Tourism and Career Development in the Face of Seawater Threats: Understanding the Perspectives of Tourism and Hospitality Students from Coastal Areas

Abstract

The subject of this paper stems from the potential threat to the development of tourism functions in coastal destinations, which carries significant consequences for the tourism labor market in these areas. This study examines the state and variability of cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cyanoHABs) and their potential impact on tourism, focusing on the Gdańsk agglomeration as a tourist hub in Northern Poland. Specifically, the research endeavors to explore the attitudes and career inclinations of prospective professionals in the tourism and hospitality (T&H) sector—students enrolled in higher educational institutions within the studied locale—toward the issue of cyanoHABs and its impact on their post-graduation employment aspirations within the T&H industry. The research employs both desk research methods and a structured questionnaire. The key findings reveal that despite the significant presence of cyanoHABs, particularly in July–August, there is also a peak in tourist flows. Thus, it is not definitively established that tourists select destinations based on the quality of water and beaches. Moreover, T&H students exhibit a comprehensive understanding of the cyanoHAB phenomenon and its detrimental effects on the perceived allure of tourist destinations and the employment market. Specifically, students predominantly acknowledged that cyanoHABs could diminish the tourist attractiveness of coastal regions, decrease tourist traffic, and foster negative opinions of the affected destination. Moreover, the findings confirm that, in students’ perceptions, cyanoHABs in seaside regions could detrimentally affect tourism-related businesses. Thus, it is not surprising that T&H students would not consider their future career in tourism within regions of high cyanoHAB risk. This study represents one of the pioneering efforts to examine the connections between cyanoHABs and students’ perceptions of their impact on tourism and career advancement in the T&H industry, which is directly linked with the environmental quality. The novelty of this research lies in its emphasis on students’ perspectives, offering insight into the future qualified workforce in the T&H sector. This approach may shed new light on a better understanding of how cyanoHABs may affect tourism and its labor market, influencing young people’s attitudes toward their future careers in T&H.