Unlocking Goa's tourism potential: Entrepreneurial perspectives of business students

Abstract

This study explores tourism entrepreneurial intentions, leveraging the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) paradigm and integrating additional variables such as entrepreneurial education and parental self-employment (PSE). A quantitative approach was employed, with structured survey data extracted from 247 business school students of Goa. The data were analyzed using SMART PLS (Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling) to determine construct reliability and validity and assess the variables' relationship. According to the results, attitude toward entrepreneurship education (ATEE) influences tourism entrepreneurial intention (TEI) for males through perceived behavioral control (PBC) and attitude toward tourism entrepreneurship (ATTE). In contrast, family business background (PSE) impacts TEI for females via ATTE. Subjective norms (SN) significantly affect TEI among business students mediated by ATTE, but gender variations in PBC pathways remain insignificant. The study emphasizes the importance of gender-sensitive entrepreneurship education customized to specific strategies impacting entrepreneurial inclinations.