The Impact of COVID-19 on University Students Studying Hospitality Management in South Africa

The disruptive effects of COVID-19 have had a negative impact on our society and university students have not been spared. The need to understand how specific disciplines have been affected cannot be overemphasised. This study examines the underlying impact of the pandemic on Hospitality Management students in two universities. The study identified the students’ prevalent adversities that were associated with online learning. Using the quantitative approach, a five-point Likert-scale questionnaire was administered to students who attended a higher education institute (HEI) in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. The data was analysed using an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and the dimension reduction technique. The results show that COVID-19 had a significant impact on Hospitality Management students as they faced various online learning challenges. Additionally, the study presents three new factors contributing to online learning literature: student difficulties; student fears; and learning alone. Findings reveal that both factors student fears and learning alone had an influence on factor student difficulties in the online learning environment. The study concludes that students who preferred the traditional face-to-face environment of the classroom found it scary to embark on the online route and learning by themselves compounded their studying difficulties and challenges. However, the factor of learning alone also proved that some students demonstrated resilience during the pandemic and once, they became accustomed, preferred the online learning route.