E‐learning as an alternative strategy for tourism higher education in Egypt

Abstract

PurposeThis research aims to be one of the earliest studies to investigate tourism e‐learning in Egypt, thus, it will initially shed light on the current standing of e‐learning in Egypt before proceeding to: identify the present status of e‐learning in Egyptian tourism higher education; explore the potential advantages and drawbacks of using e‐learning in tourism higher education; and explore the suitability of e‐learning for tourism higher education.Design/methodology/approachData for this research have been collected by adopting a combination of “content analysis” and “semi‐structured interviews”. However, a pilot study was initially conducted before applying the main methods of research.FindingsDespite the relative newness of the Egyptian e‐learning experiment, the Egyptian government has succeeded in establishing the required infrastructure for e‐leaning. However, deficiencies still exist especially regarding qualifying the Egyptian academics to participate efficiently in the e‐learning process. Regarding application, tourism e‐learning is applied to a limited extent in Egypt at the present time, as only seven public colleges are currently providing some e‐learning services, which are mostly of a simple nature. Tourism private colleges are currently languid concerning the application of e‐learning despite the potentiality of success especially with regard to serving international students.Originality/valueDespite the importance of both tourism and tourism education for a country such as Egypt. this research is the first to investigate the applicability of tourism e‐learning in Egypt.