“The tourism industry offers flexibility, choice and involvement in one of the largest and fastest growing-industries in the world. There are more tourism courses available than ever before at different levels and more people are realising that tourism is an industry they can see themselves working in for years to come.” (Collins, 2004: v). Tourism is fun and there is a wealth of job opportunities available in all the different diverse sectors of the industry including Hotel Management, Working as an Overseas Representative, the Cruise Sector, Marketing and Event Management.

Employment is available in your local area, on a national scale in the UK and on a world-wide basis overseas. One in five new jobs is now in tourism. More than two million people are working in the field, deploying a wide variety of skills and abilities, including sales, IT proficiency and numeracy, plus initiative, enthusiasm and diplomacy.

Traditionally, tourism has not been seen as an area for graduates however more graduates are training for a management career. Your subject of study can be less important than your skills, although travel and tourism and business studies are becoming increasingly useful. The extent to which a Degree or HND is valued depends on the role. Almost all employers look for relevant experience gained during vacations or placements. Work in customer service, retail or marketing will be viewed favourably, especially with a tourism employer such as a leisure park, tour operator or tourist attraction. If you are intending to work for a long-haul specialist, it will help to have experience of the countries in your portfolio. A gap year spent traveling can be a valuable investment.

Hence, “Travel and Tourism courses are becoming very popular; some are combined with Hospitality Management which provides students with specialism in two areas. Courses involve Business Studies and a detailed study of Tourism and Travel. Industrial placements are frequently involved and are usually paid if part of a sandwich course and language options are often included.” (Heap, 2004: 671). Studying tourism will give you the opportunity to learn about the mechanics of the business and to gain qualifications which, alongside your personal skills such as good interpersonal and presentation skills, will make you a more tantalising prospect to potential employers.