MAJOR
JOB OPPORTUNITIES IN
TOURISM
& TRAVEL
Provided
courtesy of
The
Hogan Family Foundation

The airline industry is
one of the largest sectors in travel. It's made up of hundreds of airlines
worldwide, both big and small, and the companies that support them.
- Flight attendants
- Senior executives
- Directors/ managers
- Reservationists
- Ticketing / gate agents
- Customer service representatives
- Dispatchers
- Accountants
- District sales representatives
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- Security / safety personnel
- Pilots
- Clerical support
- Rate desk agents
- Crew schedulers
- Ground crew
- Human resources
- Training specialists
- Maintenance personnel
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A vast array of personnel ensures that
airports operate efficiently, safely and profitably.
- Senior executives
- Directors/managers
- Human resources
- Training specialists
- Air traffic control staff
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- Retail sales and management
- Immigration
- Customs personnel
- Security
- Safety personnel
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About a half-dozen huge companies dominate
this industry, with hundreds of thousands employed worldwide. Locations
are most often at airports, but center-city locations are also common.
- Senior executives
- Directors
- Managers
- Reservations
- Counter sales agents
- District sales managers
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- Clerical support
- Human resources
- Training specialists
- Maintenance personnel
- Fleet supervisors
- Shuttle drivers
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Most companies and organizations have
employees who travel a great deal. To purchase and coordinate their
travel, most large businesses have staff -- headed by corporate travel
managers -- to oversee travel. At some companies, travel management
is outsourced to travel agencies.
- Senior executives
- Directors
- Managers
- Clerical Support
- Human Resources
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- Accountants
- Corporate travel managers
- Travel Agents
- Training specialists
- Account managers
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This is a highly diversified sector,
with convention centers, hotels, visitors bureaus, meeting planners,
transportation providers and the like all working together to facilitate
conferences, board meetings, sales meetings, trade shows, educational
sessions, workshops, exhibits and much more.
- Senior executives
- Directors
- Managers
- Clerical Support
- Meeting Planners
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- Sales Representatives
- Maintenance
- Engineering Staff
- Shipping Specialists
- Food and beverage Staff
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The cruise industry is one of travel's
fastest growing sectors. It's divided into two large groups: onboard
and land-based. In addition to the "megaships" and companies that operate
them, there are also many "niche" cruise companies: small, education-oriented
vessels, masted sailing ships, riverboats, sightseeing vessels, boat
charters, etc.
- Senior executives
- Directors/managers
- Reservationists
- Clerical support
- Accountants
- District sales managers
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- Port staff
- Shore excursion personnel
- Shipboard executives
- Support staff / entertainers
- Training specialists
- Human resources
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In many businesses, travel is awarded
to those who excel in on-job performance, sales, safety, etc. This is
called incentive travel. Many tour-like companies specialize in designing,
coordinating, operating and bringing an entertaining and motivational
touch to incentive travel events.
- Senior executives
- Directors/managers
- Clerical support
- Event planners
- Accountants
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- Supplier coordinators
- Sales representatives
- Audio-visual
- Graphics specialists
- Trip directors
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It seems clear that much travel in the
future will be bought on-line, either directly from suppliers (e.g.,
the airlines) or through "virtual" travel agencies and providers. Growth
will be especially strong where a travel "commodity" (e.g., an airline
ticket) is involved, less so when the travel product is a more complex
experience (e.g., a tour).
- Senior executives
- Directors
- Managers
- Clerical support
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- Sales representatives
- Travel agents
- Automation specialists
- Webmasters
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Theme parks have become major forces
in the travel industry, most especially in Florida and California. The
largest ones also sell full travel packages (hotel, transportation,
air and admissions) to the public
- Senior executives
- Directors
- Managers
- Clerical support
- Admissions agents
- Ride operators
- Food service personnel
- Tour guides
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- Accountants
- Sales representatives
- Public relations specialists
- Security
- Safety personnel
- Ride/attraction designers
- Maintenance
- Engineering personnel
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Train travel is projected to grow in
the United States and it's already a major transportation choice outside
the U.S. There are also "private" trains that carry tourists on scenic
trips, sometimes for an hour or two, sometimes for thousands of miles.
- Clerical support
- Accountants
- District sales representatives
- Human resources
specialists
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- Dispatchers
- Ticketing agents
- Onboard attendants
- Maintenance personnel
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For more information
about careers in the travel and tourism industry, we recommend
Inside Secrets to Find a Career In Travel, by Karen
Rubin.
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