Space for sustainability? From curriculum to critical thinking in Australian tourism higher education

The role of sustainability in education continues to garner interest. However, few empirical studies have examined explicitly how tourism higher education engages with the principles of Education for Sustainability (EfS). This thesis used content analysis and in-depth interviewing to explore the presence of EfS within tourism university curricula. In the Australian context, at least, it appears that sustainability was generally poorly stated or inferred in curricula. Tourism academics revealed ideological differences and were faced with a number of dilemmas in terms of how sustainability was perceived, constructed and taught. The findings underscore the need for an alternative, critical approach to sustainability in tourism curriculum; without this, it will be difficult to challenge the current ‘business as usual’ approach.