From Classroom to Career: Assessing Job Match and Competency Relevance Among Hospitality and Tourism Graduates in the Philippines

Graduate employability remains a critical policy concern in the Philippines, where studies indicate a persistent job-skill mismatch despite high enrollment in service-sector degree programs. This tracer study examines the labor market outcomes of 100 graduates (2017–2022) from the Department of Hospitality and Tourism at the University of San Carlos (USC), a CHED-recognized Center for Development. Using the standardized CHED Tracer Study Instrument, the research assesses job match, time-to-employment, and the workplace relevance of program outcomes and competencies. Findings reveal a strong overall job match, with 82% employed and over 50% working in tourism- or hospitality-related fields. All program outcomes—including business knowledge, communication, leadership, and technical competencies—were rated as “very greatly needed” in current roles (mean ≥ 4.27 on a 5-point scale), with no significant differences across programs (p = 0.165). Communication skills (91.9%) and human relations (79.1%) emerged as the most valued competencies in graduates’ first jobs. While these results affirm the program’s alignment with industry demands, the 18% non-employment rate and substantial spillover into non-tourism sectors (e.g., BPO, real estate) signal latent mismatch risks. The study underscores the need for enhanced career counseling, digital upskilling, and longitudinal tracking to ensure sustained graduate relevance in a dynamic labor market

Digital Leap in Rural Tourism: Adoption Challenges and Outcomes of a SaaS-Based Visitor Platform in an Indonesian Tourism Village

Digital transformation is redefining the operational landscape of community-based tourism, particularly in post-pandemic Southeast Asia. This qualitative case study examines the implementation and impact of the Atourin Visitor Management System (AVMS)—a digital platform offering online ticketing, visitor tracking, and real-time financial reporting—in Kenderan Tourism Village, Bali. Through semi-structured interviews with village managers, Atourin representatives, and tourists, combined with field observations and document analysis, the study investigates how digitalization influences destination management, revenue transparency, and tourist experience. Findings reveal that the AVMS partnership directly contributed to Kenderan’s reclassification from a “developing” to an “advanced” tourism village within one year and supported its placement among the Top 75 in the 2023 Indonesian Tourism Village Award. However, implementation barriers persist, primarily rooted in human resource constraints: elderly POKDARWIS (Tourism Awareness Community) members face difficulties operating the dashboard, and frontline staff struggle to guide tourists due to limited digital literacy and language barriers. The study concludes that while digital tools can catalyze institutional recognition and operational efficiency, their success hinges on capacity-building and contextual adaptation. Strategic recommendations include localized training, iterative system design, and co-creation with community stakeholders

Beyond Transactions: How Relational Capital Drives Brand Loyalty in Bali’s Tourism SMEs

In the post-pandemic tourism landscape, travel agencies must rebuild customer loyalty through relational strategies. This study examines the direct effects of customer engagement and brand trust on brand loyalty among 289 customers of a Bali-based travel agency. Using multiple linear regression in SPSS 25, findings confirm that both customer engagement (β = 0.396, p < 0.001) and brand trust (β = 0.453, p < 0.001) significantly and positively influence brand loyalty, with the model explaining 68% of variance (R² = 0.680). Simultaneously, the two predictors exert a strong joint effect (F = 303.306, p < 0.001). The results affirm that even in an era of digital self-booking, interpersonal trust and emotional engagement remain critical drivers of loyalty in tourism intermediaries. Strategic recommendations include investing in personalized communication, transparent service recovery, and consistent brand delivery to strengthen relational equity

From Intern to Industry Professional: How Work Experience and Satisfaction Influence Career Intentions in the Hotel Sector

The hospitality industry faces persistent challenges in talent retention, particularly among new graduates. This study investigates how the nature of work and internship satisfaction jointly influence future career intentions among hotel management students in Indonesia. Using a quantitative, causal-comparative design, data were collected from 115 students at Universitas Negeri Padang who had completed internships in the hotel sector. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to test a mediation model. Results indicate that (1) the nature of work positively affects career intentions (β = 0.531, p < 0.001); (2) internship satisfaction also has a significant positive effect (β = 0.571, p < 0.001); and (3) internship satisfaction fully mediates the relationship between work nature and career choice (indirect effect = 0.094, p = 0.080). Contrary to expectations, the nature of work did not significantly predict internship satisfaction (p = 0.080), suggesting that students’ career decisions are shaped more by their overall satisfaction with the internship experience than by specific job characteristics. These findings underscore the strategic importance of designing meaningful, supportive internship programs to cultivate long-term industry commitment

Exploring Multidimensional Engagement And Its Influence On Visitor Satisfaction In Single Artist Concert Settings

This study examines how different dimensions of engagement shape visitor satisfaction in the context of single artist concerts a form of live music event that has received limited scholarly attention despite its growing cultural relevance. The purpose of the research is to understand the roles of emotional cognitive physical and novelty related aspects of experience in forming audience evaluations. A quantitative approach was applied using an online survey completed by individuals who had attended at least one single artist concert with data analyzed through a variance based structural modeling technique. The findings reveal that emotional and cognitive engagement are the primary contributors to satisfaction while physical engagement and perceived novelty show minimal influence. These results provide new insight into how visitors interpret focused live music experiences and highlight the need to consider event specific experiential structures in concert research

Social Media and Tourist Decisions: A Study on Kintamani, Bali as a Leading Destination

This study aims to analyze the influence of social media exposure on tourists’ decisions to visit Kintamani as one of Bali’s leading destinations. Social media plays an important role in shaping tourists’ perceptions and interests through visual content, reviews, and user-shared information. Kintamani was chosen as the research location because of its main attractions: Mount Batur, Lake Batur, its cool highland climate, and its status as a strategic tourism area in Bali Province. The research employed a quantitative approach with a survey method targeting tourists visiting Kintamani. The sampling technique was accidental sampling, and the research instrument was a questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale. Data were analyzed using simple linear regression via SPSS version 25. The results showed that social media exposure has a positive and significant effect on tourist decisions. The regression equation obtained was Y = 22.698 + 0.417X, with a t-test value of 2.284 and a significance level of 0.025 (<0.05), proving the hypothesis of significant influence. The correlation coefficient (R) = 0.263 indicates a low-level relationship, while R Square = 0.069 suggests that social media exposure explains only 6.9% of the variance in tourist decisions, with the remaining 93.1% influenced by other factors. Simultaneously, the ANOVA test yielded an F-value of 5.217 with significance at 0.025 (<0.05), confirming that the regression model is significant overall. The findings highlight that although the contribution of social media exposure to tourist decisions is relatively low, it remains significant and influential in encouraging tourism visits to Kintamani. Therefore, digital marketing strategies through social media should continue to be optimized but also supported by other factors such as destination quality, facilities, tourist experiences, and personal recommendations to be more effective in attracting tourists

Instagram-Driven Customer Journey among Generation Z Café Consumers: An Application of the 5A Model

This study examines how Instagram shapes Generation Z consumers across the 5A Customer Journey (Aware, Appeal, Ask, Act, Advocate) in an Instagram-driven café context. Adopting a descriptive–diagnostic quantitative design, the study employed purposive (criterion-based) sampling to recruit 100 Generation Z and young adult Instagram users who had been exposed to Baba Goose Café’s Instagram content and had visited the café at least once. Data were collected through a structured Likert-scale questionnaire that operationalized each 5A stage into measurable indicators, and were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, and stage-level mean patterns) to compare response distributions across the journey stages. The findings indicate that Instagram performs strongest in the Appeal and Ask stages, supporting emotional attraction and active information search, while awareness is also well supported. However, the Act stage shows comparatively weaker agreement, suggesting potential conversion friction at the Ask-to-Act transition. Advocacy is moderate and more dispersed, indicating heterogeneity in post-experience willingness to recommend. The study contributes stage-level evidence that high visual engagement and inquiry do not automatically translate into behavioral execution, highlighting the need to integrate visual storytelling with conversion-supporting mechanisms to strengthen visitation and sustained advocacy among digitally active young consumers

Tangible Deficits and Tourist Dissatisfaction: Diagnosing Service Gaps in an Emerging Indonesian Coastal Tourism Village

Community-based tourism (CBT) is promoted across Indonesia as a vehicle for rural economic revitalization and post-pandemic recovery. Yet, its success hinges on service quality—a dimension often overlooked in emerging destinations. This study employs the SERVQUAL model to assess the service quality gap at Jatimalang Beach Tourism Village, Purworejo Regency, Central Java. A purposive sample of 108 domestic and international tourists completed a structured survey measuring expectations and perceptions across five dimensions: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. Findings reveal a significant overall negative gap (M = –87.27), with tangibles exhibiting the largest deficit (M = –145.50), followed by reliability (–94.12) and empathy (–88.36). Results indicate systemic service underperformance, driven primarily by inadequate physical infrastructure. The study concludes that CBT initiatives lacking investment in tangible assets risk failing to meet tourist expectations, undermining sustainability and competitiveness. Strategic recommendations include prioritizing infrastructure upgrades and service training to align with post-pandemic tourist demands for safety, hygiene, and authenticity

The Influence Of Tourist Attraction On Visit Decision Through Visitor Experience At Taman Mini Indonesia, Jakarta

This study examines the factors influencing the decision to visit Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII), Jakarta, focusing on the roles of tourist attraction, visitor experience, and their impact on visit decision. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for improving the destination's appeal and enhancing visitor satisfaction. The research employed a quantitative approach using surveys from visitors to collect data, with SmartPLS used for data analysis. The results show that tourist attraction directly affects the decision to visit and also exerts an indirect effect through visitor experience, which acts as a mediator. These findings emphasize the importance of improving visitor experiences to influence future visit intentions. The study contributes to tourism management by highlighting key factors that influence visitor decision-making and provides practical insights for destination marketing. Future research could explore broader contexts and the impact of digital engagement on visitor decisions

The Influence Of Facilities, Accessibility, And Social Factors On The Motivation To Visit Urban Parks In Jakarta

The rapid growth of Jakarta, accompanied by high population density and the reduction of green open spaces, has created a growing need for urban parks that serve as spaces for recreation and social interaction. This study aims to analyze the influence of facilitie, , s, accessibility, and social factors on public motivation to visit five representative urban parks in Jakarta. A quantitative approach with an explanatory survey design was employed, involving 500 respondents from five park locations. The data were analyzed using multiple linear regression. The results show that all three independent variables have a significant simultaneous effect on the motivation to visit. These findings highlight that the combination of quality facilities, ease of access, and a supportive social environment is key to enhancing public participation in the optimal and sustainable use of urban parks