Students’ perceptions of tertiary tourism education and careers during the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

Covid-19 causes significant disruption and creates challenges for international student recruitment while raising questions about the future attractiveness of tourism careers. To identify if, how and why the perceptions of tourism education and careers have changed, 24 interviews were conducted with students currently enrolled in a tertiary tourism management degree at two New Zealand universities and explored through the theory of planned behaviour. Disruption induced by Covid-19 predominantly strengthened students' commitment to their previously selected career. Prepared to find alternative employment options throughout the initial recovery period due to a perceived lack of behavioural control, the ability to utilize their degree to induce positive change and make a lasting difference to redesign tourism for the better overrode increasingly negative subjective norms and initial doubt and anxiety. As a result, students held predominantly optimistic attitudes towards future tourism careers and perceived a potentially higher future value of a tertiary tourism degree.