Tourism is an important sector within the South African economy, and tourism entrepreneurship drives this sector. A significant portion of entrepreneurship research concentrates on the samples of higher education students and the general population, not focussing on the youth, whether they are higher education students or not. Therefore, the central objective of this paper was to explore the relationships between three independent variables, namely, entrepreneurship education (ED), entrepreneurial meaning (EM), and entrepreneurial passion (EP) and the dependent variable, entrepreneurial intention (EI) of the general youth population regarding starting tourism-related business. It further analysed the impact that levels of general education may have on both the independent and dependent variables. A structured questionnaire was used to gather data from a purposive sample of 400 youths residing in different regions of the King Cetshwayo District Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) on SmartPLS software version 4.0.8.5 was used to evaluate the relationships between the independent variables and dependent variables. The results show, among others, statistically significant positive relationships between youths’ ED, EP and their EI in the tourism sector. The study recommends that it is imperative for business decision-makers of the study area (KCDM) and academics to comprehend how ED and EP influence the EI of youths and their ability to establish and manage their own businesses, including tourism businesses. This will foster youth entrepreneurship. © 2024 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
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