Degree Type

Thesis

Date of Award

2020

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Apparel, Events and Hospitality Management

Major

Hospitality Management

First Advisor

Susan W Arendt

Abstract

Human trafficking is a growing concern in the hospitality industry. The intersect ofhuman trafficking and the lodging industry are twofold: 1) victims staying at hotels duringtransportation and 2) sexual exploitation or activity occurring at hotels. Therefore, it is importantthat hotel employees know how to recognize signs of human trafficking as signs vary from caseto case.The purpose of this study was to identify hotel employees' awareness, beliefs, andtraining regarding human trafficking. A survey was developed and pilot tested. A conveniencesample of hotel employees in the Midwest were surveyed and data were analyzed. Participantswere asked questions regarding their awareness, beliefs, and level of training related to humantrafficking in the lodging industry. Simple statistics were used to analyze the data from thecompleted surveys. Out of 118 respondents 52, (44.07%) answered that they were moderatelyaware on the topic of human trafficking. When asked how prevalent human trafficking is in thehospitality industry, 44 (37.61%) of 117 respondents answered that it was moderately prevalent;followed by 43 (36.75%) of the respondents answering it was extremely prevalent. Of 117respondents, 71 (60.68%) answered that in their current position, training on human traffickingwould be extremely beneficial.Hospitality is a global industry; thus, there is opportunity to spread awareness abouthuman trafficking to an expansive community throughout the world. It is important that hotelemployees are given ample information and training in order to help them handle situations thatinvolve human trafficking in their establishments.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.31274/etd-20200624-164

Copyright Owner

Marilyn Lea Gasienica

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

File Size

66 pages

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