“I would love to work in tourism, but …”: Exploring the outcomes of an ethnic tourism education initiative

This study focused on an ethnic tourism education initiative featuring Tibetan undergraduates in a coastal Chinese university. The employment intentions of the undergraduates and alumni were compared. The undergraduates were interested in hospitality and tourism jobs, while the alumni took stable government jobs. Using secondary data and focus groups, it was found that the Tibetan undergraduates “would love to work in tourism,” but strong barriers existed: namely personal pursuits, family and social pressures, educational factors, the nature of tourism jobs, and the benefits of working in the government. The wider implications of the study for tourism education programs were presented.