The Role of Higher Education in Developping Human Resources in the Field of Tourism

The present paper aims at a two-fold analysis of the labour market in the Romanian tourism field, both from the point of view of the latter’s particularities – identified in the specialized literature – as well as by means of the data gathered from statistic-running sources pertaining to the main markers which characterize the labour market in this field (the employed population, structure of employed population based on gender, age groups, attained level of education etc.). Moreover, the paper features an outline of the current state of higher education in the field of tourism from the point of view of the university offers and the needs which should be satisfied by the study programs encompassed in the offers. Furthermore, the research comprises a survey-based analysis of how the students enrolled in the masters programs of the Faculty of Commerce within the Academy of Economic Studies of Bucharest perceive the quality and relevance of the courses they are attending, as well as their opinion on a future career in tourism from the point of view of motivational factors which may positively or negatively influence the choice of this professional field. Taking into consideration the unquestionable importance of human capital in providing high-quality services in tourism, the training of human resources in this field should be maintained at the highest of standards, all the while acknowledging the key-role of higher education.