If careers in tourism do indeed sound like the perfect fit for your personality and interests, then it’s time to explore your many options. As you explore careers in tourism, keep in mind that there is considerable overlap between hospitality and tourism.
The main difference between the two is that hospitality is a broader field, while tourism fits within the hospitality industry as a subfield. For example, you could patronize a hospitality establishment (e.g. a restaurant) in your hometown, in which case you aren’t a tourist. However, an out-of-town visitor could patronize the same establishment as a tourist. Since there is so much overlap between hospitality and tourism, the two terms are often used interchangeably.
Travel Agent
It can be challenging for people to make their own travel plans, particularly if they are busy, working professionals with little to no knowledge of their destination(s). That’s why people often turn to travel agents for assistance. A travel agent is responsible for making the travel arrangements for people who will be traveling on vacation or on a business trip.
Some of the individual tasks that a travel agent typically handles include the following:
- Offers advice on travel destinations and makes recommendations for lodging, dining and entertainment
- Plans and books transportation, lodging and activity admissions based on clients’ needs, preferences, schedules and budgets
- Helps clients learn about local customs and applicable laws
- Advises clients about travel requirements, such as passport and vaccination requirements
Travel agents sometimes travel to popular destinations so they can pass along firsthand knowledge to their clients. Much of their time, however, is spent talking to clients and coordinating trips with airlines, resorts and other businesses.
It’s possible for a travel agent to specialize. Some travel agents are leisure travel agents who work with people interested in taking a vacation. A leisure travel agent may further subspecialize, such as by predominantly dealing with adventure trips or ecotourism trips, or with a particular demographic of travelers (e.g. students or retirees).
Other travel agents subspecialize by becoming corporate travel agents. They are responsible for making travel arrangements for corporate employees. Some of them may work in a travel agency, while others work directly for a large corporation, such as a professional sports team.
New travel agents typically receive some on-the-job training. This training period will usually focus on training new agents in the use of tourism/hospitality computer systems, such as the Global Distribution System (GDS). To gain a competitive edge over other aspiring travel agents, you might also consider earning a voluntary travel agent certification from a professional organization, such as The Travel Institute®.
Tour Operator
A tour operator is often confused as being a travel agent. However, they are quite different. A tour operator develops travel packages that are then marketed to travel agents, who can then sell those travel packages to their clients.
A travel package can be an exciting thing to put together. For example, let’s say you’re a tour operator developing a travel package for Venice, Italy. The main components of your travel package will include transportation, lodging, meals and the itinerary.
As a tour operator, you’ll figure out the best possible airline or railway to allow tourists to reach the destination, as well as transportation options for moving the tourists from one place to another within the destination(s). You’ll consider a number of factors when choosing accommodations, such as proximity to attractions, amenities and accessibility for tourists with disabilities. You’ll also develop some meal options for the travelers.
The next step is putting together the itinerary. For a Venice, Italy tour package, you’ll certainly want to include gondola rides along Venice’s storied canals, a visit to St. Mark’s Square with its historic buildings, an excursion to Doge’s Palace and similar popular attractions.
If you decide to pursue a career as a tour operator, you’ll have lots of fun learning about incredible destinations and planning ways for tourists to make the most of their trip. Tour operators often work for private tour companies, some of which specialize in particular types of trips (e.g. tour packages for students).
Tour Guide or Tour Leader
If high-level planning isn’t quite your forte and you would rather spend your time working directly with tourists, you might consider becoming a tour guide or a tour leader instead. These two roles are quite similar. A tour leader is someone who travels with the tour group for the entirety of their journey, whereas the tour guide is the professional who leads tourists through a specific site, such as a historic or cultural site.
If you decide to become a tour guide, you will need to develop deep, extensive knowledge of your chosen site. You’ll lead tourists through the site, discussing its history, major events, cultural significance, architecture and other points of interest. You’ll have to be able to think on your feet in order to answer the questions you may be asked by the tourists.
If you decide to become a tour leader instead, you’ll need to know a little bit about each place that you bring your group to. You’ll also need to assist the tourists with practical and logistical issues, such as learning how to use the local public transportation system, exchanging currency and checking in at hotels.
Hotel Manager
Many people who decide to pursue careers in tourism take a different route. Instead of becoming a travel agent or tour leader, you might prefer to concentrate your efforts on making a particular hospitality establishment as successful as possible. As a hotel manager, you would be responsible for ensuring that your guests have the best possible experience across all areas of your establishment, while simultaneously optimizing revenue.
Hotel managers typically handle the following tasks:
- Evaluate the grounds, common areas and guest rooms to ensure an aesthetic, clean appearance.
- Supervise and coordinate activities across departments (e.g. food service and housekeeping) to ensure the standards of the hotel are maintained.
- Hire and train staff members.
- Monitor the guest experience.
- Establish budgets and room rates, allocate funds and approve expenditures.
- Address questions from the guests regarding hotel services and policies.
- Develop innovative ways of positioning the establishment as the go-to accommodation for a particular destination.
Note that some hotel managers are responsible for managing one department, while others manage the entire establishment. The job of a hotel manager isn’t an entry-level one. Aspiring managers will typically begin at an entry-level job, such as a line cook or front office staff member, before working their way up to a managerial position.
Sommelier
A sommelier is a highly knowledgeable professional who has deep knowledge of wine. Sommeliers typically work at fine dining establishments, where they handle the wine purchasing, storage and service, such as pairing wines with food, explaining the wine selection to guests, offering recommendations and serving the wine. A sommelier may also work at a vineyard or resort.
It isn’t strictly necessary to become certified in order to work as a sommelier. However, certification is strongly recommended, as it would make you a competitive candidate in the job marketplace. The path to certification can be lengthy.
First, you could earn your postsecondary degree, ideally in hospitality management, and you’ll become of legal age to consume alcoholic beverages. You’ll then likely pursue an entry-level position in hospitality that focuses on food and beverage service. While you’re working in hospitality, you’ll learn as much about wine and the art of serving wine as possible.
You may then enroll in a wine school recognized by the Court of Master Sommeliers. This highly reputable professional association establishes four levels of sommelier certification: introductory sommelier, certified sommelier, advanced sommelier and master sommelier.
