ABSTRACT
Tourism and education share an intrinsic commonality — that of internalization. Both possess the capacity to contribute significantly to individual and societal values. Practices in tourism especially those emanating from human, societal and environmental values contribute significantly to socio-cultural evolution. With this premise, tourism has been legitimized as a subject worthy of serious study. Education, on the other hand, is conceived primarily as part of a socio-cultural project of intentionality for future development and progress that societies and groups clarify in the mirror of the other (Schriewer, 2000). Educationists strongly hold that information or knowledge is worthy only if it contributes to the culture of the community (Whitehead, 1951). The learning process links culture and education in a mutually interactive manner, whereby culture prescribes norms, evolves goals and builds beliefs that help us tackle the challenges of existence (Csikszentmihaly, 1990) and is, in turn, informed and modified by the prevailing environments. The prime purpose of planned education, then, is to induct individuals into a culture in such a way that their individuality and creativity may be enhanced (Stenhouse, 1967, p. 7) and that the educated populace, as a collective may be guided by this creative insight to progress (Sankar, 2004) towards ‘world citizenship’ (Golmohamad, 2004). The need for world citizenry is eminent for globalization, and it calls for responsive mechanisms. Perhaps education can be utilized effectively to deliver the goods.
