Hospitality and Tourism Management professor Marion Joppe presented a paper on Oct. 21 to the tourism committee of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The committee was meeting at the organization’s conference in Jerusalem, an event hosted by the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) and Local Development.
Joppe’s paper outlined a model for education and training to drive growth in global tourism and covered topics such as productivity and migrant labour issues.
“It has been a fascinating project because it has allowed me to scour the literature as well as get insights through extensive questionnaires answered by 27 countries and case study information from another six countries,” said Joppe, a University Research Chair in tourism. “The project has gone on for well over a year and will culminate in a two-day workshop in Hurghada, Egypt, at the end of November, where I deliver the keynote and then the chapters of my report from the panel presentations and discussions.”
Calling it “very exciting” work, Joppe hopes her work will help bring about changes to the global tourism industry. “Organizations such as the World Tourism Organization and the International Labour Organization will take part, so hopefully some of my policy recommendations will actually see the light of day,” she said.