The Impact of Sustainability in Luxury Hospitality and Tourism Education

Abstract

Over the last 30 years, there have been changes in what is considered luxury. The birth of luxury conglomerates and master’s degree qualifications in luxury have emerged. However, at present, the luxury hospitality/tourism industry is in a paradoxical situation – while some people are demanding more and more luxury, others are demanding that luxury needs to be more sustainable. The worldwide hospitality/tourism industry is seen as being able to have a major impact on the sustainable development goals of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO): What role does education play in this context? There are 75 master’s degree programmes in luxury worldwide, 71 of which are taught in English. Of the English programmes, ten of those are dedicated to hospitality/tourism/travel; however, little is known about what level of sustainability knowledge is imparted in these programmes. This chapter investigates current hospitality/tourism master’s programmes in luxury (taught in English) and discusses how teaching sustainability could influence and create change in the luxury hospitality/tourism industry.