are also highlighted.