A STUDY ON HOW UNDERGRADUATE TOURISM STUDENTS’ INTENTION TO WORK IN TOURISM INDUSTRY DIFFERENTIATE THEIR ACADEMIC, PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

？This study aims to investigate the level of academic, professional and personal development of tourism students, and if/how students’ intentions to work in tourism industry differentiate their development levels. For this purpose, 170 students enrolled in K？rklareli University Faculty of Tourism was surveyed. Data obtained from the surveys were analyzed by using Explanatory Factor Analysis, Independent Sample T Test, and One-Way ANOVA. Results revealed that the students who intended to work in tourism industry had significantly higher development scores in all three aspects. This situation suggests that students who want to work in tourism industry in the future, would be better educated. In other words, tourism faculties should focus on informing students about the career opportunities in tourism sector and encourage them to pursue a career in tourism industry so they can get better results from their education academically, professionally, and personally