IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jtourh/v6y2025i2p74-d1643959.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Ikigai and Career Choices in Hospitality and Tourism: A Study of Student Motivations Amidst Industry Disruptions

Author

Listed:
  • Paula Tavares de Carvalho

    (ISEC Lisboa—Instituto Superior de Educação e Ciências, 1750-142 Lisbon, Portugal
    BRU (IUL)—Business Research Unit, ISCTE—Instituto Superior de Ciências do Trabalho e da Empresa, 1649-026 Lisbon, Portugal)

  • Ricardo Jorge Raimundo

    (ISEC Lisboa—Instituto Superior de Educação e Ciências, 1750-142 Lisbon, Portugal
    IADE—Faculdade de Design, Tecnologia e Comunicação, Universidade Europeia, 1200-649 Lisbon, Portugal)

Abstract

This study explores the motivations of students pursuing a university degree in hospitality and tourism and their intention to build a career in the sector. The research focused on students and recent graduates (up to two years post-graduation) from two universities in Portugal’s largest cities, Lisbon and Oporto, offering Hotel/Tourism Management programs. A quantitative study was carried out, and out of 610 questionnaires distributed, 346 valid responses were analysed using the structural equation modelling technique. Findings indicate that personal motivations, as well as macro and micro perspectives, influence the decision to pursue a degree in hospitality and tourism. Younger individuals with no prior industry experience tend to have a more optimistic outlook compared to older students or those with work experience. A key challenge is sustaining this optimism throughout their careers, which can enhance job satisfaction and improve retention in a sector known for high turnover rates. Unlike previous studies, this research links students’ motivations to their “Ikigai”—the pursuit of purpose and fulfilment. The desire to create meaningful experiences for others adds another dimension to understanding students’ motivations, particularly when considering differences in age and work experience.

Suggested Citation

  • Paula Tavares de Carvalho & Ricardo Jorge Raimundo, 2025. "Ikigai and Career Choices in Hospitality and Tourism: A Study of Student Motivations Amidst Industry Disruptions," Tourism and Hospitality, MDPI, vol. 6(2), pages 1-19, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jtourh:v:6:y:2025:i:2:p:74-:d:1643959
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5768/6/2/74/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5768/6/2/74/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zhou, Shuai & Yi, Ni & Rasiah, Rajah & Zhao, Haipeng & Mo, Zile, 2024. "An empirical study on the dark side of service employees’ AI awareness: Behavioral responses, emotional mechanisms, and mitigating factors," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Saeed, Najiya & Akhtar, Naeem & Attri, Rekha & Yaqub, Muhammad Zafar, 2024. "How violation of consumers’ expectations causes perceived betrayal and related behaviors: Theoretical perspectives from expectancy violation theory," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jtourh:v:6:y:2025:i:2:p:74-:d:1643959. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.