Introducing storytelling into tourism and hospitality courses: students’ perceptions

ABSTRACT Storytelling is a fundamental component of human communication. As a teaching method, its introduction can lead to a wide range of benefits. Despite this, storytelling is not commonly employed by educators in tertiary education in Japan. As a result, students’ reactions to it as a pedagogic approach are relatively underreported in that context. Consequently, this study investigated the perceptions of undergraduate students (n = 132) enrolled in the Faculty of Tourism and Business Management at a university in Japan following the introduction of storytelling into the curriculum. It was found that the participants felt it improved their understanding of the tourism and hospitality industry, was a positive aspect of their course, and improved their perceptions of their English abilities and confidence when using English. It is therefore suggested that storytelling be incorporated more into tourism and hospitality courses.