Abstract:

Today tourism is widely perceived as an industry gaining speed in its development and introducing deep changes in the global economy. In pursuit of the right balance Imtiaz Muqbil (1999) has identified 21 issues and trends that will shape travel and tourism in the 21st century.

Besides growing economic impact and leakage from tourism, extension of U.S. influence throughout the travel and tourism industry as a part of its global politics, and deepening impact of globalisation, as well as greater liberalisation of visas, the list includes taxation as a tool to promote tourism, topical social issues and fighting social problems arising from tourism and round it, growing employment in the sphere of tourism and hospitality enabling global mobility, increasing safety concerns connected but not limited to the aggravated influence of organised crime, fast-developing technologies, topical environmental issues, growing alliances of airlines and developing aviation, widening and strengthening across-the-board alliances, rapidly growing global hospitality industry including national hotel industries, growth of cruise and marine tourism, widely and fast developing trade shows, a greater focus on regional promotions, emergence of the Middle East as a significant play on the tourism arena, growth in religious and educational tourism, changes in holiday trends, and emergence of secondary cities.

All these make it clear that tourism has been steadily growing into a prominent global industry and a mighty force able to systemically influence the world and gradually change it as it involves so much and so many into its orbit – people, environment, economies, technologies, and innovations. And the speed of the involved objects rotating in its orbit has been growing constantly.

Basing on the multiple factors listed above we consider tourism industry a field requiring lifelong learning, i.e. personal and professional development from University all through one’s professional career, constantly developing one’s skills and competencies that enhances their future and present employability prospects in the tourism sector.

Today employers increasingly look for graduates who show high levels of competence in communication, self-management, problem solving, reflective thinking, compiling business reports and team working. Furthermore, employers and clients seek professionals who can demonstrate self-confidence, flexibility and the ability to learn effectively. Nowadays, tourism professional portfolio acts as a record of achievement that could be used to support employment and promotion applications.

Tourism business has turned into a firing field where the best and newest technologies compete with human abilities and where professionalism has to increase daily not to lose this rivalry. All these make tourism profession face a scope of challenges and one of the most topical issues today is the issue of tourism professionals’ immunity to the current and future challenges aggravating the situation in this field weekly.

The authors believe that one of the biggest challenges facing tourism educators today is to develop proper methodology that could arm today’s and tomorrow’s professionals with reliable tools enhancing their professionalism as long as they may need it. Basing on their solid professional experience and a recent research, the authors offer a toolbox that is sure to be useful to everyone concerned.

Keywords:

Prominent global industry, mighty force changing the world, tourism professional competence portfolio, professional immunity.