According to the World Travel and Tourism
Council (1997), the economics of the 21st century will
be dominated by three industries: telecommunications, information
technology and tourism. The travel and tourism industries have grown
by 500% in the last 25 years and it is estimated that by the year
2007 tourists will spend US$884 billion in foreign countries on
tourism related activities.
Travel and tourism represents a broad range of related industries.
The growth of these industries has opened up many new job opportunities
for graduates in areas such as:
- hotels
- restaurants
- retailing
- transportation
- travel agencies
- tour companies
- tourist attractions
- leisure, recreation and sport
- cultural industries
It is interesting to realise that in 1997 travel and tourism provides
10.5% of the total world employment, with up to 25% of all employment,
in some areas, such as the Caribbean. It has been estimated that,
by 2007, more than 100 million people world-wide will be employed
in this sector. Because of this, tourism is now seen to be of importance
to most countries of the world.
During this time, the nature of tourism has developed in scope
and direction, away from traditional activities, such as the sunshine
sand and sea holidays to a wide range of new activities such as
cultural tourism, adventure tourism, sports and leisure activities
and eco-tourism.
Given the potential for interesting and rewarding careers in these
industries many young people are looking for suitable courses which
will help prepare them for careers in management within the tourism
and hospitality industries. The UK higher education system has a
well developed range of courses, at all levels from Higher National
Diploma, BA or BSc degrees and MA/MSc/MBA Masters courses and using
alternative methods of studying, (including full-time, part-time
and distance learning). When looking at courses in hospitality and
tourism, there can seem to be a bewildering variety of course titles
covering the main employment areas of travel, tourism, hotels and
restaurants. Typical titles include:
For hotels and restaurant management:
- hospitality management
- international hospitality management
- hotel and catering management
For travel and tourism:
- tourism management
- tourism studies
- travel and tourism
There are also joint degrees where it is possible to study combinations
of subjects, such as tourism and hospitality, tourism and leisure,
hospitality and marketing. Most undergraduate courses (HND/BSc/BA)
will include a period of work experience as part of the course,
varying in length from 6 months to one year. This work experience
is seen to be a central part of the course, where the student gets
the opportunity to practise what they have learned in college or
university. Employers also see great value in this work experience
when considering the employment of graduates.
Given the international nature of these industries, another valuable
part of any course is the study of languages. Most courses in hospitality
and tourism provide access to language courses, either as core components
or as options.
Courses at Masters level are becoming increasingly important in
tourism and hospitality. These Masters level courses are useful
to two groups of people:
- those who have completed a degree course in a subject other than
hospitality or tourism but who are looking at ways of getting employment
in the industry;
- those who have a degree or sub-degree qualification in hospitality
or tourism together with significant management experience within
the hospitality or tourism industries and who wish to develop themselves
to a higher level or to seek a more senior position in industry.
There are many Masters courses in Hospitality Management, Hotel
and Catering Management and Tourism Management in universities and
colleges in the UK.
In addition to the above courses, there are also more specialised
Masters courses in Tourism covering areas such as Cultural Tourism,
Tourism Marketing, Tourism Planning, Museum Management, Heritage
Management, Cultural Tourism and Sustainable Tourism: these are
suitable for people who have an interest in employment in a specific
sector of the industry.
Within the UK there are many university and college courses to
choose from, but each course will have its own unique characteristics.
Before applying, you should think carefully about the type of career
you want: if it is in a hotel are you interested in restaurant management
or rooms division management? Do you see yourself as a practical
hands-on person or someone who is happier to work behind the scenes
in a desk based job? Do you aspire to become a general manager of
a hotel which is part of one of the major world-wide groups, or
do you want to manage your own operation? Are you more interested
in one of the functional management areas, such as marketing, human
resources, conferences. If you are interested in tourism do you
want to work for a travel agency, a tour company, the management
of a tourist attraction, or within the public sector-national, regional
or local tourism planning organisations. Think about these types
of question before consulting the prospectuses or WEB sites so that
you can judge each course against your own preferences.
Author: David Kirk, Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh
http://qmuc.ac.uk
This article first appeared in Studying Abroad (WW5)
