Hospitality and tourism management students' study and career preferences: Comparison of three Asian regional groups

Abstract

This study is involved with five objectives: understanding hospitality and tourism management (HTM) students' preferences, their characteristics for future HTM career, their motivations for choosing HTM as a major, their reasons for choosing or not choosing whether to work in the hospitality and tourism industry, and the important factors that they consider when making career decisions. The responses of HTM students living in three Asian countries where HTM programs are popular were compared. Taiwanese students exhibited the highest level of motivation to study HTM and the lowest level of willingness to work in a low position at the starting of their career among the three regional groups. In contrast, Hong Kong students indicated the lowest motivation to study HTM and the most negative responses regarding welfare or working conditions in the hospitality and tourism fields as reasons for not choosing to work in the industry. Korean students showed the highest expectation of international working opportunities and a flexible organization culture, and the highest level of willingness to work in a high position at their starting career point. All of the student groups indicated the importance of practical learning or interest in employment over scholastic pursuits or intellectual interest. The results of this study are useful for HTM education stakeholders, including potential students, HTM school staff and the HT industry.