Tourism studies in Spain are facing a long overdue structural transformation. Degree programmes in tourism have seen a steady decline in student numbers in Catalonia as well as in the rest of Spain. This is by no means a temporary issue; the situation has already developed into a structural crisis. The crisis has sparked a public debate about the future of tourism as an academic discipline, ranging from proposals for reform to demands for comprehensive reorganisation.
In this study, the NGO AlbaSud analyses the characteristics, underlying causes and emerging trends of this phenomenon, drawing on two focus groups and individual contributions from various academic experts. The authors outline three possible scenarios for the future of tourism studies and discuss each of them in detail. The future of tourism as an academic discipline is closely tied to a structural transformation in the way the tourism sector operates.
