Career Opportunities - Tourism: Principles, Practices, Philosophies - page 62

Gaming

One of the fastest-growing sectors is . Today, one is hard-pressed to nd a state where

gambling is not allowed or a gaming proposal is not in front of the state legislature. From riverboats to
Indian reservations to land-based casinos, new destinations are being created. Casinos provide job
opportunities ranging from managers to marketers to mechanics to clerical and maintenance jobs.

gaming

Other Opportunities

A fairly comprehensive list of career opportunities has been presented. Others that do not t the
general categories listed are club management, museum management, heritage management, trade
show and exhibit management, exhibit and meeting decorating, entertainment management,
corporate travel departments, hotel representative companies, in- ight and trade magazines, and
trade and professional associations.

CAREER PATHS IN TOURISM

In addition to considering one of the foregoing kinds of positions within a particular segment of the
tourism sector, it is also useful to examine the various

that might be pursued. Because the
tourism industry is so large and so diverse, it offers a broad range of challenging positions. Although each
of these positions offers its own unique opportunities and demands, people will find that the experience
gained from working in a range of jobs in different subsectors of tourism can strengthen their under-
standing of the industry as a whole. Depending on one ' s career objectives, this broader understanding of
tourism can be especially valuable when applying for certain types of positions. Examples include those in
destination management organizations and national or provincial/state tourism of ces.
To offer employees opportunities for growth and development, educators and personnel managers
attempt continually to develop the concept of career paths in tourism. A schematic model illustrating
the concept is shown in Figure 3.1. The fundamental premise of this general model is that people can
pursue a variety of reasonably well-de ned alternative routes, first through the educational system
and subsequently through the industry itself. Based on the training and experience gained, combined
with high-quality performance, a person can pursue a career path starting at different levels, with the
ultimate goal of achieving the position of senior executive. Although not everyone will have the ability

career paths

Senior
Executive

Postgrad

University

Undergrad Manager

Career Supervisor

College

Vocational Front Line

Grade 12

Private
Training
School

Entrepreneur

Grade 11

Figure 3.1 Career paths within

the tourism industry.

Path within education system and industry Paths into industry