Hospitality and Tourism Student Engagement and Hope During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

ABSTRACT Taking the perspective of positive education, this study aims to examine the state of hospitality and tourism students’ hope during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also investigates the role of academic program engagement efforts in imparting students’ hope, their academic satisfaction, and loyalty intention to remain in hospitality and tourism as a major and career. The results show that student’s engagement experience is positive despite the crisis. Engagement activities, especially from faculty and the overall campus environment, significantly instilled hope among students. Hope and academic satisfaction were two powerful predictors for student’s major and career loyalty. The study results not only provide a timely snapshot on hospitality and tourism students’ engagement experience, academic satisfaction, and loyalty intention during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also offers a hope-centered framework to guide academic programs on their engagement and student success efforts going forward.