US hospitality and tourism professors don’t mirror the demographics of the industry they serve

White and male professors continue to dominate U.S. hospitality and tourism education programs, new research shows, even as the industry becomes increasingly diverse. This imbalance raises questions about who is shaping the future of hospitality and whose voices are being left out of the conversation.

Our analysis of 862 faculty members in 57 of the top hospitality programs at U.S. universities found that nearly three-quarters of these professors were white and more than half were male. White men alone represented 43.5% of all teachers, demonstrating continued overrepresentation.

By comparison, only 3.7% of teachers identified as Black, far below the 14.4% share of the U.S. population that identifies as Black. Asian faculty accounted for 22.5% – significantly more than the Asian share of the U.S. population, with slightly more Asian women than men.

Because publicly available data did not allow us to reliably identify faculty with Hispanic or Indigenous backgrounds, our analysis focuses on representation among Black and Asian professors.

Our findings are based on a review of online faculty directories for every U.S. hospitality and tourism program included in the 2020 Academic Ranking of World Universities. We coded each faculty member by gender, race, and academic rank using publicly available information collected from university websites, LinkedIn, and other professional profiles.

While this approach cannot capture the full complexity of individual identity, it does reflect how representation is typically perceived by students and future educators. For example, when a student is browsing a university website or sitting in a classroom, he notices who looks like him and who doesn’t.

Our results indicate a large imbalance. The people teaching, researching and preparing the next generation of hospitality leaders do not reflect the demographics of the workforce or student population.

Despite growing institutional attention to fairness and belonging in higher education, the tourism and hospitality sector has been slow to develop.

Why it matters

Representation in higher education is not just a matter of fairness. It affects student outcomes and the long-term sustainability of the field. Researchers have found that when students see role models who share their racial or ethnic identity, they report stronger connections to their academic community, higher retention rates, and greater academic confidence.

For hospitality programs that emphasize service, empathy and cultural understanding, these effects are particularly meaningful. The hospitality workforce is one of the most diverse in the United States and includes hotels, restaurants, events and tourism operations worldwide. Yet the lack of variety among those teaching hospitality sends a contradictory message. Diversity is valued in the workforce, but remains underrepresented in the classrooms where future leaders are trained.

Major employers like Marriott, Hyatt and IHG have invested heavily in programs that promote access and connection, creating leadership pipelines for underrepresented groups. Meanwhile, the academic programs that prepare these future leaders have not made comparable progress.

The lack of representation in the hospitality and tourism academic world also determines the type of research questions that are asked. In the absence of faculty from underrepresented backgrounds, issues such as racialized guest experiences, workplace bias, and fair career advancement can be overlooked.

What is still not known

Our research provides a snapshot rather than a complete picture of faculty representation in U.S. hospitality and tourism programs. Because the sample focused on research-intensive universities, it excluded many historically black universities and educational institutions, which may have more professors of color.

The study also used publicly available photos and institutional profiles to identify race and gender. Although this method reflects how students visually perceive representation, it cannot fully capture multiethnic or intersectional identities.

We believe that future studies should examine how teacher composition evolves over time and examine the lived experiences of teachers from underrepresented backgrounds. Understanding the barriers that prevent these scholars from entering or remaining in academia is essential to creating an environment in which all faculty can thrive.

The Research Brief is a brief look at interesting academic work. Abigail Foster, admissions specialist at the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law, contributed to this article.