How did the COVID-19 pandemic influence students’ career expectations in the hotel and tourism industry?

• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhlste.2023.100436
• Publication Date: 2023-04-14T12:33:16Z
• Authors: Maria Sofia Lopes; Conceição Gomes
• Keywords: Pandemic; Hospitality; Employability; Pessimism

Career expectations contribute to job satisfaction and worker persistence. The tourism industry is characterized by high staff turnover. was decimated the COVID-19 pandemic causing widespread unemployment transforming working conditions, while radically altering educational conditions for hospitality students. We assessed how influenced students' expectations, comparing undergraduate opinions before during pandemic. While Pandemic-Students were more pessimistic about they revealed an increased desire provide personal interactive service a greater tendency towards entrepreneurialism. These results contrast with previous research; highlighting resilience suggesting positive vision of pandemic-related opportunities.