What are the popular career options within the field of Hospitality and Tourism?
With travel as a popular area of interest especially for the younger generations, the job prospects for Hospitality and Tourism graduates are growing fast. While direct jobs for smaller hospitality establishments, like Lodging Managers and staff, are growing as fast as average at 7%, there are still many other avenues of employment that can be as lucrative and fulfilling.
Two Types of Classes in Hospitality
Generally speaking, work destinations for Hospitality Management and Tourism degree holders can be categorized into two classes. The first category is the operational day-to-day group that basically functions as the “face” of the company.
The second group tackles the planning and marketing side; it is a category that is not traditionally linked to hospitality and tourism and the specific work they do.
Careers to Explore
Hotel Staff
Most Hospitality and Tourism graduates work as hotel staff and receptionists for hotels and resorts. Some also keep long-term jobs as kitchen staff. Either way, the job prospects typically suggest travel and leisure.
Travel
For those who are more interested in travel, flight attendants and cruise ship crew are popular occupational options. Getting paid in an environment that has a holiday feel all year round sounds like a real catch. The truth is, it is hard work for them too.
Work responsibilities include physically exhausting work like venue preparation and maintenance. They also perform brain-racking tasks like planning itineraries and “predicting” client requirements to ensure that their needs are met during their stay.
Marketing in Hospitality
From the traditional operational side, the market has seen how Hospitality and Tourism graduates possess specific skills that are useful for more detail-oriented work related to customer acquisition and retention.
Basically, graduates have become soft salespersons–not of physical products but of services and entertainment.
Real Estate
For those who want to go into the real estate business, a viable option is to pursue being a property manager. You can also work as an on-site marketer where you greet clients searching through a company’s real estate offerings such as houses, condominiums, and luxury flats.
Entertainment Industry
For those who want to work in the ever-growing entertainment industry, modern workplaces include a casino and a country club. Any establishment that caters to higher-income clients needs greeters and front desk managers.
Freelancer
Planning and marketing are typically the strong suits of Hospitality and Tourism graduates. A lot of opportunities can be found in the corporate world as a freelancer or regular employee. For those who want to work freelance, an interesting choice is to work as a coach or development advisor.
Legal and Financial
For those who prefer to work in the services industry, a customer or account manager can be a great fit. Lawyers and financial advisors are experts in their field, but they may need a trained expert to show them the warmer side of the law and finance.
By being a designated account manager for a corporate client for lawyers, or as a customer manager for a high-value individual investor for financial advisers, Hospitality and Tourism graduates find fulfilling and top-paying work.
Corporate Liaison
Are you a Hospitality and Tourism graduate who wants to make it big in corporations, ranging from manufacturers to retailers and all else in between? A great alternative is to work as a corporate liaison.
Startup companies need media liaisons and private investor liaisons to start up their innovative operations. With the increasing number of companies operating on a business-to-business model, business mediators are deemed indispensable, especially in a robust economy like that of the United States.
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