JMK, VOL. 23, NO. 1, MARCH 2021, 40–51 DOI: 10.9744/jmk.23.1.

40–51
ISSN 1411-1438 print / ISSN 2338-8234 online

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS AND ATTITUDES

TOWARDS A CAREER IN TOURISM INDUSTRY: THE CASE OF
INDONESIA
Muhammad Iqbal Rosyidi
Directorate of Strategic Research
Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy Indonesia
17 Medan Merdeka Selatan Street, Central Jakarta, 10110, Indonesia
Email: iqbalrosyidi@kemenparekraf.go.id

Abstract

As a world-class tourism destination, Indonesia is facing challenges in providing competent tourism

human capital. Currently, the majority of tourism labor in Indonesia are low levels of education, and only a few
of them are graduated from higher education. Empirically, numerous studies suggest that many graduates from
various tourism schools in several countries preferred to not opt for tourism careers. This study aimed to
discover and analyze the perceptions and attitudes of final year students majoring in tourism and hospitality in
Indonesia to pursue a career in the tourism industry. Using an online distributed questionnaire through snowball
sampling method, this study obtained 422 completed responses of tourism and hospitality undergraduates from
Jakarta, Bandung, Lombok, Makassar, Palembang, Bali, Yogyakarta, Surakarta, and Batam. The collected data
then analyzed by perception-importance analysis using cartesian diagram and cross-tabulation analysis. This
study found that career advancement and salaries were considered important factors but got a bad perception.
However, the nature of the tourism industry's work that offers an enjoyable and fun environment is essential
and earned a positive perception. This study also presents some implications, mainly for the tourism industry
in Indonesia.

Keywords: Undergraduate students, tourism industry, perceptions, attitudes.

Introduction only 7.07%. Therefore, in Indonesia, the current

number of tourism labor who graduated from higher
Tourism human capital is an essential attribute for education is still scarce.
the tourism industry. The empirical studies in Jakarta Tourism human capital is an essential attribute for
suggest that human capital is the most significant factor the tourism industry. The empirical studies in Ja-karta
for tourist destination competitiveness (Budi, 2015). suggest that human capital is the most significant factor
Those human capital or tourism labors are the front for tourist destination competitiveness (Budi, 2015).
liners who provide services to consumers and play an Those human capital or tourism labors are the front
important role to deliver experiences for travelers liners who provide services to consumers and play an
(Solnet & Hood, 2008). The nature of work and basic important role to deliver experiences for travelers
functions of the tourism industry require them to (Solnet & Hood, 2008). The nature of work and basic
interact with tourists directly and play a substantial functions of the tourism industry require them to
responsibility in conveying tourist satisfaction. interact with tourists directly and play a substantial
The development of the tourism business like in responsibility in conveying tourist satisfaction.
developing countries increases the needs of profes- The development of the tourism business like in
sional as well as skilled labor (Liu & Wall, 2006). developing countries increases the needs of profesional
Typically, tertiary education, whether delivered as well as skilled labor (Liu & Wall, 2006). Typically,
through vocational or academic programs, is the tertiary education, whether delivered through vocatio-
central producing institution for tourism workforce nal or academic programs, is the central producing
(Le, Klieve, and McDonald, 2018). However, this is institution for tourism workforce (Le, Klieve, and Mc-
not the case in Indonesia. According to a report from Donald, 2018). However, this is not the case in Indo-
the Central Statistics Agency, in 2019, most of the nesia. According to a report from the Central Statistics
tourism labor (57.3%) attained low levels of education Agency, in 2019, most of the tourism labor (57.3%)
(elementary and junior high schools) (Bachrun, 2020). attained low levels of education (elementary and junior
The number of tourism workers who complete higher high schools) (Bachrun, 2020). The number of tourism
education (diploma and undergraduate programs) was workers who complete higher education (diploma and

40
 Rosyidi: Undergraduate Students’ Perceptions and Attitudes Towards a Career in Tourism Industry 41

undergraduate programs) was only 7.07%. Therefore, Several investigations in many countries have
in Indonesia, the current number of tourism labor who been conducted to identify attitudes, perceptions, and
graduated from higher education is still scarce. students' desires for a career in the tourism industry.
Previous studies suggest that many graduates Those studies discussed jobs' preferences and the role
from tourism institutions chose to leave tourism careers of individual characteristics such as age, gender, and
(Ahmad, Rashid, & Shariff, 2014; AlBattat & Som, work experience in influencing students' perceptions
2013) or even failed to enter the tourism-related and attitudes (Kusluvan & Kusluvan, 2000; Richard-
industry. This phenomenon happens due to the percep- son, 2009; Richardson & Butler, 2012; Wen, Li, &
tion of low satisfaction of profession, poor work Kwon, 2019).
environment and wage, and the turnover amongst staff Although some explorations concerning students'
that are too frequent (Anandhwanlert & Wattanasan, attitudes and perceptions for careers in the tour-ism
2017; Sibanyoni, Kleynhans & Vibetti, 2015; AlBattat, industry have been carried out in several countries, a
Som, & Helalat, 2014). comparable study has not yet been conducted in Indo-
The demand of competent and high educated nesia. As a developing country and an attractive tourist
tourism labor also encounters other obstacles, like destination in the Asia Pacific, arguably, prospective
candidates coming from non-tourism backgrounds. Indonesian tourism labors' characteristics and pre-
This phenomenon happens due to the tourism ferences cannot be compared to those in developed
industry’s image as an "escape plan" by those who do countries. Therefore, this study raises several questions
not have qualified skills in other sectors (Brien, 2004). including how tourism students perceive jobs in the
Conse-quently, the tourism sector is often inadequate tourism industry? what are the attitudes of tourism
to fit hu-man capitals’ best supply within the nation. students for a career in the tourism industry post
Meanwhile, the inadequate and unqualified human pandemic Covid-19? What are the business fields and
capital leads to the poor image of tourism industry work locations in the tourism industry preferred by the
(Pitso, 2018). This dilemma is a challenge for tourism students?
policymakers in guaranteeing candidates' appropriate-
ness with the required level, especially for preparing Factors Affecting Career Choice
Indonesia to compete at the international stage and
achieve the targeted aspirations. Generally speaking, a person's career choice is
Concurrently, the Covid-19 pandemic brings a determined by psychological and sociological aspects
large-scale impact on the tourism sector worldwide (Brown, 2002). Psychological aspects referred to in-
(Škare, Soriano, & Porada-Rochoń, 2020; UNWTO, ternal factors, are associated with individual factors:
2020) Indonesia has felt the shock as a consequence of personality and ability to do a job. Psychological fac-
limitation of people’s mobility inter continents and tors are related to how a person is treated as a child, and
within the country. It encourages tourism business lea- the sociological one is measured by how someone
ders to restructuring resources by decluttering laborers perceives something. According to Johnson and
(Dinarto, Wanto, & Sebastian, 2020). Furthermore, Mortimer (as cited in Brown, 2002), sociological as-
this pandemic has unfortunately caused the tourism pects were influenced by demographic and environ-
labors to lose income and hence leave the jobs (Hakim, mental factors or external factors. In this case, demo-
2020). graphic factors can be in ethnicity, social status, edu-
As a consequence, jobs will be challenging to cation, and gender. Meanwhile, environmental factors
grasped by vacancy hunters, including the newly can be in the form of social influence, work environ-
graduated tourism students. This condition raises ment, and the econo-mic environment.
concerns for the prospective workers in choosing a A single comprehensive theory regarding a
career. The tourism fresh-graduates have to endure person's career choice was developed by Lent et al. (as
tough competition for their first job, yet they also have cited in Brown, 2002), known as Social Cognitive
to compete with workers who have previously worked Career Theory (SCCT). SCCT emphasizes three main
but got layoffs due to pandemics. Sad but true, the va-riables: self-efficacy, expectations regarding results,
candidates also have to bear the risk of being con- and personal goals. Self-efficacy shows an individual's
tracted to Covid-19 since direct contact with tourists belief in their abilities, and expectations regarding
is inevitable in the tourism sector. Besides, a pay cut results speak about an individual's belief in the
and employment ter-mination during the pandemic has consequences of performing certain behaviors. Mean-
alarmed the newly graduates that the tourism industry while, personal goals are a determination to engage in
is unstable and often hit by a shock. certain activities or to influence specific future
42 JURNAL MANAJEMEN DAN KEWIRAUSAHAAN, VOL. 23, NO. 1, MARCH 2021: 40–51

outcomes. In SCCT theory, these three variables in- industry have a considerable function in managing the
teract with individual conditions (gender, ethnicity, tourism industry's sustainability because they have to
abilities, and personality) and contextual factors ensure customer satisfaction by directly dealing with
(family, culture, familiarization of gender roles) in tourists (Baum, 2016).
shaping the direction of one's career development.
Although internal factors shape one's career path, Attitudes and Perceptions of Students towards
sociological views also observe the environment as Careers in the Tourism Industry
something that considerably affects one's career de-
cision. As mentioned earlier, the power from the en- On a broad scale, studying and evaluating stu-
vironment can be in the form of social influence, actors dents' attitudes towards the tourism industry careers is
who influence a person, and environmental conditions vital to predicting and planning tourism labor within
such as economic conditions, the labor market, and the the country or tourist destinations. Their attitudes are
unemployment rate (White, 2007). Apart from it, other influenced by several factors, such as personal reasons,
parties who can influence one's career choice were the nature of the jobs, human factors, educational
industry mentors and friends (Brown, 2002; Lee, Lee, factors, and individual characteristics (Jiang & Tribe,
& Dopson, 2019). 2009). Meanwhile, Le et al. (2018) added that interac-
tion with tourists and pre-apprenticeship education also
Characteristics of Jobs in the Tourism Industry affected individual attitudes in choosing a career in the
tourism industry. According to Wan Yim King and
The workers' characteristics in the tourism indus- Kong Weng Hang (2011), students who had positive
try are often unique compared to other sectors. It is easy attitudes and perceptions of a specific industry tend to
to find non-standard workers in the tourism industry, be more likely to join the concerned industry after
such as independent/freelance workers and workers graduation.
with contracts or casual workers. Formally, workers in Tourism students often get an overview of how a
the tourism industry are required to have high interper- tourism business is operated and the characteristics of
jobs in the tourism industry whilst schooling. They got
sonal skills to deal with tourists. The ability to control
a rational representation directly after going through
oneself emotionally whilst facing complaints is called
practical work/apprenticeship or doing a part-time job
emotional labor (Chan, 2017).
(Dewar, Sayers, & Meyer, 2002). Prospective workers
In most cases, workers in the tourism industry
will usually evaluate the characteristics of the job. One
must have particular skills, such as chefs who must
of their evaluations is related to assessing whether the
master gastronomy and food processing management. industry can meet their expectations and employment
Similarly, museum curators must know a lot about judgments.
history, and dive tour guides must have diving skills. Based on the evaluation results, it is common for
However, jobs in the tourism industry also often tourism students to leave the tourism industry after
require non-specific skills and tend to be easy for some graduation (Cassel, Thulemark, & Duncan, 2018).
people, such as restaurant waiters, cashier/ticket offi- Some people usually perceive jobs in the tourism
cers, and hotel concierge/porters. industry as a 'stepping stone' before getting the job they
Another characteristic of employment in the dream of (Dewar et al., 2002). Fortunately, a positive
tourism industry is student interns' involvement in the attitude accompanied by a desire to continue a career
field and directly dealing with tourist. Students consi- in the tourism industry is an excellent precondition so
der that internship programs are beneficial for im- that a country could have great quality and competitive
proving skills and work experience even though they tourism sectors (Kusluvan & Kusluvan, 2000).
must be willing not to collect remuneration. Unfor- Based on the existing literature, students' percep-
tunately, apprentice students are usually not fully ex- tions of working in the tourism industry tend to be
perienced, so that the expected outcomes are not negative. This situation implies a decline of interest in
achieved. As a result, negative perceptions of employ- tourism careers. Several students' negative perceptions
ment in the tour-ism industry have long surged. are related to low salaries and benefits (Lacher & Oh,
Unlike other industries that produce tangible ma- 2012), limited promotion opportunities (Wen et al.,
terials like cars, shoes, or furniture, the tourism in- 2019), and relatively high employee turnover (AlBattat
dustry provides intangible products such as ex- et al., 2014). Also, Kusluvan and Kusluvan (2000)
periences for visitors. As a result, customer sa- stated that students believed the tourism industry was a
tisfaction solely depends on the experience given and stressful profession, gave low status in society, and was
how it is delivered by staff. Workers in the tourism not a permanent job.
 Rosyidi: Undergraduate Students’ Perceptions and Attitudes Towards a Career in Tourism Industry 43

Nevertheless, several positive perceptions of Table 1

students were found. Wang and Huang (2014) showed Previous Studies Regarding Students’ Perceptions and
that students valued the tourism industry positively. Attitudes towards a Career in Tourism Industry
They believed the tourism industry could allow them Researchers /
to communicate with foreign tourists and have a close Findings
Country
bond with diverse cultures. Wijesundara (2015) said Kusluvan and Factors that influence negative attitudes
that the shift work in the tourism industry received Kusluvan (2000) / towards careers in tourism are:
positive responses from students. Turkey  stressful workload
 long working hours
Desire for Careers in the Tourism Industry  tiring and seasonal (unstable) work
 low social status
Kusluvan and Kusluvan (2000) defined nine  disappointing promotions
variables as factors influencing students' desire for  low wages and small incentives
tourism industry careers. The nine factors including  unqualified managers
nature of work, social status, industry-person conge-  poor managerial attitudes and
niality, physical working conditions, pay/benefit, pro- behaviour towards employees
motion opportunities, coworkers, managers, and com-  unqualified co-workers
mitment to work in the tourism industry are correlated  poor co-worker attitudes and
behaviour
and influenced with students’ career choice in the
 poor physical working conditions
tourism industry. Several recent studies still use all the
variables above (Le et al., 2018; Tuzunkan, 2018; Wen Richardson (2009)/ Tourism and hospitality students did not
et al., 2019), while other studies only partially use those Australia believe that the tourism industry could
variables (Adhoch, 2019; El-Dief & El-Dief, 2019; offer the qualities they considered
Mohammed, 2018). Previous research regarding stu- necessary in choosing a future career.
dent's attitudes, perceptions, and desire for a career in Bamford (2012) / Students believed that the tourism
the tourism industry is presented in Table 1. New Zealand industry provides low wages, fair work
environment, requires long working
Research Method hours, good co-workers, and does not
require certain degrees.
Considering that respondents' perceptions and
attitudes are beyond the researcher's control and can be Richardson and Tourism students did not consider the
measured universally and objectively, this research Butler (2012) / tourism industry as an attractive career
was conducted with a positivistic paradigm. This study Malaysia path.
relies on empirical knowledge of students' perceptions Wen et al. (2019) / Students had positive attitudes towards
and attitudes for a career in the tourism industry Mainland China pursuing a career in the hotel industry.
through a positivistic approach. The approach's core is Factors, such as compensation, benefits,
to experiment with phenomena that need to be inten- and promotion opportunities, signi-
tionally observed using a series of procedures. ficantly impacted their intentions,
meaning that they still wanted to work
Quantitative research methods are still considered in the hospitality industry after
relevant to satisfy various questions in this study. Most graduation.
of the previous research was using quantitative me-
thods (Amissah et al., 2020; El-Dief & El-Dief, 2019; Amissah, Mensah, Students counted that careers in the
Ibrahim, Saber, Mustapha, Othman, & Salim, 2020; Mensah, and hospitality and tourism industry could
Gamor (2020) / allow them to take care of others, build
Tuzunkan, 2018), although there were also researchers Ghana their private businesses, gain
who used qualitative methods (Chan, 2019) or even transferable skills, and have the
mixed-method (Vu, 2020; Wen et al., 2019). The use opportunity to pursue higher
of quantitative methods in this research sees Kusluvan education/training.
and Kusluvan (2000) as a model, who has become the
pioneers in this topic. Several studies in 2015 with This study involved 422 undergraduate students
quantitative and mixed-method involving 100 to 614 from several university and polytechnic in Indonesia.
respondents have been conducted (Ibrahim et al., Selected participants came from universities that
2020; Wen et al., 2019). The selection of respondents collaborated in the past work with the Ministry of
often involved a single tourism university/ polytechnic. Tourism and Creative Economy. However, the total
However, some researchers also involved various respondents in this study represent a margin of error of
universities/polytechnics. 4,72% with a 95% confidence level.
44 JURNAL MANAJEMEN DAN KEWIRAUSAHAAN, VOL. 23, NO. 1, MARCH 2021: 40–51

The data were distributed and collected using On the other hand, if the respondent is either in
online questionnaires using SurveyMonkey platform. doubt or wants a career in the tourism industry, they
Data collection using online platforms have also been must proceed to the section about students' preferences
carried out in several previous studies (Ibrahim et al., towards business fields and locations for tourism ca-
2020; Wen et al., 2019) like Survey Monkey reers. However, before the questionnaire was widely
(Bamford, 2012) or email (Le et al., 2018). Given the distributed, the filling trial was carried out involving 30
current situation that does not make it possible to tourism students.
conduct a face-to-face encounter, the online question- This study measures five over nine variables used
naire method is considered adequate and efficient for by Kusluvan and Kusluvan (2000) with the fol-lowing
respondents labelled as Z generations who are techno- questions:
logy and internet savvy. The link of questionnaires was
distributed via WhatsApp Messenger, forwarded to Table 3
colleagues and lecturers at the 13 tourism educational Variables and Indicators Applied
institutions listed in Table 2. The distribution of Variables Indicators Code
questionnaires carried on April, 20 to May, 29 2020. Nature of work Fun/enjoyable work J1
Messages were then forwarded to students who met Fun work environment J2
the criteria. The data were collected by using the Friendly co-workers J3
Standard working hours (40 J4
snowball sampling method. hours per week)
The questionnaire consists of four parts. Before Permanent job J5
entering the first part, there are introductory and A job that allows freedom of J6
screening questions to ensure that respondents meet the work (work independently)
stan-dards. The first part of the questionnaire asks the High-risk job (threatens
res-pondents' profile, consisting of gender, education personal safety and health) J7
level, experience in a tourism vocational high school, Opportunity for a Opportunities for a quick O1
work experience in the tourism industry, and industry promotion promotion
in-ternship experience. The second part explores the
fac-tors considered necessary for tourism students and Salary/ benefits High-paying jobs B1
their perceptions of those factors. The third section Jobs that can improve personal B2
skills
explores students' desire for a career in the tourism Jobs with the opportunity of B3
industry before and after the Covid-19 pandemic. If a traveling outside the
respondent does not want to pursue a career in the region/abroad
tourism industry, the questionnaire will reach its end. High starting salary B4

Table 2 Industry-Person Work that in line with the C1

List of Respondents' University, Polytechnic, or College Congeniality educational background
Jobs that are easily found in C2
University/Polytechnic/College City/Province various areas
Medan Tourism Polytechnic Medan, North Sumatra
Palembang Tourism Polytechnic Palembang Social status A job that allows workers to S1
Bali Tourism Polytechnic Nusa Dua, Bali contribute to the natural
Makassar Tourism Polytechnic Makassar, South environment and social life
Sulawesi A job that is respected/fancy S2
Lombok Tourism Polytechnic Praya, West Nusa
Tenggara The collected data was then processed and
Bandung Institute of Tourism Bandung, West Java analyzed using Statistical Product and Service
Bunda Mulia University Jakarta
Solutions version 25 (SPSS v25). For testing the
Trisakti College of Tourism Jakarta
Sahid College of Tourism Jakarta reliability and validity of the data, the Cronbach's
Batam Tourism Polytechnic Batam, Riau Alpha parameter was used, with a test value above 0.7,
Archipelago which indicates the right data consistency. The concept
Ambarukmo College of Yogyakarta of Importance Performance Analysis (IPA) using
Tourism Cartesian diagram, further namely perception-
Yapari College of Tourism Bandung, West Java importance analysis, and descriptive statistics was
Economy carried out to identify students' perceptions and factors
Sebelas Maret University Surakarta, Central Java considered necessary in tourism industry careers.
 Rosyidi: Undergraduate Students’ Perceptions and Attitudes Towards a Career in Tourism Industry 45

The cartesian diagram consists of four quadrants. Factors Considered Important

Quadrant 1 (“keep up the good work”) identifies an
area where the average of importance and perception The three factors that are considered as the most
are above total average. Furthermore, Quadrant 2 important in a job for undergraduate students were fun
(“concentrate here”) identifies the job attributes that work environment (4.36), fun/enjoyable work (4.30),
have more important score but need for improve- and friendly co-worker (4.27). The top three important
ments. Quadrant 3 (“low priority”) identifies attributes factors are related to the nature of work. Meanwhile,
that are less favorable and less important. Quadrant 4 three factors considered less necessary in a job than
(“possible overkill”) identifies attributes that are others were high-risk jobs (2.79), jobs with high
favorable but less important for students. Meanwhile,
starting-salaries (3.44), and respected/fancy jobs
descriptive analysis through crosstabulation was con-
ducted to identify the characteristics of tourism stu- (3.54). These findings show that high-risk factor was
dents who crave a career in the tourism industry even not something to worry for the students in a job. Apart
after the Covid-19. from that, respondents also considered that a high
starting salary was not too necessary.
Result and Discussion
Students’ Perception
The collected data indicate that this study in-
volved more female students (61.6%) rather than male In general, respondents' perceptions indicated that
students. The majority of respondents in this study jobs in the tourism industry could not be able to satisfy
came from vocational institutions (73%). Most of the their expectations. The attributes that the tourism
res¬pondents have had an internship experience in the
industry may offer, according to respondents, were a
tourism industry (72%). Only a few respondents had
worked in the tourism industry before they attended fun/enjoyable work (4.11), a job that can improve
higher education (32.7%). Also, only a small part of personal skills (4.08), and a fun/enjoyable work envi-
respondents (36.5%) stated that the tourism/hospitality ronment (4.05). On the other hand, the attributes that
study program was not their first choice on their got low perception which the tourism industry may not
enrolment. offer were a high-risk job (2.97), jobs with high starting
salaries (3.38), and standard working hours (3.43).
Table 4
Characteristics of Sample Table 5
Respondent Characteristics n (%) Variables and Indicators Applied
Gender
Importance Perception
Male 162 38.4 Gap
Female 260 61.6 Codes Mean Mean
SD SD (Mp-Mi)
Current Education (Mi) (Mp)
Diploma-3 163 38.6
Diploma-4 145 34.4 J1 4.30 1.16 4.11 1.12 (0.19)
Bachelor's degree 114 27.0 J2 4.36 1.18 4.05 1.11 (0.31)
Previous Education J3 4.27 1.20 3.95 1.10 (0.32)
Previously graduated from 180 42.7 J4 3.71 1.09 3.43 1.15 (0.28)
Vocational High Schools in J5 3.69 1.08 3.49 1.07 (0.20)
Tourism J6 3.94 1.10 3.76 1.08 (0.18)
Previously graduated from non- 242 57.3 J7 2.79 1.10 2.97 1.08 0.18
tourism High Schools
Had work experience in the tourism O1 4.00 1.09 3.48 1.03 (0.52)
industry before college/university
Yes 138 32.7 B1 4.06 1.14 3.72 1.06 (0.34)
No 284 67.3
B2 4.24 1.20 4.08 1.12 (0.16)
Had internship/practical work
B3 3.84 1.21 3.97 1.19 0.13
experience
Tourism /hospitality industry 304 72.0 B4 3.44 0.99 3.38 0.95 (0.06)
Others 40 9.5
Non-governmental institutions 19 4.5 C1 3.75 1.13 3.76 1.13 0.01
Government offices 59 14.0 C2 3.88 1.10 3.80 1.08 (0.09)
The tourism/hospitality study
programme was the first choice S1 4.11 1.21 4.01 1.13 (0.10)
No 154 36.5 S2 3.54 1.03 3.58 1.00 0.04
Yes 268 63.5 Avg. 3.87 3.72 (0.15)
46 JURNAL MANAJEMEN DAN KEWIRAUSAHAAN, VOL. 23, NO. 1, MARCH 2021: 40–51

The result showed that 12 attributes of job in The Desire to Pursue Career in the Tourism
tourism industry obtained negative perception com- Industry
pared to its importance. Therefore, the perception im-
portance analysis used for identifying favorable and As many as 90.5% of 422 respondents desired to
important attributes among the undergraduate students. pursue careers in the tourism industry before the
COVID-19. However, the number decreased to 81.5%
Perception-Importance Analysis when the situation shifted to "after COVID-19."
Based on perception-importance analysis (Figure Similarly, uncertain respondents for tourism careers af-
1), in the Quadrant-1, meaning to maintain good ter COVID-19 increased by 9%. Surprisingly, those
performance, consisted of seven attributes: fun work who did not seem interested in the tourism industry
(J1), fun/enjoyable work environment (J2), friendly co- before and after the COVID-19 remained the same.
worker (J3), jobs that allows freedom of work (J6), job
that can improve personal skills (B2), jobs that are Table 7
easily found in various areas (C2), and jobs that allows Students’ Desire to Pursue a Tourism Industry Career
workers to contribute to the natural environment and Based on Their Socio-Demographic
social life (S1). Most of the tourism industry attributes Desire to have a career in
that are considered essential and have good perceptions the tourism industry after
are jobs related to the nature of tourism industry work. Characteristic COVID-19
Meanwhile, two attributes considered essential Desire Doubt/ Not
but have low perceptions are covered in Quadrant-2: Unsure desire
the opportunity for quick promotion (O1) and a job Had an internship 90% 10% -
with a high salary (B1). Five attributes are included in experience in the
Quadrant-3, meaning that they were considered not a Government offices
priority and get low perception: standard working Had an internship 89% 11% -
hours (J4), permanent work (J5), high-risk jobs (J7), experience in the non-
jobs with high starting salaries (B4), and respected jobs Government offices
(S2). However, jobs that allow traveling outside the Had work experience in 87% 11% 2%
the tourism industry
region/abroad (B3) and jobs in line with the education
Currently studying 87% 13% -
(C1) are in Quadrant-4, which means that these Bachelor’s degree
attributes are less important even though they received Tourism study program 85% 13% 1%
good perceptions. was the first choice
Currently studying 84% 14% 2%
vocational college for
Diploma-3 degree
Previously graduated 84% 14% 2%
from vocational high
schools in
tourism/hospitality
Female 83% 14% 3%
Had an internship 83% 10% 7%
experience in other
sectors
Previously graduated 80% 17% 3%
Figure 1. Perception-importance cartesian quadrant from non-tourism high
schools
Table 6 Male 80% 18% 2%
Perception-Importance Analysis Result Had internship experience 79% 18% 3%
Quadrant Code in the tourism industry
Quadrant 1 Had no work experience 79% 18% 3%
“keep up the good work” J1, J2, J3, J6, C2, B2, S1 in the tourism industry
Quadrant 2 Tourism study 75% 20% 5%
“concentrate here” B1, O1 programme was not
Quadrant 3 the first choice
“low priority” J4, J5, J7, S2, B4 Currently studying 74% 20% 6%
Quadrant 4 vocational college for
“possible overkill” C1, B3 Diploma-4 degree
 Rosyidi: Undergraduate Students’ Perceptions and Attitudes Towards a Career in Tourism Industry 47

Based on socio-demographic characteristics, Table 8

respondents who craved a career in the tourism indus- Students’ Preference of Business Lines in Tourism
try (90%) mostly have had an internship experience in Industry
the government sector. Interestingly, respondents who Education Degree %
have had an internship in the practical tourism industry Sectors within
Dip. Dip. Total
Tourism Industry Bachelor
(79%) tend to be less likely to continue sticking with it. 3 4 Resp.
Based on the education level, most of the students Accommodation 45% 36% 19% 51%
taking undergraduate programs (87%) desired careers MICE 42% 34% 24% 38%
Food and 48% 30% 22%
in the tourism industry rather than those studying beverages
Diploma-3 (84%) and Diploma-4 (74%). Respondents Tourism 35% 27% 38% 30%
with the least desire in the tourism industry are those Developer
who are currently taking Diploma-4. Travel agent 28% 36% 36% 25%
Tourism 16% 39% 45% 21%
consulting
Preferences for Careers in the Tourism Industry services
Tourism 35% 17% 48% 21%
Based on cross-tabulation analysis, the sector of transportation
accommodation was the most engaging to respondents Recreation and 42% 34% 24% 17%
(51%), followed by Meeting, Incentive, Convention, entertainment
Tourist attraction 21% 37% 42% 16%
and Exhibition (MICE) (38%) and food and beverages Tourism 41% 23% 36% 6%
(37.9%). Meanwhile, tour guides (5.8%), marine information
tourism (5.5%), and spas (2.3%) are the business fields services
with the least interest. This finding is not too startling Tourist guide 45% 25% 30% 5%
given that accommodation and food and beverage Marine tourism 37% 42% 21% 5%
Spas 50% 37% 13% 2%
services, including the hotel and restaurant business,
are the most popular fields and contribute significantly Table 9
to absorbing labors in destinations. Based on education Students’ Preference of Destinations to Work in Tourism
level, 80% of respondents from diploma programs Industry
chose the accommodation industry as the career field,
% Total
whilst transportation services (48%) and tourism Destinations
Resp.
consulting services (45%) were favorited by respon- Bali 47.7%
dents studying undergraduate programs (Bachelor's Labuan Bajo 29.7%
degree). European region 24.7%
As Indonesia's most-visited destination by Japan 22.4%
tourists, Bali attracted most respondents (47.7%) Dubai 21.2%
Raja Ampat 20.9%
compared to other locations. While, Labuan Bajo, Borobudur area 18%
designated as one of Indonesia's super-priority tourism Lombok-Mandalika 18%
destinations, was chosen by many respondents Singapore 14%
(29.7%). Interestingly, few respondents chose United States 11.6%
Bandung (0.6%) and Makassar (0.6%). Although the Bromo-Tengger-Semeru area 9.9%
Toba area 8.1%
two cities are known as the leading tourist destinations Wakatobi 7.6%
in Java and Sulawesi Islands, only a few respondents Bangka-Belitung 5.2%
desired to pursue a career in those two cities. Hongkong 3.8%
Respondents also answered that they craved to Malaysia 3.5%
have a career in the overseas industries. The European Jakarta 2.9%
and Asian regions are their favorite destinations, South Korea 1.5%
Thailand 0.9%
showing that 24.7% of respondents wanted the Bandung 0.6%
European Region, followed by Japan (22.4%), Dubai Makassar 0.6%
(21.2%), and Singapore (14%). Others 5.2%
48 JURNAL MANAJEMEN DAN KEWIRAUSAHAAN, VOL. 23, NO. 1, MARCH 2021: 40–51

Discussion Conclusion and Implication

Some of the findings of this study are consistent The present study succeeded in finding the per-
with several previous studies. The students considered ceptions, attitudes, and preferences of tourism and
nature of work, especially fun atmosphere as the most hospitality students for tourism industry careers. In
important factor for them in a workplace. According to general, the majority of tourism and hospitality stu-
Chan (2019), workplace fun is necessary because it can dents in Indonesia still craved to have a career in tou-
give workers a sense of comfort and flexibility. With rism industry even in amid and post Covid-19 pan-
something comforting, workers could feel connected demic. Although some students were hesitant, the
to the company, and their daily work and strong social number was insignificant. However, students appre-
ties can be built so that it has a positive effect on service ciated fun at work and considered it as the most im-
for tourists/guests. This finding is also consistent with portant factor in a job. Concurrently, they believed the
the findings of Richardson and Butler (2012), where tourism industry capable to provide workplace fun.
fun work was an essential attribute for students in
This present study provides practical implication
Malaysia. The students reckoned that tourism industry
for the government and tourism businessperson as
might offer a fun workplace.
However, the evidences show that undergraduate well. As for the government, preparing the best talents
students of tourism and hospitality program consider for work is beneficial to strengthen the competitiveness
salary and social status less important in a job. This of Indonesia's future tourism. Since workers play an
finding is different from the findings in Malaysia and influential role in the tourism industry's sustainability,
Australia, which concluded that a high starting salary preparing and preserving competent labors who earned
and social status was an important attribute (Richard- higher education is an essential agenda. Moreover, the
son, 2009; Richardson & Butler, 2012; Ibrahim et al., government is necessitated to develop and improve
2020). Besides, the low starting salary and social status tourism educational institutions in Indonesia, such as
offered by the majority of the tourism industry was one vocational schools and higher education, in preparing
of the main factors causing students not to choose a skilled, educated, and passionate future talents to serve
career in the tourism industry (Lu & Adler, 2009; Tan domestic tourism industry.
et al., 2016). Meanwhile, employers and business player must
On the other hand, amid the Covid-19 pandemic, continue maintaining a pleasant work environment and
the students less concerned with a high-risk job they improving workers' skills to attract excellent talents
might face once graduated. Working as a tourism labor who earned higher education in tourism. Besides, bu-
is considered safe. Therefore, they supposed that a job siness actors also need to open opportunities for wor-
with a high-risks is not something to be feared. kers to be creative and innovative at work so that wor-
The evidence which suggested Bali as the most kers can contribute to their environment and social life.
preferred destination to work is predictable. The land However, speaking about the challenges, tourism bu-
of Gods is a globally well-known tourist destination siness players need to increase the offered salary and
where numerous tourism business bloom. The provide opportunities for promising promotions so as
privileges they might attain when working in Bali are
to attract workers from tourism-related institutions. If
chances to work in reputable industry and the same
domestic business players cannot answer these two
time, they are able to make a holiday in several tourist
important attributes, the possibility of domestic talents
destinations in Bali. Those advantages are related to
stu-dents’ positive perception in tourism industry about to speculate a career abroad is inevitably wide open.
a job that allow traveling. Although this study managed in finding evi-
However, this study also discovered that dences in several cities in Indonesia, this study
undergraduate students of tourism and hospitality in merely examined five variables used by Kusluvan and
Indonesia aspire to work abroad. As prospective Kusluvan (2000). Consequently, this study will not be
tourism worker who earned higher education in a as intense as other studies that were comprehensively
developing country, working abroad with a higher explaining attitudes, perceptions, and the desires of
salary offer than their home country is prestigious and students who craved to have careers in the tourism
beneficial as well. Working in a foreign country, par- industry. Future research should also explore the other
ticularly in an advanced economy, is the answer to va-riables and apply an advanced quantitative analysis
domestic tourism industry’s low salary. to obtain a more comprehensive finding.
 Rosyidi: Undergraduate Students’ Perceptions and Attitudes Towards a Career in Tourism Industry 49

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