Tourism & Hospitality

Tourism

• Travel agents represent one of the most well-known tourism careers and still hold an important role in today’s increasingly online society. Travel agents book accommodations, tours, car rentals and flights for clients and provide information on local customs and exhibitions. Travel agents also provide details on required passports, visas and certificates of vaccination and intercede on a client’s behalf in the event of complications. Many individuals with tourism degrees find work for destination resorts or cruise lines.

Hospitality Management

• The hospitality management field offers diverse career opportunities. Individuals may work for or manage a resort, hotel, motel, spa or restaurant. Due to the broad range of businesses needing hospitality expertise a person does not have to live in a big city, tropical destination or other high-tourism area in order to find work. Career opportunities will, however, be greater at larger facilities. Individuals in hospitality management often pursue careers as general managers or assistant managers. Job duties may include hiring staff, setting rates, marketing, overseeing security, ensuring appropriate maintenance and setting schedules. Overall, managers must maintain profitability and effectively resolve any issues.

Hospitality Degree:

A hospitality degree is a degree that prepares you for working in customer service and travel industries. Students take courses on food sanitation, food preparation, hotel management, ordering and human resources. Upon graduation, you will know how to take stock of inventories, schedule employees working underneath you and follow a strict budget. Many graduates work in industries that involve a high level of customer service, including as a manger of a five star resort or as a manager of a conference center. Many degree programs require that students work part-time at a local hotel or do an internship with a college or restaurant owned by the school.

Tourism Degree:

Tourism is a specific type of industry relating to travel. These degree programs look at how to make clients and customers feel more comfortable and satisfied while traveling. Many graduates work as representatives for major travel companies, but other graduates work as travel agents and tour guides. When looking for a new school, make sure that the program uses the latest software and programs used by guides and travel agents. You also want to pick a program that lets you do an internship. Some programs even send students to work for Disney and other major companies.

Hospitality & Tourism options

Careers within hotels and accommodation can vary greatly depending on the kind of establishment you work in. For instance, if you work in a youth hostel, your working life will be very different to that of someone working in a five star resort. Depending on the size of the organization and what services they provide, you will be able to explore many different career paths.

Every establishment requires managerial staff to oversee the general operations. Larger hotel chains are also likely to employ financial staff, marketing departments, human resources and administrative staff. Understandably, there are also many opportunities in the hotel and accommodation industry for:

• • Restaurant staff
• • Chefs
• • Cleaners
• • Bar staff
• • Concierges
• • Kitchen assistants
• • Customer service staff
• • Entertainment organisers.

Jobs directly related to your degree include:

• • Holiday representative
• • Tour manager
• • Tourism officer
• • Tourist information centre manager
• • Travel agency manager

Jobs where your degree would be useful include:

• • Customer service manager
• • Event manager
• • Hotel manager
• • Marketing executive
• • Outdoor activities/education manager

1. Hotel and resort staff

Where tourists rest during their vacation is one of the most important details of a holiday. If you plan to work in a hotel, motel or resort, it's your job to make sure your guests get top quality accommodation, or you'll never see them again next year. This applies whether you are a hotel manager or part of the helping staff, as all employees have to work like a well-oiled machine - from the time guests arrive, to their departure - to create an unforgettable experience.

•  Front desk clerk/ receptionist
•  Resort manager
•  Housekeeper
•  Hotel manager
•  Hotel accountant

2. Travel attendant

Two of the largest tourism-related industries are airline travel and luxury cruise services. Whether working in the air or at sea, you'll be one of the many tourism management graduates employed in operations management, leadership positions, logistics or invoicing and reservations. You need to help travellers feel safe and comfortable while tackling any unexpected problems they may face. Luxury cruise ship managers have to mix the responsibilities of running a hotel, handling travellers and ensuring top class entertainment.

Top career opportunities in the travel industry include:

•  Flight attendant
•  Cruise staff
•  Ship captain
•  Travel security
•  Luggage porter
•  Handicapped traveller aide

3. Food and beverage services

The food services industry is more than just putting food on the table. Hospitality graduates working in restaurants, bars or cafeterias have to do their best to turn meals into special events, while also ensuring the food looks good and is safe to eat. Restaurants and bars need to be well staffed and supplied and respect safety and storage regulations while making a profit. If you plan to work in the food industry you'll need to be calm under pressure, polite and organised. If you want to work in the kitchen some studies in cooking are required as well.

You can find work as:

•  Chef or kitchen staff
•  Waiter
•  Barista
•  Restaurant manager
•  Catering coordinator
•  Bar or club manager

4. Entertainment manager

Even if your guests are well rested and well fed, they still need more to have an unforgettable holiday. That's where entertainment specialists come in. Whether making sure guests have fun without getting hurt, they watch the best performers, have an enhanced adventure experience, entertainment specialists have a lot on their plate.

Here are a few careers you may want to consider:

•  Adventure tour guide
•  Amusement park manager
•  Casino dealer
•  Pit boss
•  Show (or talent) manager

4. Event planner

Another increasingly popular career option for graduates of tourism and hospitality management is in event management or event planning. Your job would involve overseeing planning upcoming events with large numbers of guests. There's a tonne of things to consider here: from making sure your guests are properly seated and comfortable, they get meals according to their preference, make sure the event schedule is kept, all devices used for presentation function properly, supply any auxiliary pamphlets. If the event also has a specific theme, them your eye for detail will come in very handy.

•  Wedding coordinator
•  Concert or festival organiser
•  Party planner
•  Conference host

5. Holiday counselor

With a management course in tourism and hospitality, you could even pursue a career as a travel counsellor. This involves giving guidance to clients about the best travel destinations and any special offers that might get them better deals. You would be able to work closely with the client and oversee proper travel arrangements like booking reservations, issuing necessary documentation and giving notifications about any changes or new requirements related to their travel plans.

•  Travel agent
•  Booking agent
•  Tourist information centre representative
•  Tour guide
•  Online client service representative

Working in the tourism and hospitality industry can be very lucrative. Actually, it is one of the few industries that were almost unaffected by the global economic crisis that started of 2009. Here are some yearly wage estimates in the Tourism and Hospitality industry in top international locations:

•  United States – average of 52,000 USD/year
•  Switzerland – average of 48,000 USD/year
•  Spain – average of 26,800 EUR/year
•  France – average of 22,000 EUR/year
•  Germany – average of 26,600 EUR/year

1.Casino Property General Manager

The current median salary for a casino property general manager is $199,559. The top 25 percent of these professionals earn $283,649 or more for managing all aspects of their casino properties including operations, staffing, and customer service. Typical casino property general manager positions require a bachelor’s degree—at minimum—and at least 12 years of experience in the field.

2. Regional Chef

The current median salary for a regional chef is $116,055. Professionals in the top 25 percent of the field earn $133,965 or more for planning and creating new menu items, as well as training restaurant chefs in the region to prepare the new recipes. Typical regional chef jobs require a bachelor’s degree—at minimum—and at least 10 years of experience in the industry.

3. Casino Restaurant Director

The current median salary for a casino restaurant director is $104,238. The top 25 percent of these professionals earn $117,032 or more for directing the operations of one or more restaurants within the casino property while monitoring revenue and customer satisfaction. Typical casino restaurant director positions require a bachelor’s degree—at minimum—and six to eight years of experience in the field.

4. Hotel Manager

The current median salary for a hotel manager is $98,742. Professionals in the top 25 percent of the field earn $128,515 or more for managing all aspects of their hotel property including operations, staffing, and customer service. Typical hotel manager jobs require a bachelor’s degree—at minimum—and at least seven years of experience in the industry.

5. Regional Restaurant Manager

The current median salary for a regional restaurant manager is $84,969. The top 25 percent of these professionals earn $99,398 or more for overseeing the operations of multiple restaurants within a geographic region. Responsibilities include hiring and training managers, as well as designing sales plans for each establishment. Typical regional restaurant manager positions require a bachelor’s degree—at minimum—and at least seven years of experience in the field.

6. Travel Manager

The current median salary for a travel manager is $82,307. Professionals in the top 25 percent of the field earn $96,820 or more for managing an organization’s travel needs including budgeting, accommodations, and complex travel requests. Typical travel manager jobs require a bachelor’s degree and at least five years of experience in the industry.

7. Slot Operations Manager

The current median salary for a slot operations manager is $80,147. The top 25 percent of these professionals earn $101,030 or more for directing the daily operations of the casino slot department including reviewing electronic gaming device reports and fulfilling federal cash reporting requirements. Typical slot operations manager positions require a high school diploma and at least five years of experience in the field.

8. Food and Beverage Director

The current median salary for a food and beverage director is $79,527. Professionals in the top 25 percent of the field earn $91,714 or more for overseeing a hotel, casino, or restaurant’s food and beverage planning service. Responsibilities include menu planning and budgeting, as well as coordination of special events and marketing of food and beverage products. Typical food and beverage director jobs require a bachelor’s degree—at minimum—and at least eight years of experience in the industry.

9. Meeting/Event Manager

The current median salary for a meeting/event manager is $78,197. The top 25 percent of these professionals earn $89,672 or more for planning meetings and special events including the coordination of amenities and accommodations, budgeting, and contract negotiation. Typical meeting/event manager positions require a bachelor’s degree—at minimum—and at least five years of experience in the field.

10. Head of housekeeping

The current median salary for a head of housekeeping is $78,056. Professionals in the top 25 percent of the field earn $91,599 or more for directing the daily operations of a hotel, resort, or casino’s housekeeping services department. Typical head of housekeeping jobs require a high school diploma and at least seven years of experience in the industry.