From Informal Hiring to Strategic Human Resource Management: Recruitment, Selection, and Organizational Outcomes in Greek Tourism

The tourism industry relies significantly on skilled personnel to deliver high-quality services, yet recruitment and selection practices remain inconsistent, particularly in contexts such as the Greek context. This study examines the impact of recruitment and selection practices on organizational outcomes including workforce diversity and service quality. Drawing on survey responses from 118 tourism professionals across diverse roles, the research uncovers that while digital recruitment tools are moderately utilized, traditional methods like employee referrals continue to dominate hiring practices. Structured selection practices, including interviews and practical assessments, are inconsistently applied and investment in interviewer training remains low. Further analyses reveal mostly weak associations between recruitment and selection methods and key organizational outcomes, suggesting that improvements may be inadequate without broader strategic integration. These findings highlight the need for tourism organizations in Greece to view human resource management (HRM) as a strategic priority, emphasizing standardized, competency-based hiring processes and widespread interviewer training to enhance fairness, reduce turnover, and improve service quality. This study contributes to filling gaps in tourism-specific HR research and offers practical recommendations for developing more effective and resilient HR practices in the sector.