An Integrated Approach to Internationalizing the Hospitality and Tourism Curriculum in the USA

SUMMARY

The hospitality and tourism industry in the USA is increasingly operating in a changing international business environment. Its customers and guests are international tourists and business travellers, its major employers are often multi-national corporations, and its employees are of multi-ethnic heritage. This paper examines the need for universities to take a coordinated approach in internationalizing their hospitality and tourism curriculum. Such an approach is needed to prepare students for the global work environment of the future. It presents and evaluates the various approaches that have been taken by institutions from around the world, in their efforts to internationalize their programs. The paper then examines the case of The Hotel Management School Leeuwarden, The Netherlands, which has taken an integrated approach to curriculum internationalization. Information in this paper is drawn from examples in the literature, as well as from the international experiences of the authors. Finally, this paper concludes with a model that can be used to design a fully integrated curriculum.