Abstract:
Entrepreneurs play an important role in the growth and development of a country's economy. As a
fast-growing segment in the globe, tourism is considered a good-looking field to carve nascent
entrepreneurs. Many researchers have examined the variables that inspired the individual
performance to become an entrepreneur, specifically, with an attentive look at the entrepreneurial
intention of university undergraduates. Consequently, this study was extended to examine the
entrepreneurial intention of hospitality and tourism management undergraduates in state universities
in Sri Lanka who are stepping to immense global opportunities. This study was carried out in a
quantitative approach. A sample of 205 undergraduates was selected using the snowball sampling
method and an online questionnaire was distributed among third-year and fourth-year undergraduates
in Uva Wellassa University, Rajarata University, Sabaragamuwa University, and Kelaniya University
in Sri Lanka. Descriptive analysis, correlation, and multiple regression were performed to analyze the
data with the use of the SPSS analytical tool. Furthermore, personality, economic, social,
psychological, political, and technological factors were considered as the determinants of
entrepreneurial intention in the conceptual model. The study weighted more on female responses than
males‟ presence which analyzed a novel trend of interest of the females towards entrepreneurial
intention than males in the sample predicting more interest in it. And the analysis exposed that, there
is an almost affable state with entrepreneurial intention, personality, social, psychological, political,
and technological factors, while there is reasonable cordiality of undergraduates with economic
factors. This result exposes higher attention towards personality and social factors, emphasizing the
opportunities in the local arena for innovation, family business involvement, and most importantly,
educational reinforcement on entrepreneurial intention. It is a prominent factor that financial benefits,
job safety, and government positive intervention in the arena show a moderate concern among the
respondents. The overview result of positive associations between independent and dependent
variables, personal factors exert the strongest association between entrepreneurial intentions. And
also investigates motives and barriers for engaging entrepreneurs and examines the relationship
between entrepreneurial intentions. And easily examine their goals and career aspirations in
undergraduates.
Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Entrepreneur; Entrepreneurial intention; Hospitality and tourism
undergraduates
