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Travel and tourism make up the world's leading industry.
Its projected growth is expected to create increasing investment
and employment opportunities in the United States and abroad,
for both the travel industry and its supporting industries.
In Hawai'i, the travel industry will likely remain the major
economic sector, continuing to generate directly and indirectly
over one-third of all jobs for the future. Fifteen to 20 percent
of these jobs are expected to be management positions.
 The
School of Travel Industry Management at the University of
Hawai'i at Mānoa (UHM) offers a graduate program leading
to the MS. Tthe school is one of the most respected programs
worldwide in the study of hotel, restaurant, tourism and transportation
management. In 1991, the school was accredited by the Accreditation
Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration (ACPHA).
The school has also earned the TedQual (Total Education Quality)
certification from the World Tourism Organization. The school
works closely with the business community; the federal, state
and local government agencies; as well as various local, national,
and international organizations active in the travel industry.
Examples of such organizations include the Hawai'i Tourism
Authority, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and
the World Tourism Organization (WTO). The school was the first
recipient of the Education Gold Award from PATA.
The MS program provides students with the knowledge and skills
necessary to meet the challenges of a dynamic, challenging
and fast-changing field. The program provides a broad understanding
of key aspects of the travel industry—including strategic
management and marketing, transportation management, economic
and financial analysis, information technology and e-commerce,
research applications and global policy. Through choice of
electives and research projects, students may focus on one
of the areas listed below:
Tourism and Travel
This area is intended for students who plan to work in visitor
bureaus, consulting and marketing firms, travel and tour
agencies, governmental or non-governmental organizations.
Students may specialize in attractions management, cultural
and heritage development, events management, ecotourism,
health and wellness, edutourism, sustainable tourism, market
research, crisis management, protection of indigenous culture,
strategic planning, and resort development.
Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management
This area is intended for students who plan to pursue careers
as managers, executives or entrepreneurs in hotels, restaurants,
private clubs, convention centers, and other service enterprises.
Students may specialize in service quality, marketing, cross-cultural
human resources, information technology, financial performance
and investments, etc.
Transportation Management
This area is intended for students who plan to pursue careers
as managers, executives or entrepreneurs in airlines, ground
transportation, cruise industry, transportation research
and planning, consultancies and government.
Travel Industry Education
This area is intended for students who plan to pursue careers
as community college professors, leisure and recreation
administrators, international hospitality curriculum specialists,
or directors of hospitality or culinary training programs.
The academic foundation of the school is vested in its excellent
faculty, who have gained recognition in the field of travel
industry management through their academic research contributions.
Faculty expertise include hotel and restaurant management,
tourism development and marketing, socio-cultural impacts
of tourism, eco-tourism, tourism information systems and transportation
management and marketing. Members of the faculty have published
numerous academic refereed journal articles, and have authored
numerous textbooks that are used worldwide by other hospitality
programs as well as industry professionals. Faculty members
are active in many professional associations including:
- American Marketing Association
- American Society of Transportation and Logistics
- Club Managers Association of America
- International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional
Education
- Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences
- Hawaii Hotel Association
- Hawaii Restaurant Association
- Hotel Sales and Marketing Association
- National Defense Transportation Association
- Pacific Asia Travel Association
- Western Regional Science Association
- Society of Travel and Tourism Educators
- Travel and Tourism Research Association
- National Recreation and Parks Association
- World Tourism Organization Business Council
- Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii
- Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau
The school offers a wealth of co-curricular opportunities
to work closely with faculty, fellow students as well as professionals
from the travel industry in Hawai'i. There are numerous student
associations that offer opportunities to attend monthly meetings
or luncheons of professional associations, participate in
a variety of community service projects, and learn more about
the travel industry through tours, seminars and other club
activities.
With tourism as the primary industry in its tropical multi-cultural
setting, Hawai'i provides a perfect environment for the study
of tourism. The enterprising student will have numerous opportunities
to enhance classroom experience by attending industry meetings,
conferences and workshops; and tourism-related cultural and
recreational events.
The school has many connections and partnerships with private
industry, educational institutions and governmental organizations
in Hawai'i, on the U.S. mainland, in the Asia-Pacific region
and worldwide. There are opportunities to develop current
topical areas of interest and participate in internships,
service-based or funded projects. Students who wish to gain
additional industry experience may wish to participate in
internships. Listings for internship and permanent job opportunities
are available at the school's Internship and Career Development
Office, which provides students with a full range of personal
assistance in internship selection, career planning, job searching,
resume and cover letter preparation, networking, interviewing
skills, assessment of job offers and salary negotiation. In
addition, the office organizes career fairs and on-campus
interviewing by employers.
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