Hospitality/Tourism Career Forums as a Means of Imparting Career Advice to Students: An Empirical Evaluation

ABSTRACT Hospitality/tourism career forums are events at which a panel of successful travel industry professionals provide career advice to students and answer their questions about getting started, and succeeding, in the travel industry. A long-standing forum annually conducted in Hawaii is evaluated in this article. An analysis of data collected by surveying student attendees of the forum immediately after its conclusion revealed that students highly rated the event and would likely recommend it to other students. Advice on working in the travel industry, course selection, and working with others significantly contributed to students’ overall rating of the event, suggesting that future events should include such information. Students with travel industry experience, on average, rated the event more highly than others in terms of advice on career advancement and working in the industry, suggesting the importance of dispensing advice not only on starting careers in hospitality/tourism but also on successfully continuing them.