The role of higher education institutions in human resource education in tourism: The case of Serbia

Abstract

Tourism is one of the fastest growing activities in the world. This is confirmed by data on the number of tourists and overnight stays, followed by pronounced economic effects. Modern tourism business requires a trained and skilled workforce. This is especially important if we take into account that tourism is a labor-intensive industry. The man is the main service producer. Education of the staff for work in the service sector requires knowledge from various fields (geography, economics, sociology, management, philology, psychology, ecology, technology, medicine, etc.). Consequently, tourism workers must possess a broad general and humanistic culture and education.The aim of this paper is to analyze the study programmes of higher education institutions from Serbia which educate staff in the field of tourism and hospitality. This will point out the multidisciplinary knowledge required in both operational as well in the managerial and scientific-research sector.