PERCEPTION OF TOURISM EDUCATION PROGRAMME: IMPLICATIONS FOR SUSTAINABILITY IN KWARA STATE UNIVERSITY, MALETE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Tourism education is a collection of formalized teachings which transmit knowledge, foster skills and character that equip students for their career in the industry. However, its appreciation among the university community is imprecise. Thus, this study investigates Perception of tourism education programme: implications for sustainability in Kwara State University. The research is guided by three main objectives: to investigate the general perception of the tourism education program among students, educators, and industry professionals; to find out the extent to which students' perception of the program influences their enrolment in tourism education programs at universities; and to assess the level of awareness among lecturers regarding tourism education for sustainability in education. A mixed method was adopted for the study, in which the hybrid explanatory/confirmatory method was used.  The study employs a QUAN + qual mixed design (Quantitative driven simultaneous design).  While the core component is quantitative, the supplemental component is qualitative The quantitative portion of the study was conducted using a descriptive survey research design. The study's population consists of all tourism students and lecturers from Kwara State University, Malete. The data for this study were statistically analysed using descriptive statistics of mean to answer the research questions and recommendations were made based on the findings.

keywords: Education, Hospitality, Sustainability, Tourism, Tourism Education