Tourism and Hotel Management Courses in LAO PDR: Teaching Processes and Current Problems

Abstract

The aim of this article is to investigate the management of learning and current problems of Tourism and Hotel Management courses that are offered to students in Lao PDR. The research involved interviews with 20 key informants, including presidents of universities, 1 director of an institution, 8 instructors and 8 students from the National University of Laos, Souphanuvong University, Savannakhet University and the Lao National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality. The research investigated teaching processes, educational policies and course administration in-depth.

The finding indicated that Tourism and Hotel Management courses at Lao PDR’s educational institutions are divided into two programs, which are the Bachelor’s degree level and Certificate level. The teaching processes of Bachelor’s degrees are focused on theoretical and research approaches. While at the certificate level, the focus is placed upon practical rather than theoretical knowledge. Problems that are currently faced by these programs include 1) the majority of instructors assigned to Tourism and Hotel management programs do not hold qualifications from such programs, 2) the lacked of budget for buying rather than theoretical tourism and hotel equipment, 3) relatively short-term work placement for students and finally, 4) the limited numbers of available work placements offered by hotels and operators in the tourism industry.