Effectiveness of education processes in tourism and hospitality in the Republic of Croatia

Purpose – This paper seeks to explain problem of education and training of personnel in the hospitality and tourism sector, which takes a special place and special attention among jobs in the tourism, hotel and hospitality industry. The overall quality within the hospitality and tourism sector depends exactly on education and training, i.e. the overall level of education of employed staff. Design – An overview of studies and education programs supporting tourism and hospitality in the Republic of Croatia – the identification for the need of better educational system, evaluation and overview of educational programs and importance for tourism and hospitality. Methodology – Data was collected from tourists, statistical reports and analyses of variance used to identify problems in tourism and hospitality sector. Findings – The paper finds that there are only few programs which can influence on education level and career patterns of employed staff in tourism and hospitality sector. Also, service quality is one of the most important elements in tourism product, so major focus must be on service and performance, and education and training of staff create a new value-added product or service. Originality – The analysis of educational programs with its importance would be of interest to researches and educators, industry practitioners and other stakeholders in the tourism and hospitality sector.