Career Perceptions of Undergraduate Tourism Student

Vol. 6, No. 1.
ISSN: 1473-8376
www.hlst.heacademy.ac.uk/johlste

ACADEMIC PAPER

Career Perceptions of Undergraduate Tourism Students:
A Case Study in Turkey
Sevgin Akı Roney (sevgin@boun.edu.tr)
School of Applied Disciplines, Department of Tourism Administration,
Boaziçi University, Hisar Campus, Bebek 34342, Istanbul, Turkey
Perin Öztin (oztin@bilkent.edu.tr)
School of Applied Technology and Management, Tourism and Hotel Management Department,
Bilkent University, Bilkent 06800, Ankara, Turkey
10.3794/johlste.61.118
 Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Education

Abstract
The characteristics of tourism employment and careers have been widely documented. Although the
development of the tourism industry can create new employment opportunities, it is often criticised
for providing primarily low-skilled and low-paying jobs. If today’s students are to become the
effective practitioners of tomorrow, it is fundamental to understand their perceptions of tourism
employment. This paper focuses on a sample of 450 Turkish students studying tourism at university
level in order to analyse their perceptions towards tourism careers. The results showed that, overall,
the respondents’ perceptions are neither favourable nor unfavourable. The findings also indicated
that: willingness to study tourism; willingness to work in tourism after graduation; and work
experience; are important factors in shaping their image of tourism careers.
Keywords: Students’ Perceptions, Tourism Careers, Turkey
Sevgin Akı Roney is a full time faculty member of the Tourism Administration Department at
Boaziçi University in stanbul. She worked as a Visiting Professor at Montana State University, and
a full time faculty member at Eastern Mediterranean University, Bilkent University and Iık
University at various times. Her publications focus mainly on perceptions of tourism development,
impacts of tourism, sustainable tourism, and internet use in tourism....