Sustainability in Tourism Higher Education: Perspectives of Academics and Students, Pedagogical Approaches, and Institutional Priorities in a Neoliberal Context
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62338/xnhqzq55Keywords:
Sustainable Tourism Education, Pedagogical Approach, Neoliberalism, Small-Island Developing StatesAbstract
This article investigates how sustainability education is conceptualised and implemented in tourism education at the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Studies (FHTS) of the Maldives National University. In this context, sustainability is significant yet underexplored in academic literature. This research utilized qualitative case study methodology, grounded in social constructionism and critical theory to investigate the perceptions and experiences of academics and students on Education for Sustainability (EfS). Data were generated via document analysis, semi-structured interviews with tourism academics and students, and classroom observations. The findings indicate that while individual commitment among faculty members is strong, there is a perceived absence of clear, long-term policy direction and insufficient institutional support for EfS. Students, on the other hand, appreciate the current focus on sustainability but call for more interactive and contextually relevant learning experiences. The tourism curriculum at FHTS includes sustainability content, notably in the Sustainable Tourism Development module. However, traditional pedagogical approaches limit opportunities for students to develop critical sustainability competencies. The study identifies tensions between neoliberal influences driving institutional priorities and the transformative pedagogies required for effective sustainability education. These findings emphasise the need for more integrated approaches to sustainability in tourism higher education, particularly in the context of Maldives where tourism development has a direct impact on environmental and social sustainability.
References
Adhikary, R. W. (2014). Relating development to quality of education: A study on the World Bank’s neoliberal policy discourse in education. Korean Educational Development Institute, 11(1) 3-26.
Berjozkina, G., & Melanthiou, Y. (2021). Is tourism and hospitality education supporting sustainability? Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 13(6), 744-753. https://doi.org/10.1108/WHATT-07-2021-0101
Besong, F., & Holland, C. (2015). The dispositions, abilities, and behaviours (DAB) framework for profiling learners’ sustainability competencies in higher Education. Journal of Teacher Education for sustainability, 17, 5-22.
Bessant, S., Robinson, Z., & Ormerod, M. (2015). Neoliberalism, new public management and the sustainable development agenda of higher education: history, contradictions and synergies. Environmental Education Research, 21(3), 417-432. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2014.993933
Boley, B. B. (2011). Sustainability in hospitality and tourism education: Towards an integrated curriculum. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education,23(4), 22-31. https://doi.org/10.1080/10963758.2011.10697017
Boyle, A. R. (2015). Space for sustainability? From curriculum to critical thinking in Australian tourism higher education (Unpublished doctoral thesis). Southern Cross University, NSW.
Bridges, C.M., & Wilhelm, W.B. (2008). Going beyond green: The “why and how” of integrating sustainability into the marketing curriculum. Journal of Marketing Education, 30 (1), 33-46. DOI: 10.1177/0273475307312196
Cachelin, A., Rose, J., & Paisley, K. (2015). Disrupting neoliberal discourse in critical sustainability education: a qualitative analysis of international language framing. Environmental Education Research, 21(8), 1127-1142. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2014.974023
Chawla, G. (2015). Sustainability in hospitality education: A content analysis of the curriculum of British universities. In Proceedings of the European Conference on Research Methodology for Business and Management Studies (pp. 135–139). Academic Conferences and Publishing International.
Çiçek, D., Gülenç, S., & Korkmaz, E. (2024). Determining the ecological citizenship levels of tourism students: The case of Eskişehir, Turkey. Journal of Tourism, Sustainability and Well-being, 12(4), 353–371. https://doi.org/10.34623/a4cq-pb04
Evans, T.L. (2011). Living and learning sustainability: Pedagogy and praxis in sustainability education. (Doctoral thesis). Prescott College
Farrell, B. (2018). Dewey, Freire and student engagement: A critique of tertiary education policy in Ireland and New Zealand. (Doctoral thesis). University of Canterbury.
Farsari, I. (2022). Pedagogy for sustainable tourism: Reflections on the curriculum space of a master programme in Sweden. Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism, 22(1), 6–35. https://doi.org/10.1080/15313220.2021.1978127
Fernández-Villarán, A., Guereño-Omil, B., & Ageitos, N. (2024). Embedding sustainability in tourism education: Bridging curriculum gaps for a sustainable future. Sustainability, 16(9286), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16219286
Fuchs, K., Promsivapallop, P., & Jing, F. (2024). Socio-cultural influences and intentions toward environmental sustainability amongst undergraduate students: Evidence from China and Thailand. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education, 36(1), 62–73. https://doi.org/10.1080/10963758.2022.2123341
Gaus, N., & Hall, D. (2015). Neoliberal governance in Indonesian universities: the impact upon academic identity. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 35(9/10), 666-682. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-12-2014-0120
Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Aldine Publishing Company.
Grant, P., & McGhee, P. (2020). Sustainability-as-flourishing: teaching for a sustainable future. Social Responsibility Journal, 16(7), 1035-1052. DOI 10.1108/SRJ-03-2019-0095
Greenwood, D., Hursh, D., & Henderson, J. (2015). Environmental education in a neoliberal climate. Environmental Education Research, 21, (3), 299–318. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2015.1018141
Handler, I., & Tan, C. S. L. (2022). Are we teaching enough? A literature review on sustainable tourism events and the implications for Japanese higher education. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education, 34(3), 170–184. https://doi.org/10.1080/10963758.2021.1963744
Harvey, D. (2005). A brief history of neoliberalism. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Henderson, R. (2021). Changing the purpose of the corporation to rebalance capitalism, Oxford Review of economic Policy, 37 (4) 838-850.
Ibrahim, A., Thashkeel, A., Byju, K.P.M., & Jaleel, A.A. (2024). Exploring the dynamics: Analysis and projection of employment ratio in the Maldivian tourism sector. Hotelier Maldives.
Jickling, B., & Wals, A. E. J. (2008). Globalization and environmental education: looking beyond sustainable development. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 40(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220270701684667
Kim, Y. H. (2025). Sustainability in knowledge, education, and industry: A case of a hospitality and tourism program. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education, 37(1), 67–77. https://doi.org/10.1080/10963758.2023.2205144
Laidey, N.M., & Imthinan, A. (2024). Challenges faced by women in progressing their career in the tourism industry in Maldives. Environment-behaviour proceedings journal, 9(29), 79-85.
McCarthy, J., & Prudham, S. (2004). Neoliberal nature and the nature of neoliberalism. Geoforum, 35(3), 275-283. doi: 10.1016/j.geoforum.2003.07.003
McPhail, K. (2013). Corporate responsibility to respect human rights and business schools’ responsibility to teach it: Incorporating human rights into the sustainability agenda. Accounting education: an international Journal, 22(4), 391-412.
Miller, M. B. (2015). A case study of academics’ epistemic pedagogic identity in the context of neoliberalism (Doctoral thesis). James Cook University.
Miller, S. J & Vela, M. A. (2013) Are environmentally related taxes effective? IDB –WP- 467.
Mohamed, M., Gombay, N., & Pirker, J. (2019). Development and the sacred: An account of reef resource management in the Maldives. International Journal of Social Research and Innovation, 3(1), 1-22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55712/ijsri.v3i1.18
Morand, P. (2012). Responsibility of business schools to train leaders sensitive to global sustainability. In L. E. Weber, & J. E. Duderstadt (Eds.), Global Sustainability and the responsibilities of universities. (pp.3-14). Economica Ltd, Paris.
Prince, S. (2020). From sustainability to the anthropocene: Reflections on a pedagogy of tourism research for planetary attachment. Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism, 20(3), 173–189. https://doi.org/10.1080/15313220.2020.1797608
Scheyvens, R. (2011). The challenge of sustainable tourism development in the Maldives: Understanding the social and political dimensions of sustainability. Asia Pacific Viewpoint, 52(20), 148-164. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8373.2011.01447.x
Sharma, S., & Srivastava, S. (2021). Fostering sustainability in hospitality education: The academia perspective. Journal of Services Research, 21(1), 113-132
Strachan, G. (2018). Can education for sustainable development change entrepreneurship education to deliver a sustainable future? Discourse and communication for sustainable education, 9(1), 36-49.
Taylor, A. (2017). Perspectives on the university as a business: the corporate management structure, neoliberalism and higher education. Journal for Critical Education Policy Studies, 15(1), 108-135.
Teruel-Serrano, M. D., & Viñals, M. J. (2020). Teaching environmental sustainability and responsibility in the Anthropocene: Overview of Tourism Studies in Spain. Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism, 20(3), 216–231. https://doi.org/10.1080/15313220.2020.1797610
UNESCO. (2018). Issues and trends in Education for Sustainable Development, Paris.
Waseema, M. (2017). Enhancing destination competitiveness for a sustainable tourism industry: The case of Maldives. OIDA International Journal of Sustainable Development, 10(2), 11-24
Zizka, L. (2018). Hospitality students’ perceptions of ethics, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability. The International Journal of Learning in Higher Education, 24, (4) 1-12. https://doi.org/10.18848/2327-7955/CGP/v24i04/1-12
