Students' expectations and perception towards tourism and hospitality internship program

Abstract

Objective: The study explored students' expectations and perceptions towards the Tourism and Hospitality Internship program by evaluating the pre-internship expectations and post-internship experience. The significance of this study lies in the fact that numerous students pursuing courses in tourism and hospitality assume internships as a stepping stone to their career in this million-dollar industry. Method: The design of the study is quantitative. Using a five-point Likert scale, the items assessed pre-internship expectations and post-internship perceptions of students enrolled in higher educational institutions in Goa (India) offering hospitality and tourism management degree programs. The study took ten months, from February 2022 to November 2022. A total of 324 respondents participated in the study. Gap analysis, Factor analysis and Regression analysis were employed to analyse the data using SPSS version 27. The research study is one of its kind in India's hospitality and tourism sector. Research on internships in India's tourism and hospitality sector needs to be addressed, as it is a sensitive topic for students. Result: Gap analysis provided variables with positive as well as negative gaps. Six variables yielded positive results while seventeen variables yielded negative gaps. Factor analysis factored out five factors namely: Supervisory Guidance and Organizational Environment, Learning opportunity and its facilitation, The job itself, Resume and Self-development, and Future employment opportunity. Regression analysis predicted two significant factors contribution towards overall satisfaction of the students towards internship program. Conclusion: Gap analysis between students' expectations and perception provided significant results about the six variables that yielded positive differences. These variables were: Competitive fringe benefits, High team spirit in the group, Able to apply theories to the workplace, High autonomy, Able to develop technical skill, Feedback from managers, indicating that the expectations have been met or surpassed. The study presents that though the students are satisfied with a few aspects of the Internship, overall satisfaction is negative. Two factors, namely 'Supervisory Guidance and Organizational Environment' and 'Future employment opportunities,' are significant in predicting students' overall satisfaction with the Internship program. Considering the results, suggestions for higher education institutions are provided to improve the quality of the Internship program.