Education without borders: Internationalisation of the tourism business curriculum in the central Baltic area

Abstract

In the case of tourism, it is important to consider the geographical location of the destination and its part in a larger entity. In the Baltic Sea area, destination products covering the highlights of the seashore have growing importance and the area is increasingly seen as a coherent tourism destination. Thus, tourism education without borders should also be promoted in the area. This paper focuses on internationalisation of a tourism business curriculum in higher professional education in three Baltic Sea states: Finland, Estonia and Latvia. The aim of this paper is to describe the development of a joint curriculum and a study programme delivered online. The curriculum and the programme support regional development by aligning and providing skills needed for the area to grow as a common tourism destination.

Keywords:

• internationalisation
• curriculum
• tourism education
• the Baltic Sea