This document provides an overview of careers in the travel, hospitality, and tourism industries. It begins by defining the travel, hospitality, and tourism industries. It then discusses the history and growth of tourism globally. The document outlines the various industry fields and career possibilities within travel, hospitality, and tourism. It discusses desired qualifications and recognized learning institutions. Traits for success are also highlighted, along with some ups and downs of careers in this industry. Overall, the document serves as an introduction to pursuing careers within the large and growing travel, hospitality, and tourism sectors.

1. TRAVEL, HOSPITALITY AND
TOURISM
CAREERS WITH A BRIGHT FUTURE IN THE WORLD’S BIGGEST
INDUSTRY AND LARGEST SOURCE OF EMPLOYMENT

2. THE WORKPLACE

3. What Is The Travel Industry ?
• The industry and related sectors that have to do with the
transportation of people within and across borders,
particularly for holiday, business or moving
purposes

4. What Is The Hospitality
Industry ?
• The industry and related sectors that have to do with the
accommodation, food, beverage, entertainment and well being
of people, while traveling or at home

5. What Is The Tourism Industry ?
• The industry and related
sectors that have to do with
travel, accommodation and
holiday arrangements for
tourists within and across
borders

6. Tourism Historically
• In the past, people traveled for trade,
pilgrimages, exploration
• The steam age allowed people, mostly from
the elite, to travel for leisure
• New social policies, recovery from traumas
of WWII and post-war economic prosperity
enticed more and more people to take
holidays from work and travel for leisure
• The jet age, charters, all inclusive resorts
and cruise ships brought the age of mass
tourism

7. Tourism Today
• In most developed economies, it is now a
need rather than a luxury
• It is catching up fast in emerging economies
• In 2010, over 935 million people crossed
borders for tourism purposes
• The travel, hospitality and tourism
economies represent about 10% of the
world’s GDP and about 10% of global
employment
• Despite occasional hiccups, the industry is
expected to keep growing, with some 1.5
billion tourist trips forecast by 2020
• New emphasis on experience, quality and
sustainability

8. Tourism Tomorrow
• UNWTO Global Forecasts
• Asia Pacific area to be fastest growing and 2nd
biggest by 2020

9. Future Of Tourism
‘The year 2020 will see the penetration of technology into all
aspects of life. It will become possible to live one’s days without
exposure to other people. But this bleak prognosis has a silver
lining for the tourism sector. People in the high tech future will
crave the human touch and tourism will be the principal means to
achieve this.’
‘By the year 2020, tourists will have conquered every part of the
globe as well as engaging in low orbit space tours and maybe
moon tours.’
UNWTO’s Tourism : 2020 Vision

10. Industry
Fields
• Transportation (Airlines, Cruise Lines, Ferries, Trains,
Buses, Taxis, Limousines, Car Rentals, Private Jets, Yachts,
Airports, Marine Terminals, Train Stations, Space Planes (?), etc)
• Accommodation (Hotels, Resorts, Guest Houses, Holiday
Clubs, Bed & Breakfast, Home Stays, Camping, Caravan Parks,
Serviced Apartments, Space Stations (?), etc)
• Attractions (Theme Parks, Animal Parks, Oceanariums,
Museums, National Parks, Casinos, Cultural Centers, Heritage
Sites, etc)
• Activities (Entertainment, Water and Winter Sports, Diving,
Adventure Activities, Special Interests, Sports, Events, Senior
Services, etc)
• Facilities (Restaurants, Souvenir/Tourist Shops, Spas, Wellness
Centers, Convention/Exhibition Centers, Business Centers, etc)

11. Industry Fields (con’t…)
• Operations (Travel Agencies, Flight Centers, Tour Operators,
Business Travel Agencies, Professional Conference Organizers,
Destination Management Companies, Tourism Service Providers,
Management Companies, Reservation Systems, Private
Concierges, Web Portals, etc)
• Promotion (National/Regional Tourism Organizations, Tourism
Ministries, International Organizations, Marketing Consultancies,
Tourism Consultancies, Trade Fair Organizers, etc)
• Supporting Services (Travel Publications, Printers, Internet
Services, Tourism Training Institutes, Statistical/Analytical
Services, Financial Services, Insurance, Medical Services,
Security Services, Tourism Police, etc)

12. The Travel
Industry
Events /
Entertain
ment
Resorts /
Theme
Parks /
Holiday
Clubs
Conference
s &
Meetings
Travel
Agencies /
Tour
Operators
Cruise
Liners
Tourism
Boards
Restaurants
/ CateringAirlines /
Transporta
tion /
Driving
Sales /
Marketing /
Promotion /
Public
Relations
Spa /
Health /
Wellness
/ Fitness
Luxury /
Business
/ Boutique
/ Budget
Hotels
Tour
Guiding /
Tour
Leading /
Sports /
Adventure
Travel /
Travel , Hospitality & Tourism

13. Career
Possibilities
• Entry Level (Housekeepers, Waiters, Drivers, Porters,
Doormen, Cleaners, Maintenance, etc)
• Front Line (Counter Agents, Front Office Staff, Sales Staff, Tour
Guides, Tour Leaders, Animators, Guest Relations, Instructors,
Marketing Staff, etc)
• Managerial (Operations Management, Hotel Management,
Cruise Directors, Government Officials, Executive/Junior/Senior
Management Positions In Every Field, Self Employed, Owner,
etc)
• Others (Tourism Lecturers, Consultants, Analysts, Journalists,
Writers, Entertainers, Photographers, Web Designers,
Advertisers,
Interpreters, Translators, Doctors, Resort Architects,
Designers, Engineers, etc)

14. Desired Qualities
• Love of travel
• Understanding of different cultures, point of views
• Outgoing, interested in meeting people
• Friendly, service oriented
• Motivated and passionate about chosen field
• Good personal cultural background
• Good knowledge of geography and the world
• Knowledge of languages an asset
• Personal travel experience
• Personal experience of living/working in different cultures and
environment an asset
• Readily available, not a clock watcher
• Understanding that tourism can be a 24/7 calling

16. Required Qualifications
• For entry level and many frontline positions, qualities more
important than qualifications
• For most managerial positions, qualifications or long experience
needed
• Specific qualifications exist for most fields, i.e. Tourism
Management, Hotel Management, etc
• General qualifications that can lead to success in tourism include :
Business Degrees, Social Sciences, Arts, Journalism,
Administration, Languages, Geography, etc
• For Tourism and Hotel Management, qualifications from well
recognized Tourism Schools (Australia, Switzerland, Austria, New
Zealand, Hawaii, etc) are best
• IT and language qualifications always a plus, often a must

17. Recognized Learning
Institutions
www.nhtv.nl/ENG/home.html (Netherlands)
www.tim.hawaii.edu/default.aspx (USA)
www.tourism.uq.edu.au (Australia)
www.tvu.ac.uk/index.jsp (UK)
www.ehl.edu/eng (Switzerland)
www.tmis.edu.sg (Singapore)

18. Background Acquisition
• Taking summer/winter jobs doing entry level or front line jobs
• Working on cruise ships, in all-inclusive resorts (Club Med,
Sandals, etc), in beach or ski resorts or with tourism service
providers are good experiences
• Practical trainings when taking tourism/hotel courses are a must
• Volunteering on ecotourism projects, working with kids or seniors,
taking working holidays, joining expeditions are all good training
grounds
• Reading an Atlas cover-to-cover, books on world history, world
cultures, world religions, Lonely Planet guide books and books on
tourism industry are a good reading base

19. Traits For
Success
• Positive attitude, initiative, motivation
• Outgoing, extrovert personality, people skills
• Curiosity, questioning mind
• Continuous research and updating
• Experiencing actual tourism professionally and personally
• Looking at the world through a tourism prism
• Keeping abreast of and anticipating trends
• Being always prepared to grab opportunities and to react to crises

20. Ups And
Downs Satisfaction at contributing to people’s memorable experiences
 Satisfaction of knowing tourism’s role in poverty alleviation,
economic improvement, social mobility
 Tourism and travel can be catalysts for peace, environmental and
cultural preservation
 Fun and youthful industry, equal opportunities for all
 Challenging, diverse, not routine, often outdoors, travel the world
 Most tourism fields offer enjoyable and rewarding careers
 Tourism is a fragile industry subject to fluctuations and sensitive to
situations
 Some tourists can be difficult and unpleasant
 Starting pay usually low, experience more rewarded
 There can be serious negative consequences brought by tourism,
if done indiscriminately

21. Tourism
Websites
• UNWTO affiliated education institutions
www.unwto.org/edsco/member/en/member.php
• Distance education
www.acs.edu.au/courses/Hospitality-courses.aspx
• Tourism job sites
www.careerexplorer.net/jobchoices/travel.asp
www.quintcareers.com/hospitality_jobs.html

22. www.bruneitourism.travel
THANK YOU !
Q & A