Global tourism higher education - the British Isles experience

The British Isles includes five educational and tourism environments and jurisdictions which have much in common, particularly in terms of their underpinning tourism products. Their higher educational provision likewise exhibits some common features but also significant diversity. This paper addresses the development of tourism education within the colleges and universities of the British Isles, taken to cover the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) as well as the Republic of Ireland. The paper demonstrates the impact of jurisdictional autonomy on educational programmes, their underlying philosophy and structure.