Inter-organizational relationships between secondary school academies of travel and tourism and higher education institutions

In this study a population of 75 directors, representing 112 Academies of Travel and Tourism (AOTTs) across the United States, were surveyed. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which formal or informal collaboration currently exists between high school AOTTs and institutes of higher learning (IHLs) offering tourism and hospitality management programs (T&HMPs), across the United States. This study is meant to address a gap in the literature regarding the lack of practical examples and literature that address inter-organizational collaboration and linkages.;A mail questionnaire was used to answer the three research questions posed in this study. The questionnaire consisted of 68 questions presented in four sections. Fifty-four (72 percent) of the AOTT directors responded to the questionnaire. Forty-eight of the responses (64 percent) were used for data analyses.;Findings from this study show that inter-organizational relationships did exist, to varying degrees, between the majority of AOTTs and IHLs offering T&HMPs based on the criteria defined by Sanchez (1990). Eighty-three percent of these relationships were identified as formal relationships because there was a board of directors who met on a regular basis, a T&HMP representative was a member of this board, communication between organizations that occurred on a regular basis, and an ongoing relationship that received broad-based support from the administration of both institutions.;The linkages identified between AOTTs and IHLs offering T&HMPs are supported by similar examples of "best practices" in collaboration identified in the literature. This study also surveyed to what extent AOTT students were provided access to university libraries, engaged in team teaching activities between organizations, supported teacher and faculty exchanges, collaborated on curriculum development, and provided of post-secondary information, scholarships and advising to AOTT students. This study asserts that more work needs to be done to improve linkages in the areas of T&HMP-AOTT student mentoring, AOTT student participation in jointly organized activities with T&HMP students, and AOTT teacher-T&HMP faculty partnerships should be encouraged in research activities.;Three of the major issues emerged from this study that impact the formation or maintenance of relationships between AOTTs and IHLs with T&HMPs. They were: (1) a lack of time for the director to devote to building relationships with T&HMPs; (2) a lack of interest from higher education to build relationships with AOTT programs; and (3) a lack of AOTT teacher familiarity and training within the tourism and hospitality industry.