Offering a sea of opportunities, the tourism and hospitality industry is a dynamic sector offering numerous career options to explore. The young professionals who have completed their graduation in hospitality and tourism management can access a lot of career prospects in the market as they will have proper theoretical knowledge as well as practical experience. Enriched with fun and engaging careers, from being a food and beverage manager on a high-end cruise line to orchestrating a top sound music festival, the tourism and hospitality industry offers much more than traditional nine to five job.
- Travel Agent: Owing to their years long experience and knowledge, travel agents research, plan, and book trips for individuals and groups. Although at present most of the people are preferring to research and book their travel plans online, it’s often easier to use the expertise of a travel agent, as apart from helping with flight bookings they also assist in hotel selection, transfer arrangements, holiday activities and many more. If you are interested in pursuing your career as a travel consultant or travel agent, great organisational skills are a must. Along with attention to detail, and the ability to think quickly, travel agents should have good decision-making skills as well.
- Hotel Manager: Supervising all aspects of running a hotel, which includes housekeeping, general maintenance, budget management as well as marketing of the hotel, Hotel Managers, should have outstanding interpersonal skills, experience in the hospitality sector, along with the skill and proficiency of managing employees. As a hotel manager, a person will be accountable for the daily running of the hotel, including employing, training and overseeing staff; budget management; planning maintenance work; addressing the customers’ complaints; administering reservations; promotion and marketing the hotel; and ascertaining that the hotel complies with health and safety regulations.
- Tour Operator: Responsible for combining tour and travel components to create holiday packages, tour operators deal with various service providers, including bus operators, airlines and hoteliers. Formulating schedules for various destinations tour operators often monitor trends in popular destinations to put together gorgeous holiday packages for clients. Tour Operators mainly engage with Travel Agents, while Travel Agents deal with the public. Often visiting the destinations to check whether they should include them in their packages, tour operators’ work profile is best suited to individuals who enjoy traveling.
- Event Organiser: As organising any event or conference is often considered to be time taking and hectic, an event and conference organiser will help with the planning and execution of an event. Often involving working as the part of a bigger team, the role of event organiser is hands-on as they co-ordinate every detail of meetings and conferences, from the speakers and meeting locations to the printed materials and audio-visual equipment. Individuals who are interested in becoming Event and Conference Organiser should be able to think on your feet, deal with clients and suppliers, pay attention to detail, and work under tight deadlines. As the work require a lot of efforts and dedication, the professional should be willing to work long hours in to ensure the success of an event.
- Executive Chef: With the recent television programs like Master Chefs, the culinary profession is considered to be one of the most prestigious and exciting career paths. In charge of a restaurant’s kitchen, an executive chef is accountable for handling the kitchen staff, deciding the menu, sourcing the freshest ingredients, and making sure that food hygiene is maintained throughout the restaurant. With the ability to spot problems and resolve them quickly yet efficiently, an executive chef should be passionate about cooking for a crowd.
A constantly growing and evolving sector, hospitality and tourism management industry is equipped with new trends and career opportunities for new-age professionals. The individuals who are interested to have fun and lively career, should definitely go for a career in hospitality and tourism management sector.
