The weeklong siege of Bangkok’s airports has devastated Thailand’s tourism industry, as well as the hopes of students attending the country’s many hospitality colleges, the Bangkok Post reports.

Antigovernment protesters, who have vowed not to leave the city’s two airports until Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat steps down, have stranded more than 100,000 foreign tourists. And television pictures of angry travelers who can’t leave, as well as footage of grenade attacks and shootings in the international terminal, are already triggering cancellations.

The government has estimated that many of Thailand’s one million tourism jobs could be lost because of the crisis. The predictions worry hospitality students who believed it would be relatively easy to get a job after graduation.

Hospitality courses have been popular among undergraduates, largely because of the strong growth of Thailand’s tourism sector. Students see their prospects shrinking with every day the siege continues. —Martha Ann Overland