This study examines the effects of basic personality traits on service orientation and tendency to work in the hospitality and tourism industry utilizing data collected from undergraduate students majoring in hospitality and tourism management in all regions of Turkey. Positive and significant relationships were found between all dimensions of basic personality traits and service orientation. Agreeableness dimension was found to have the largest effect size followed by extroversion, openness to experience, conscientiousness, and emotional stability. Furthermore, positive and significant relationships were found between all dimensions of the basic personality traits and the tendency to work in the hospitality and tourism industry. Openness was found to have the largest effect size followed by experience, extroversion, emotional stability, agreeableness, and conscientiousness on the tendency to work in the hospitality arid tourism industry.