Effect of COVID-19 pandemic on perceptions and career goals of undergraduate tourism students in Ecuador

This paper explored the perceptions and career goals of undergraduate tourism students, before and during the pandemic COVID-19, in the Universidad Estatal de Milagro, in Milagro, Ecuador. The study is based on a quantitative approach. The sample is made up of 207 students during 2018 (before the COVID-19 pandemic) and 161 students in 2020 (during COVID-19). The questionnaire included questions about professional perceptions and questions about the professional goals that students have in the short and long term. Finally, perceptions exclusively related to COVID-19 were measured.  The results showed that the vast majority of the students are highly motivated and committed to pursue a career in the tourism industry. A high percentage of the participants expressed their desire to do a Tourism master degree and undertake their own tourism businesses, despite the uncertainty now generated by COVID-19. The findings also reaffirmed the importance of guiding improvements on tourism higher education and tourism industry, with the aim of ensuring the quality of the tourist services, with highly skilled professionals, especially in emerging tourist destinations as Ecuador.