Career Opportunities - Tourism: Principles, Practices, Philosophies - page 52

INTRODUCTION

E very student eventually must leave the college or university campus and seek a career-oriented

job. This is a dif cult decision-making time, often filled with doubt as to what goals or ambitions
should be pursued. Coming face to face with the problem of getting a first major career-oriented job is
a challenging task. You are marketing a product

and you will have to do a good job of
communicating to convince a prospective employer that you have the abilities needed and that you
will be an asset to the organization.

— yourself —

JOB FORECASTS

The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) estimates that in 2010, there were more than
235.8 million people worldwide, some 8.1 percent of the total workforce, employed in jobs that
exist because of the demand generated by tourism. Although tourism contributes to gross
domestic product (GDP), capital investment, employment, foreign exchange, and export
earnings, it is the job-creation capacity of tourism that is its most signi cant feature. According
to the WTTC, by 2020, are that 303.0 million people around the globe

will have jobs created by tourism, accounting for 9.2 percent of total employment, or 1 in every
10.9 jobs.
In brief, tourism is one of the world

employment forecasts

is fastest-growing industries, and some employers are worried
that they will not be able to find enough employees to fill open positions. Tourism is a growth eld
that will continue to offer great opportunities.

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JOB REQUIREMENTS

Areyousuitedtoworkinthetourism field? Do you like working with people? Can you provide
leadership? Would you be genuinely concerned for a traveler s comfort, needs, and well-

being even if the customer might be rude and obnoxious? If you can answer in the af rmative,
you can find a place in this industry. You have
to like to do things for other people and
work helpfully with them. If not, this is not the
industry for you. Courtesy comes easily when
customers are pleasant and gracious. But a great
deal of self-discipline is required to serve every
type of person, especially demanding or indecisive
ones. In tourism settings, the customer might
often change his or her mind. This requires
patience and an unfailingly cheerful personality.
You must also ask if you have the physical
stamina required to carry out many of the jobs
available. It is dif cult to work long hours on your
feet or to work in a hot, humid, or cold environment.
You might be involved in the pressure of a crush of
people, such as at an airline ticket counter. A travel
agency counselor must have keen vision, excellent
hearing, and strong nerves. A large-resort manager
is constantly required to deal with sophisticated
budgeting and investment decisions. The chief

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One of the best jobs in
tourism is to serve as the
head of a city convention
and visitors bureau. Shown
here is Richard W. Scharf,
president and CEO of
Visit Denver, The
Convention & Visitors
Bureau. Photocourtesyof
VisitDenver,TheConvention&
VisitorsBureau.