Changes in Intercultural Skillsets Among Undergraduate Students Enrolled in Shortterm Study Abroads

Shifts in attitudes towards tourism management have permeated the literature on consumer behavior since the pandemic. Marketing strategies have targeted young people because in an increasingly digital social world, global travel is especially appealing to this demographic that feels a sense of isolation exacerbated by the pandemic. Post-pandemic studies indicate that intercultural awareness and experiences are particularly sought after by American youth, who are comparatively isolated geographically from the rest of the world. This isolation has led to a longstanding deficit in global intercultural knowledge, as typified by high failure rates among American expatriates employed abroad. This phenomenon has prompted American institutions of higher education to create short-term study abroads to proactively immerse students in global experiences. These have been increasingly offered since the pandemic. To further examine trends in these students’ intercultural skillsets, this study examined the intercultural capabilities and development of undergraduate students enrolled in for-credit trips abroad bothpre- and post-pandemic.