The Effect of Undergraduates’ Perception on Career Selection in Tourism and Hospitality Industry

Abstract

The tourism and hospitality industry is struggling with the issue of attracting and retaining quality educated employees. It has led to a shortage of skilled personnel to staff the growing tourism and hospitality businesses, after the COVID 19 Pandemic. The job turnover rate in the tourism and hospitality sector rose due to the contemporary situation in the world. Especially, the promogulated lockdown and travel ban adversely affected the job security of the employees in the tourism and hospitality sector. Thus, the objective of this study is to identify the effect of undergraduates’ perception on career selection in tourism and hospitality industry. A total of 120 undergraduates representing three state universities were selected using stratified sampling method for this study. Primary data was collected via structured questionnaire. Quantitative data analysis methods along with the descriptive, correlation and multiple regressions were utilized to analyze the data using SPSS. Results confirmed that personal factors, educational factors and industrial factors impact on the willingness of career selection in tourism and hospitality industry. Moreover, personal factors are most influential to the career selection of undergraduates. Thus, Universities must enhance the opportunities for practical exposures, attitude development, sign memorandum of understanding, updating curriculum to shape the undergraduate perceptions.