Sustainability and Greening Concepts in the Curricula of Hospitality and Tourism Training Institutions in Zambia: A Review of Literature

Abstract

It is unquestionable that the need to address environmental problems has been recognised as an important point of interest for the hospitality and tourism industry. The increased environmental concerns on the part of the hotel operators, consumers, governments and nongovernmental organisations has put pressure on the industry to invest in more environmental friendly practices. The need for a ‘hospitality and tourism sustainability curriculum’ stems from the hospitality and tourism industry being one of the largest industries in the world, with huge negative impacts on the local environment. The growing importance of sustainability education to the hospitality and tourism industry has resulted in an increased pedagogical discussion pertaining to how to incorporate sustainability into the curriculum. This study extensively reviewed literature on sustainability education and greening of tourism and hospitality industry’s curricula to examine the integration of greening initiatives as well as the extent of the incorporation of green initiatives in Zambia. Consensus among the literature reviewed is that there is need for teaching sustainability within the hospitality and tourism curriculum in order to prepare students for the demands of the hospitality and tourism profession. Since the industry is turning towards sustainable initiatives, it is imperative that hospitality and tourism training providers embrace sustainability and recognise that teaching it is of upmost importance to the success of their students and the industry. Educating students about sustainability will not only be popular among students, but there will also be a ripple effect from their sustainable education into the workplace. A review of different curricula from various hospitality and tourism training institutions in Zambia showed that although these institutions offer a comprehensive programme to those individuals who intend to make a career in this, there is an obvious absence of a module in environmental education, sustainability education or indeed green practices.