Overview

The world of travel, tourism and hospitality is a dynamic one and full of career possibilities.  The U.S. has a $740 billion travel industry.  According to the U.S. Travel Industry Association, there are currently 7.4 million direct jobs in US from in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry.  Of those hospitality workers, 7.7% or 573,700 of those jobs are in Texas.

Being a service based industry; a skilled and qualified workforce is vital to the success and future of tourism and the vitality of the area’s economy.  In the study “Are they really ready to work?” by the Conference Board, Corporate Voices for Working Families, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, and the Society for Human Resource Management –showed that the future U.S. workforce is here—and it is woefully ill-prepared for the demands of today’s (and tomorrow’s) workplace. 

In the study “Examining Issues & Gaps in the Tourism Workforce: Focus on the Dallas Fort-Worth Metroplex” conducted by the Dallas/Fort Worth Area Tourism Council in 2004, used a series of executive interviews conducted with fifteen different Human Resource (HR) Directors, senior corporate officers, consultants or industry leaders across a Bellwether group of travel and hospitality related companies to better understand the workforce issues facing the travel and hospitality industry.

In this study, most agreed that current entry-level workers had shortcomings. Problems noted in order of reported occurrence included:

1. Poor writing and grammar skills in the English language,
2. Lack of proficiency in basic math skills,
3. Lack of communication skills & knowledge to provide Quality Customer Service,
4. Lack of a positive work and business ethic
5. Lack of understanding of general business practices, principals and operations,
6. Lack of understanding of how their job, and their employer’s business fits into the bigger picture of the hospitality industry and world economy.

The hospitality concerns indicated that mid and senior management positions were more difficult to fill due to either one or more of the following reason:  low availability of qualified experienced workers, rapid business growth, or uncompetitive business policies.  Again, echoing some of the concerns of the other study as well. 

Industry Knowledge and Skills

There are many job opportunities within the world of travel, tourism and hospitality.  If you are just starting out or looking for other career opportunities - a good web site to visit is through Career Clusters which links what students learn in school with the knowledge and skills they need for success in college and careers.  The Hospitality & Tourism cluster encompasses the management, marketing and operations of restaurants and four industry sectors - foodservices, lodging, attractions/ recreation events and travel related services.

For those already in the field, seeking out additional learning opportunities through seminars or association meetings, training and certifications, and advanced degrees is an important component in maintaining your employability. 

Those skills that were cited by employers from the study “Are they really ready to work?” as among the most important where:

• Professionalism/Work Ethic
• Oral and Written Communications
• Teamwork/Collaboration
• Critical Thinking/Problem Solving