Abstract
The objective of this study was to identify and analyze the differences in the Emotional Intelligence skills of employees in the industry of Tourism, between the period of their studies and a later period when they had already started working. Moreover, this study attempted to interconnect the Emotional Intelligence skills of participants with their performance levels, in the scope to highlight the significance of these skills for the development of their careers in the industry of Hospitality and Tourism.
This research project comprises of four phases:
The first and the third phase of the study was represented by a distribution of a questionnaire to the participants who were students in a Hotel Management school at that period, depicting aspects of their Emotional Intelligence. In the second phase, a different questionnaire has been addressed to educators, where they could highlight sectors where the students were already performing satisfactorily, or where they should become stronger. The fourth and final phase of the research consisted of the participants’ self-assessment of their level of performance as well as their understanding of usefulness of the EQ skills in the operational and administrative challenges they face in the workplace.
The findings that have been collected at the 1st and the 3rd phase of the research, revealed a raise of the levels of six out of the eight Emotional Intelligence examined skills. This finding supports the fact that Emotional Intelligence is teachable and can be developed.
Finally, the last phase of the research identified through the results obtained from the questions that were part of the respective questionnaire, the value of Emotional Intelligence and its usefulness in the work places related to the Tourism sector.