Lesson No. 3.

2 Career Opportunities in the Hospitality and Tourism Industry

Unlocking Content Area Vocabulary

Work is to perform or fulfill duties regularly for wages or salary.
Job is a specific duty, role, or function.
Career is a profession for which one trains, and which is undertaken as a permanent calling.
Salary is a fixed compensation paid regularly for services.

Hard and Soft Skills Required for Hospitality and Tourism Industry
Hard skills are nothing but the technical expertise that you gain through college education,
online course, or job training. These skills are completely job-specific.

Soft skills refer to various personality traits such as attitude, communication, critical thinking,
time management, creative abilities, etc. Soft skills help in capitalizing on your potential and
help you stand out.

20 Career Opportunities in Hospitality and Tourism Industry

Career Opportunity Job Description Job Requirement

They work for cruise liners and travel
One should enjoy traveling
agencies to help guests book vacations
and know about cruise
that meet their budget and travel
vacations and discounts.
interests. They also provide additional
1. Cruise Agent This position requires a high
services by scheduling transportation for
school diploma, and
them and booking hotel accommodations
additional certifications may
on their behalf before and after their
be necessary.
cruise vacation.
Individuals need a
2. Sports center They conduct daily activities at sports
bachelor's degree in leisure
manager / complexes and recreational facilities with
and recreation, facility
Leisure manager gyms, pools, and activity rooms.
management, or hospitality.
They oversee the daily operations of food
trucks at tourist attractions and unique Food truck managers need a
event venues. They may be responsible minimum of a high school
3. Food truck
for coordinating work schedules, diploma but can also benefit
manager
obtaining food service licenses in from previous work
different areas, and ordering food experience.
inventory as needed.
4. Pastry chef They specialize in making various pastries To become a pastry chef,
and other desserts for bakeries, individuals can either earn a
restaurants, and patisseries. They work high school diploma and
closely with other kitchen staff and chefs develop their skills or attend a
to create dough mixtures, develop new pastry arts program and earn
recipes, decorate dessert items, and an associate degree or
monitor the baking process to ensure a bachelor’s degree.
finished product.
5. Airport manager / They ensure efficient operations at an They usually have a few years
Aviation airport while ensuring that all airlines of work experience in a role at
manager follow FAA (Federal Aviation an airport, along with a
Administration) guidelines. They hire and bachelor's degree in airport
train airport personnel and monitor management and operations
activities relating to security, customer or aviation management. A
service, and customer amenities, including professional certification can
onsite restaurants. also be beneficial.
6. Spa manager They lead daily operations at spa facilities. The education requirements
Their duties include hiring and training spa include earning an associate
employees and maintaining an up-to-date or bachelor’s degree in
inventory of cosmetic products, sheets, hospitality or business
towels, robes, and other items for skin management. Prospective
treatments. Spa managers may also spa managers also need a few
promote their spa by hiring freelance years of work experience at a
marketers or organizing advertisements spa business.
for digital or print platforms. They also
administer advanced therapies like facials
and massages to customers.
7. Hotel assistantThey support the job duties of the hotel's Individuals need a high school
general manager general manager. They help the available diploma and a few years of
manager interview job candidates, make hotel experience. They may
hiring decisions, and coordinate training also benefit from earning an
efforts for staff. Hotel assistant general associate degree or
managers may also cover shifts for general bachelor’s degree in
managers and act as temporary general hospitality and tourism.
managers when the manager is sick or on
vacation.
8. Tour manager They oversee tour bookers, tour guides, Individuals can become tour
tour bus drivers, and marketing staff for a managers by earning a high
tour company. They schedule work shifts school diploma and working
for tour guides, develop marketing for a tour company for a few
strategies to increase tour bookings, and years. They can also earn a
 read tourist reviews to determine how bachelor's degree or master's
they can improve their overall experience. degree in an area like
They may also accompany clients when hospitality and tourism
they travel and attend to their needs. management.
9. Cafe manager They oversee the daily operations of cafes To become a cafe manager,
in shopping centers, hotels, and other individuals need a minimum
areas. They hire and train cafe staff, adjust of a high school diploma and
coffee and bakery selections, handle previous experience working
complex customer questions, and ensure in a cafe as a barista or
the cleanliness of their facilities. Cafe supervisor.
managers also create work schedules to
provide enough staff during peak business
hours.
10. Activity manager They work for hotels and resorts, travel Activity managers typically
companies, and cruise liners to oversee have bachelor's degrees in
guest activities and ensure guests have a hospitality and tourism, event
pleasant experience. This may include planning, or recreation.
planning guests' itineraries, offering guests
tours of the local area, and developing fun
activities within their facilities.
11. Hotel sales They work for hotels and help create and To become a hotel sales
coordinator manage their marketing and customer coordinator, individuals
service strategies. They also work with a need a bachelor's degree in
team of sales coordinators and hotel sales, marketing, hospitality,
managers to research ways to increase and tourism.
bookings and retain customers. They may
design special offers, create branding and
promotional strategies, and follow up with
guests after they check out.
To become a resort
They oversee the daily activities at resort
manager, individuals need
facilities. They typically monitor the
experience working in the
resort's housekeeping activities, finances,
12. Resort manager resort industry, either a
and marketing materials. They manage
bachelor's degree or
different departments to assist with
master's degree in hotel
general maintenance and ensure a high
management or hospitality
guest satisfaction rate.
and tourism.
Prospective travel agents
They work for travel agencies or as self-
need a high school diploma
employed individuals to help clients book
13. Travel agent and an interest in travel.
transport and hotel accommodations.
They may also benefit from
Their duties may also involve creating a trip
earning an associate or
itinerary for their clients and helping them
bachelor’s degree in
 reschedule canceled flights or transfer hospitality and tourism
accommodations. management or applying for
a professional travel agent
certification. Travel agents
often start as employees and
become managers as their
careers progress.
They oversee a kitchen and server staff
To become a catering
team for a catering company or event
manager, individuals can
venue. They hire and train catering staff
benefit from earning either
14. Catering manager and work with one or more chefs to create
an associate degree or a
an effective catering menu. They also
bachelor's degree in an area
design schedules for staff members,
like hospitality or food
depending on the time required to set up
service.
and prepare food before an event.
They collaborate with resorts, cruise liners,
hotels, and other accommodations to book To become an
singers, musicians, dance groups, entertainment manager,
comedians, and other entertainers to individuals can attend a four-
15. Entertainment
perform for guests. Their duties include year bachelor's degree
manager
holding auditions for potential talent, program in hospitality,
scheduling bookings, and negotiating with tourism management, event
clients to determine price points. They planning, or events and
oversee many aspects of events, including entertainment.
their production and financing.
They assist hotel guests with their needs
from when they check in to when they
check out. They provide guests with room This position typically
16. Guest services
keys, organize baggage assistance, and requires a minimum of a high
manager
delegate tasks to other staff like school diploma and a few
housekeepers, front desk employees, or years of guest service
room service personnel. They're also experience.
responsible for hiring and training the
guest services staff.
They work for a hotel, cruise line, or resort Housekeeping directors can
and manage its housekeeping staff. They benefit from earning a
maintain clean facilities for all guests by bachelor's degree in
17. Director of
hiring and training housekeeping staff and hospitality management and
Housekeeping
monitoring inventory, including cleaning gaining several years of
supplies, towels, bedsheets, and guest experience in the cleaning
amenities. service industry.
They work at public and amusement parks Prospective Park managers
18. Park manager
and help develop marketing and need a bachelor's degree in
promotional strategies to increase visitors. leisure and recreation,
 They may work with facilities managers to management, or landscape
ensure the park remains clean and well- design.
maintained. They also manage the park's
budget, train managers in individual
departments, and develop inclement
weather or emergency policies.
They work for hotels, cruises, and other
accommodations to oversee food service
operations for guests. Their job duties
include developing a budget for food
To become a food service
inventory and supplies, relaying
director, a bachelor's or
19. Food service information to food and beverage
master's degree in
director managers and kitchen staff, approving
hospitality management,
menu and drink ideas, and ensuring the
food service management,
quality of the food and dining operations.
or culinary arts is necessary.
Directors at large hotels or other
organizations may also oversee the room
service and catering from multiple
restaurants.
They assist individuals, educational
A high school diploma and a
institutions, and corporations with their
voluntary certification are
travel needs. They meet with clients to
typically necessary to
discuss their travel options to a destination
become a travel consultant.
and determine whether they need a
20. Travel consultant An associate or bachelor's
passport, vaccinations, or weather-
degree in tourism,
appropriate attire; they also help them find
international studies, or
discounted hotels and airlines and arrange
hospitality can also be
accommodations for clients with medical
beneficial.
conditions and special needs.

Check Your Understanding:

a) Differentiate soft skills from hard skills. (2 points)
b) Enumerate three soft skills in the tourism and hospitality industry. (3 points)
c) Enumerate three hard skills in the tourism and hospitality industry. (3 points)
d) Why is education important to consider when you apply for a career in the tourism and
hospitality industry? (3 points)
e) Aside from adequate education, are diplomas in specific fields important considerations
when applying for a career in the tourism and hospitality industry? Why or why not? (4
points)