Students’ perceptions towards tourism education and careers after the COVID-19 pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

The changing career environment in tourism following COVID-19 has piqued the interest of scholars who are curious as to whether such changes have altered perceptions of tourism careers. This study examined undergraduate students' perceptions towards tourism education, careers and the tourism and hospitality industry prospects following COVID-19 in the Sub-Saharan region using a case study of Malawi. The study is guided by the social cognitive career theory (SCCT) and employed qualitative research methods. The findings revealed that the majority of students had favourable views of tourism careers as a result of their optimism regarding tourism recovery. Those who had lost faith in tourism and its careers expressed reservations about countries' economic ability to implement tourism recovery strategies. The study suggests career guidance and counselling, as well as increasing student awareness of government tourism recovery measures and recovery success stories across industry subsectors, as means of restoring student confidence in tourism and tourism-related careers.