WHAT’S IN A NAME: Exploring the identity of hospitality and tourism management education

WHAT’S IN A NAME: Exploring the identity of hospitality and tourism management education

Hospitality has a rich and varied history, with its emphasis on service. Throughout history, it has evolved based on the changing patterns of human travel, world events, and changing tastes and expectations. Through this evolution, even within the past 50 years, a question arises on how are the names of hospitality management academic programs reflect these changes? Are we hospitality? tourism? hotel? restaurant? convention? There are other areas that are not mentioned which also go under the umbrella of hospitality management. Not only do segments of hospitality management exist, but also the interdisciplinary nature of the field creates a enigma on how to define our profession. A combination of management, psychology, nutrition, accounting, and other fields bring together the various aspects of what hospitality management students need to learn to be successful. Yet, when one goes searching for a hospitality management program, multiple names arise. How do we bring together all the aspects of the hospitality industry to have a general name that encompasses all these various services that are provided? The purpose of this study is to explore the identity of hospitality management academic programs and attempt to find a unified name to encompass all areas that hospitality serves.