Alignment of the Recreation Business Management Curriculum with Tourism Industry Competency Requirements

Authors

  • Urai Muhani Politeknik Negeri Pontianak, Indonesia
  • Urai B Asnol Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Kesehatan Kapuas Raya, Indonesia
  • Ismail Umar Politeknik Negeri Pontianak, Indonesia
  • Abd Halim Universitas Esa Unggul, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v18i1.9063

Keywords:

curriculum alignment, tourism education, industry competencies, digital tourism skills, experiential learning

Abstract

The rapid transformation of the tourism industry toward digitalization, sustainability, and experience-based services requires higher education curricula to align with evolving competency demands. However, limited studies have systematically examined the alignment between the Semester Learning Plan (Rencana Pembelajaran Semester—RPS) and industry-required competencies in tourism education.This study employed a qualitative-descriptive approach integrating a Systematic Literature Review (SLR), curriculum document analysis, semi-structured interviews with academic staff, and surveys of industry practitioners and alumni. The SLR covered publications from 2018 to 2024 to identify key competency trends, while empirical data were used to assess curriculum implementation and relevance.The findings indicate that the RPS sufficiently addresses foundational competencies such as business management, customer service, and tourism operations. However, significant gaps were identified in digital marketing, data-driven decision-making, tourism technology utilization, and sustainability practices. Industry stakeholders highlighted the need for greater emphasis on practical skills, technological readiness, and experiential learning.These findings suggest that current curricula remain predominantly theoretical and insufficiently responsive to industry transformation. This study proposes a more adaptive, industry-driven curriculum model that integrates digital and sustainability competencies while strengthening academic–industry collaboration. The study contributes to the literature by offering a comprehensive curriculum–industry alignment framework informed by multi-source data, with implications for improving graduate employability and curriculum relevance in tourism education.

References

Airey, D., & Tribe, J. (2006). An international handbook of tourism education. Routledge.

Biggs, J., & Tang, C. (2011). Teaching for quality learning at university (4th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.

Bramwell, B., & Lane, B. (2013). Sustainable tourism: An evolving global approach. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 21(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2012.721547

Direktorat Jenderal Pendidikan Tinggi. (2021). Panduan Merdeka Belajar–Kampus Merdeka. Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan RI.

Dredge, D., Benckendorff, P., Day, M., Gross, M. J., Walo, M., Weeks, P., & Whitelaw, P. A. (2012). The philosophic practitioner and the curriculum space. Annals of Tourism Research, 39(4), 2154–2176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2012.07.008

Fidgeon, P. R. (2010). Tourism education and curriculum design: A time for consolidation and review? Tourism Management, 31(6), 699–723. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2010.05.019

Jackson, D. (2016). Re-conceptualising graduate employability: The importance of pre-professional identity. Higher Education Research & Development, 35(5), 925–939. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2016.1139551

Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan. (2020). Standar Nasional Pendidikan Tinggi (SN-Dikti). Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan RI.

Kitchenham, B., & Charters, S. (2007). Guidelines for performing systematic literature reviews in software engineering (EBSE Technical Report). Keele University.

Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of Indonesia. (2021). Tourism development and competitiveness strategy report.

Pine, B. J., & Gilmore, J. H. (2019). The experience economy: Competing for customer time, attention, and money (Updated ed.). Harvard Business Review Press.

Priyatno, A., & Nugroho, D. (2021). Academic learning culture in Indonesian higher education. Journal of Educational Policy Studies, 14(3), 55–69.

Putra, I. G. N., & Budiani, S. (2020). Digital competencies in Indonesian tourism education: Challenges and opportunities. Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Studies, 12(2), 45–58.

Rindrasih, E. (2018). Community-based tourism and sustainable development in Indonesia. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 23(11), 1032–1045. https://doi.org/10.1080/10941665.2018.1515093

Sigala, M. (2018). New technologies in tourism: From multi-disciplinary to anti-disciplinary advances and trajectories. Tourism Management Perspectives, 25, 151–155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2017.12.003

Suryani, A., & Wijaya, D. (2019). Curriculum relevance and employability of tourism graduates in Indonesia. Jurnal Pendidikan Vokasi, 9(3), 231–242. https://doi.org/10.21831/jpv.v9i3.28012

Susanti, L., & Ermawati, E. (2022). Strengthening academic–industry collaboration in Indonesian higher education. Indonesian Journal of Educational Development, 6(1), 15–27.

Tribe, J. (2002). The philosophic practitioner. Annals of Tourism Research, 29(2), 338–357. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0160-7383(01)00054-3

Tussyadiah, I. (2020). A review of research into personalization in tourism. Tourism Management Perspectives, 35, 100678. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2020.100678

UNESCO. (2017). Education for sustainable development goals: Learning objectives. UNESCO Publishing.

Wang, Y. (2021). Simulation-based training in hospitality education: A pedagogical innovation. Journal of Hospitality Education and Practice, 11(1), 27–41.

World Travel & Tourism Council. (2022). Economic impact report. https://wttc.org

Yorke, M. (2006). Employability in higher education: What it is – what it is not. Higher Education Academy.

Downloads

Published

2026-04-04

How to Cite

Muhani, U., Asnol, U. B., Umar, I., & Halim, A. (2026). Alignment of the Recreation Business Management Curriculum with Tourism Industry Competency Requirements. AL-ISHLAH: Jurnal Pendidikan, 18(1), 1368–1376. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v18i1.9063

Issue

Vol. 18 No. 1 (2026): MARCH 2026

Section

Articles

Citation Check

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.