Cracks in the ivory tower? A survey-based analysis of undergraduate tourism education and educators in China

Through a nationwide survey, this research profiled undergraduate tourism higher education programs in China and explored the relationships among disciplinary affiliations, program specializations, and academic backgrounds of tourism teaching faculty members. Most tourism teaching faculty members in China were from disciplines other than tourism management and had no practical industry work experience in the tourism industry. A very small proportion of the teaching faculty members with tourism management backgrounds had earned doctoral degrees. Some potential associations among disciplinary affiliations, program specializations and faculty academic backgrounds were detected. Recommendations for tourism education program improvements and future research were provided based upon the research findings.

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