Distance education at tourism higher education programs in developing countries: Case of Türkiye with a strategic perspective and recommendations

The COVID-19 pandemic was a critical and sudden happening for higher education institutions to adapt fast to changes and switch to distance education (DE). In addition to presenting several challenges and threats such as insufficient internet infrastructure and limited technology tools in developing countries, this sudden transition brought about some opportunities as well. This research focuses on the DE experiences of instructors in tourism-related higher education programs (THEP) and aims to propose a strategic view and recommendations based on instructors’ evaluations. Qualitative research methods are applied, and data is collected from 114 instructors via Google Forms. The originality of the research is based on the strategic view proposed by the application of SWOT and TOWS analyses. The proposed strategies are expected to help the preparation of effective educational, tactical, and operational plans by the regulatory authorities.