The epistemology of tourism education in Mozambique: historical evolution and higher education experiences

Abstract

Through exploratory studies, it was detected that tourism courses tend to lower their entry level, consequently their discontinuity, although the tourism sector tends to grow (except in the current pandemic period of COVID-19) and, still remain with shortages of skilled labour. It is in this perspective that the present article intends to know the current stage of tourism courses in Mozambique, insofar as analysing the stage of this process allows the formulation of an assertive strategy as a result, of being able to better train human resources, in the most diverse areas of tourism, with skills to contribute to a more humane, ethical and sustainable tourism. The article aims to present the historical evolution of tourism teaching in this country, contextualizing the discussion of tourism as a science and object of study, its emergence in the world, the academic network and courses offered, the teaching areas as well as the research situation to be higher education level. Through bibliographical and documentary research and empirical data collection, through interviews one can understand the reality of tourism courses in the country. Among the conclusions, it should be noted that higher education courses in tourism in Mozambique began 25 years ago, specifically in 1996, in one of the private universities in the southern region of Mozambique. Today, the training offer comprises 17 courses, with a slow evolution in the first years and a decrease in the last years, both in the opening of new courses, as well as in the enrolment of students in the existing programs.