“And never the twain shall meet”

Purpose – The primary purpose is to investigate the relationship between hospitality education and the industry of Cyprus as it relates to students' internship practices. The mismatch between the educational experience delivered to hospitality students and the “real world” practice they experience is investigated. /methodology/approach – Methodological triangulation was utilized in order to investigate the unique characteristics of all three primary hospitality stakeholders; the students, the educators and the hospitality professionals. Quantitative survey and qualitative semi-structured interview data were utilized to provide conceptual clarity of the discrepancies between hospitality education and the industry. – Analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data produced a five-element model and revealed a number of respective gaps on the issues affecting the hospitality industry-education relationship in Cyprus. /value – The article proposes the development of a model which measures the relationship, gaps or commonalities, between the hospitality industry and education. Such a model is of value and will find a multitude of uses for all stakeholders involved.