With experiencing a global revival after the pandemic it’s a great time to get into a career in hospitality and tourism. Exciting have emerged in the past few years that bring some exciting career opportunities to the industry.
This broad and dynamic industry encompasses many new and evolving sectors, offering a variety of cutting-edge career options from festivals and events to digital work, wellness and green jobs.
With a or a under your belt, you can use your highly transferable skills wherever you choose to go. If you decide to change careers or step into a new industry, you will be able to take those in-demand skills with you.
Hospitality and Tourism careers listed by trending industry field
Let’s start by taking a look at some lists of careers you could step into within four trending industry fields that are offering a diverse range of jobs:
- Digital Hospitality Careers
- Wellness Tourism
- Events, Activities and Festivals
- Sustainable Accommodation and Outdoor Activities
Digital Marketing and Content Careers in Hospitality and Tourism
The hospitality and tourism industry in 2022 is more mobile and digital now than ever before. Digital bookings through Online Travel Agencies (OTAs), Airbnb, mobile restaurant booking apps, food delivery platforms, reviews websites and of course, Instagram travel influencers and social media marketing: these are all examples of for hospitality and tourism businesses in 2023.
Despite the huge demand for digital services within the hospitality and tourism sector, there is an enduring skills gap in digital literacy among hospitality professionals. Research suggests that as many as . If you decide to pursue a digital hospitality and , you will be in high demand.
There are a range of digital careers in the industry that utilise the customer service and management skills you can learn from a hospitality management background. You don’t need to come from a programming or computing background to do these jobs: instead, you are transferring your customer service and relationships management skills to an online setting.
Some of these careers at the intersection of digital skills and customer service and hospitality management skills include:
- Digital Services Specialist
- Online Booking Agent
- Digital Booking Specialist for the OTA sector
- E-Commerce Manager
- Digital Customer Relationship Manager (CRM)
If you’re interested in content creation and you want a that blends your social media skills with your passion for travel and food, you could also consider a career in digital marketing in tourism and hospitality. Hotel brands, tourism operators and food services providers all need to be noticed online in a competitive social media landscape.
On the digital marketing, social media and content creation end of the hospitality and tourism industry, you will find a whole range of careers to choose from:
- Restaurant or Hotel Brand Social Media Manager
- Social Media Food Photography
- International Resort or Hotel Digital Content Creator
- Social Media Customer Relations Manager
- Digital Destination Marketing Manager
- SEO Manager in Hospitality or Food and Beverage
You don’t need a degree specialising in digital marketing to enter into this field: most and Tourism management degrees cover topics such as digital marketing, destination marketing and social media basics as part of their core content.
Wellness Tourism
Wellness is a rapidly growing segment of the hotel, hospitality and tourism industry right now, driven by a post-pandemic boom in demand for health-conscious getaways. The popularity of wellness retreats, day spas, treatment packages and wellness products right now is interlinked with a growth in demand for natural destinations, sustainable travel and vegan, vegetarian and organic food options.
This isn’t just a temporary shift. The popularity of these particular consumer choices represent the growing importance of millennial and Gen Z travellers in the market. According to , 96% of Gen Z and millennials relate the term “wellness” to health, and prioritise “eco-friendly” and “organic” options.
You don’t need to be a health professional or to get a degree in health sciences to enter into the wellness field.
A typical wellness retreat or day spa needs managers and staff with typical hospitality skills across areas such as operations, rooms division, front-of-house, activities programming, food and beverage and customer service. A degree in Hospitality, Tourism or would be ideal for learning these essential skills.
If you’re passionate about wellness and you want to enter into this exciting new field, here is a list of career options in the tourism and hospitality wellness sector to consider:
- Wellness Travel Specialist
- Wellness Retreat Manager
- Wellness Tourism Marketing
- Wellness Activities Coordinator
- Wellness Program Designer
- Day Spa Manager
- Day Spa Activities Programming
- Hotel Health and Fitness Facilities Management
- Wellness Products Retail Management
- Organic Food and Beverage Management
Events, Activities and Festivals Careers
If you love music, outdoor activities, amusement parks, cruises, cultural events or even organising private parties then you might be perfect for a career in the hospitality and tourism industry. Millions of people travel every year to attend sports games, festivals, conventions and for other events.
The events and activities sector of the tourism and hospitality industry is once again back on in a big way in 2022 and 2023, with many events that had been cancelled now resuming. from US consumer data group Cardify last year showed that 72% of travellers were excited to return to amusement parks after the pandemic, 68% to movie theatres, 67% to bars/clubs, 79% to concerts and 74% to sporting events.
With the skills in logistics, operations, such as communication and management skills you gain with a typical Hospitality or Tourism Management degree, you are also perfectly situated to pursue a career in events and activities. and activities are exciting, challenging and great if you’re a people-person and a natural problem solver.
Some of the different careers in events, activities and festivals you can choose in the hospitality and tourism industry include:
- Attractions Manager
- Catering Manager
- Conference or Large Event Planner or Director
- Music or Cultural Festival Management
- Bar, Club or Live Music Venue Manager
- Resort Activities Manager
- Cultural Festival Director
- Cruise Ship Events and Activities Coordinator
- Theme Park Events Management
- Theme Park Activities Coordinator
- Wedding or Private Event Planning
- Conference and Event Location Manager
- Hotel Event Location Manager
Sustainable Accommodation, Ecotourism and Adventure Travel
Environmental concerns are playing an increasingly important role in traveller choices, particularly among . Travelling closer to home, seeking out natural and uncrowded destinations, and looking for adventure or authentic experiences have become some important driven by the pandemic.
In line with this trend, the sustainable accommodation and eco-adventure sector of the market is growing and evolving. The adventure tourism market includes activities in nature such as hiking, sailing, mountain climbing and skiing, currently valued at $282.1 billion, and is . That’s a lot of new careers.
On the other side of the industry, an increasing number of , minimising waste, and offering organic and vegan food options. This means more jobs in sustainable consulting, reporting and designing and implementing solutions, across the industry. Tourism operators are also expanding their staycation, eco-friendly offerings and investing in experiential travel innovation.
If you’re passionate about sustainability, adventure, creating unforgettable experiences and love spending time in nature, it’s a great time to start thinking about a hospitality or tourism career in this broad and dynamic field.
A sustainable career in the hospitality and tourism sector includes a diverse range of roles depending on your interests such as:
- Sustainability Consultant for Hotels and Resorts
- Sustainability Data Analysis and Reporting for Hotels and Resorts
- Eco Lodge Manager
- Sustainable Hotel or Resort Management
- Vegan, Organic and Sustainable Food and Beverage Management
- Outdoor Activities Tour Operator
- Natural Experiences Booking Agent
- Adventure Tourism Consultant
- Eco-Tourism Marketing Manager
- Eco-Tourism Community Outreach Coordinator
- Eco-Tourism Education Coordinator
As you can see, the broad and diverse hospitality and tourism industry can offer a huge variety of careers, depending on your passions and interests. Choose a path in any of these four high-growth, trending industry fields and you’re sure to have an exciting career ahead of you.
