Drawing on findings which form part of a wider study this article pres
ents comparative information on attitudes of young people in Greece an
d the UK about tourism as a sector for their careers. It sets out the
context within which career decisions are formed. It examines percepti
ons of tourism and attitudes to tourism jobs. It suggests that the UK
pupils have a better established careers support system and that they
have a less positive attitude toward tourism than their Greek counterp
arts apparently due to a more realistic view of the nature of the jobs
in question, It also points to a variety of perceptions about what co
nstitutes a tourism job, notably that many components of accommodation
and catering are not seen as being part of tourism, It also demonstra
tes a difference between attitudes toward individual tourism jobs and
attitudes toward employment in the tourism sector as a whole. (C) 1997
Elsevier Science Ltd.