Challenges: Limited public awareness of tourism’s importance and service quality; weak language and communication skills in related services (taxis, customs, police, retail). Young entrants lack work experience.

Education & internships: Programs are not aligned with sector needs (insufficient focus on communication, service mindset, flexibility, languages). Internships are too short (e.g., 2 weeks) and poorly timed relative to peak season; mentors spend time on basics instead of industry-specific skills.

Improving internships: At least 3 months (especially in final study years), assigned mentor, mentor compensation, flexible timelines; standardize the approach across all tourism-related schools.

Policy & system recommendations:

• Ongoing campaign: “Tourism—an excellent field for employment.”
• Partnerships among ministries, education providers, and employers (career days, open days).
• Involve employers in curriculum design; consider dual education (e.g., German Ausbildung).
• Systematize university internships; conduct feasibility studies for long-term industry–education cooperation (e.g., Hilton Class model).
• Structure internships for entry-level and higher-level roles: durations ≥4 weeks (entry) and ≥3 months (advanced); define competencies (guest orientation, languages, MS Office, presentation and project skills).
• Procedure: interview, evaluation forms, optional stipend, mentor.

Conclusion: Responsibility is shared (government–education–employers). Better, longer, and richer internships increase youth employability, help employers manage labor costs and build talent pipelines, and encourage paid internship models.