An Investigation on the Status of Intercultural Competence Education in Mainland China

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the status of intercultural competence (IC) education in hospitality and tourism programs in mainland China. The empirical data showed that IC education in hospitality and tourism academic programs has begun to adapt to market trends, that educators are fully aware of the importance of IC education, and that they have taken steps to develop students’ IC through foreign language studies, in-class discussions of cultural concepts, case studies, site visits to regional international enterprises, and guest speakers from multicultural backgrounds. The data also revealed a set of challenges in the nation’s IC education. These findings have significant implications for policy makers, educators, industry practitioners, potential investors, and researchers as they push for academic programs more responsive to industry needs. This study also extends the current IC literature in the hospitality and tourism context, which is very limited.

KEYWORDS:

• Intercultural competence
• hospitality and tourism education
• globalization
• internationalization
• diversity
• human resources