OVERVIEW
The Hospitality and Tourism cluster includes those jobs that deal with management, marketing and operations of restaurants and other food services, lodging and boarding, tourist / travel attractions, recreation events, and travel and tour related services.
If you are inclined towards customer service, desire flexible working options and love traveling, then the Hospitality and Tourism industry can open a plethora of opportunities for you. With social media boosting travel and photography like never before, with the advent of innovative lodging / boarding platforms, with organised travel now possible to even the remotest locations and for every age group, this industry is certainly booming.
The jobs in this industry vary from food service, housekeeping and maintenance to developing tourism strategies, curating experiences, working with local partners, marketing and ensuring customer or guest satisfaction. By reviewing possible career tracks and additional job details for each role, you can better determine which position best aligns with your interests, salary expectations and pre-requisities.
There are front-end and backend roles. Positions may be in hotels, lodges, resorts, cruises, casinos, parks, marinas, booking offices, travel agents or companies in the hospitality industry. Individuals can specialize in a specific aspect such as event planning, guest services, food service or information technology.
OCCUPATIONS
We can categorise the occupations in this cluster according to the scope of work:
- Banquet and Event Manager
- Food and Beverage Manager
- Restaurant Manager
- Spa and Wellness Expert (Manager)
- Executive Chef / Head Chef
- Housekeeping Supervisor
- Front Office Manager
- Airline crew and cabin services
- Tour Operator
- Travel Agent
- Travel Writer
- Adventure Tourism
- Amusement and Recreation Attendant
QUALIFYING PATH
CAREER POTENTIAL AND GROWTH
The Tourism industry in India is about 6% of the nation’s GDP. Indians are travelling like never before, what with disposable incomes on the rise, information at one’s fingertips, a great surge in hospitality through staying options to suit every taste and budget and ceaseless inputs via social media. It is a people’s industry, plus an opportunity to get to know different locations and cultures. While not very formal and hierarchical, depending on your interests if this field is where you want to be you can find your niche.