Career in Travel and Tourism industry
One of the most rewarding and dynamic global industries with largely unshakable long-term relevance, travel and tourism represents an incredible career area to explore. For so many nations all over the world, tourism represents the primary economic contributor the country and its people depend on. Even in the face of ever-intensifying political and economic pressures, the global travel industry is one that rarely wavers.
Travel & Tourism’s contribution to GDP rose by 1 trillion (+21.7% rise) in 2021 to reach US$ 5.8 trillion, while the sector’s share of the whole economy increased from 5.3% in 2020 to 6.1% in 2021.
The travel and tourism are very closely linked. The travel industry and the tourism industry have significant overlap. However, there are also differences between the two terms and the two industries.
What is the Travel Industry?
Travel means moving from one location to another. This can refer to long-distance travel, short-distance travel, overseas travel, domestic travel and various other forms. Crucially, travel also includes both round trips and one-way journeys, and it covers a wide variety of different travel purposes.
The travel industry, therefore, refers to the numerous aspects of the wider service industry which cater for the needs and desires of those who have traveled from one part of the world to another.
What is the Tourism Industry?
Tourism is generally regarded as the act of traveling to a different location, for either business or pleasure purposes. However, it actually has quite a specific definition: the act of traveling to another environment, for at least 24 hours, but for no longer than one year, for purposes related to business or leisure.
A tourist is generally only classed as such if they stay in overnight accommodation situated in the location they travel to. By its very nature, tourism involves a round trip, rather than travel in one direction only. With this in mind, the tourism industry refers to all aspects of the service industry that cater to tourists.
Exploring travel & tourism
If you are exploring the travel business and are interested in learning how the industry works, you can start with Info Books collection of tourism books in PDF format. You will be able to have some basic knowledge and the first exploratory approaches to this fascinating sector of the economy.
This is a collection elaborated for all those interested in developing their business projects in this area, that is why Info Books present it to you with enthusiasm because they know that with these tourism books in PDF format, you can start planning the realization of that idea.
Download 15+ Tourism Books for Free!
Travel and Tourism jobs
Sectors and Companies within the Travel and Tourism Industry are
- Transportation
- Accommodation
- Food & Beverage
- Entertainment
- Connected Industries
What kinds of jobs can I do?
Travel and tourism jobs actually span a whole bunch of industries and range from roles like travel agent, holiday rep, air steward and tour guide, to bar work and waiting tables.
There are so many travel and tourism jobs out there that they have been grouped together into some of the main areas of work within the industry, along with examples of the jobs you can find in each areas.
- Airlines: Airline pilot, and chef. Air cabin crew, airport staff
- Bars, restaurants, hotels: Waiting staff, bar workers, restaurant managers, porters.
- Commercial shipping lines: Cruise ship captain, crew, ship staff, chef and kitchen staff.
- Museums and art galleries: Events staff, customer service, historian/academic, researcher.
- Tourist information: Tourist information officer, tour guide, tour manager.
- Theme parks, zoos and attractions: Guides, events officers, customer service staff.
- Travel agency: Travel agents, travel agency manager, holiday representative.
- Leisure centers and tourist resorts: Customer service staff, personal trainer, lifeguard, sports instructor.
- Heritage and conservation staff: Local-council heritage staff.
- Heritage industry: These produce things such as tea, spice, honey, cinnamon, jaggery as well as authentic and local cuisine using small-scale or traditional methods and technology. They often need skilled practitioners and tourism-orientated staff whose job it is to make sure the location is fun for and accessible to tourists.
What skills do I need?
With so many jobs to choose from, the specific skills you’ll need depend very much on the career you’d like to pursue. Some of the skills that are common to jobs across the industry are brought together.
Communication skills
Many jobs require you to work with public, often in situations where you need to get information across clearly and concisely. This includes roles such as air steward and tourist information staff.
People skills
People skills go hand in hand with communication skills. As well as conveying information, people in roles such as travel agents, holiday reps and tour guides need to make sure their customers are happy, feel looked after, and are having a good time.
Related to both communication and people skills are customer service skills.
Research skills
Museum staff, Heritage & ruins guides, events staff and even travel agents need to be able to find and process accurate information quickly.
Adaptability and initiative
Because things are constantly changing, adaptability is important in virtually any role within travel and tourism. It’s particularly useful in public-facing roles, or those which involve “real-world” settings outside an office, such as bar work, tour guides, holiday reps or air stewards.
Being able to act on your initiative means taking decisions to avoid future problems or improve the way things are being done. In travel and tourism, it will help you keep things running smoothly and with the minimum of fuss.
Leadership
Leadership is especially important for workers who are responsible for large groups of people, such as air stewards, tour guides and holiday reps. In these roles, you need to be able to command the attention and cooperation of your customers, and influence them in a calm, authoritative way (without them feeling like they’re being told what to do).
Teamwork
Many roles involve working in a close-knit team, where every member is essential to the overall success of the job. This could include air cabin crews, catering staff, or events teams. To work in such a role, you need to be able to collaborate with other people, sharing the workload and exchanging ideas to help everyone perform at their best.
How do I get into the industry?
There are lots of travel and tourism jobs out there, and many of them don’t require specific qualifications.
1. Get work experience
As always, you can gain a foothold in the industry by getting work experience while you’re still at school, college or university. Importantly, this gives you a taster of life in your chosen area, so you can find out whether you really want to pursue a career in a related job.
You will find plenty of casual work in museums, art galleries, theme parks, leisure resorts, bars and restaurants – check the websites of places nearby to find out about specific vacancies. If you can’t find any, drop them an email or phone call – this way, they can let you know of anything they’re not advertising or pop you on their waiting list.
Some employers (usually bigger ones) run structured work experience programmes specifically for young people. These might be airlines, theme parks, hotels, leisure centers or resorts. Google the area you’re interested in to find out about important employers then look on their websites to see if there are any opportunities for you.
As well as giving you an insider’s insight, work experience through a part-time job or voluntary placement will give you the chance to talk to others in the kinds of roles you might like to pursue in your career. For example, working front-of-house in a museum could give you the chance to chat to events or research staff.
2. Gain relevant qualifications
What qualifications are relevant to you will usually depend on the job you’re after. There are plenty of qualifications (such as diplomas and NVQ) available at level 2 (equivalent to 5 GCEs) and level 3 (equivalent to 2 A-levels), but you’ll also find qualifications at other levels as well.
You can do generic qualifications at college or online. It is recommended that you combine such introductory courses with work experience, which employers often value as highly as qualifications.
Many people choose to train for relevant qualifications on the job. For example, City & Guilds offer many travel and tourism-related qualifications designed to give an overview of the industry, and others aimed at people in particular roles, such as “aviation operations”, which is to do with looking after aircraft on the ground.
Such courses would involve spending some time studying to learn the theory to back up and improve the practical work you do every day at work. You may be given time to study while working, or you may be expected to study at home.
One way of training on the job is through an apprenticeship, which are specially designed for young people starting their first job. Look for government or private organizations which offer opportunities for any travel and tourism apprenticeships.
Reference: Revfine, Success at School
Travel and Tourism Courses
Free online certificate courses at Oxford Home Study Centre
Oxford Home Study College is a committed provider of open and accessible education. The college offer an industry-leading collection of free tourism courses – all 100% free of charge. Packed with the same incredible insights as their paid courses, these entry-level free courses represent the perfect starting points for exploring a new career path. Oxford Home Study College provide all the materials you’ll need to complete the course, there are no deadlines to worry about and enrollment is open 365 days a year, worldwide.
All free online certificate courses at Oxford Home Study Centre are 100% free of charge from start to finish. An official Course Completion Certificate from Oxford Home Study Centre is available for a fee.
Read through the Tourism Course Online offered by Oxford Home Study Centre. The 400 hour course is offered at £108 after 80% discount.
Travel & Tourism courses at Open Study College
Browse flexible home learning courses at Open Study College. They are specifically designed to help you take the next step in your travel and tourism career all from the comfort of your own home.