NEW CHALLENGES IN TOURISM EDUCATION IN LATVIA IN POST PANDEMIC TIME

Topicality: According to UNWTO data on the global scale, during the COVID pandemic in comparison to 2019, tourism declined by almost 80% in 2020. The impact of the COVID pandemic on the global tourism situation was obvious and very serious, and the recovery of tourism in the post pandemic period wil...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inTuriba University. International Scientific Conference pp. 85 - 95
Main Author Komarovska, Anda
Format Conference Proceeding
LanguageEnglish
Published Riga Turiba University 01.03.2024
Subjects
COVID-19
Education
Employees
Events planning
Hospitality industry
International trade
Labor market
Pandemics
Social entrepreneurship
Students
Sustainability
Sustainable tourism
Trends
Latvia
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Summary:Topicality: According to UNWTO data on the global scale, during the COVID pandemic in comparison to 2019, tourism declined by almost 80% in 2020. The impact of the COVID pandemic on the global tourism situation was obvious and very serious, and the recovery of tourism in the post pandemic period will need a different development approach to be able to begin the new era of tourism. Since a large part of employees in the tourism sector retrained to other sectors, tourism requires new, highly qualified employees with cross-cultural, foreign language skills and soft skills. Therefore, it is important to look at the quality of knowledge and skills that students acquire in tourism and event management programs, competencies that are developed; and whether the existing offer is useful in the students' self-assessment. So, the goal of the study is to research students' opinion and assessment of the study courses offered in the Turiba University syllabus "Tourism and Hospitality Management" and "Event Production and Management"; what kind of experts will be required in the future in tourism and hospitality industries and the field of events management, what skills, knowledge and competencies should be developed. Research methods used: theoretical literature review and students' structured interviews. Findings, conclusions, recommendations: students are generally satisfied with the study courses offered, it is recommended to gain more knowledge relevant to the labour market, develop foreign language skills and conduct field research on Latvian tourism.