Professional Identity and Roles in Tourism: In Search of a Consensus

This study examines the role of stakeholder consensus in defining competencies, abilities, and attitudes (CAAs) for tourism education and their alignment with labor market requirements. Building upon Farrell and Quiggin's (2012) framework of consensus and dissension in policy formation, the research investigates the dynamics among three key stakeholder groups in a Brazilian urban context: (1) tourism industry representatives, (2) educational institutions, and (3) current professionals and tourism students. The mixed-methods research design incorporates: a) Quantitative surveys analyzed through descriptive statistics; b) Qualitative data examined via content and discourse analysis; c) Multi-case study approach across stakeholder categories. Findings reveal significant dissonance in CAA expectations between academia and industry, demonstrating how this misalignment adversely affects: a) Graduate employability rates; b) Career sustainability; c) Professional mobility within the tourism sector. The study contributes to tourism education policy by highlighting the need for more effective stakeholder collaboration mechanisms. It particularly addresses the Brazilian context, where rapid tourism sector growth has outpaced the development of coherent human capital strategies. Results suggest that current educational outputs fail to meet industry needs due to fundamental disagreements about essential professional competencies.