We asked people in the sector what they liked about their jobs. New employees, managers, people with very different kinds of tourism jobs all chose many of the same positives about their jobs.
1. The variety
Person after person said how much they enjoyed the variety in their jobs. Every day is different. “I rarely have a boring day,” a lot of them said. “There is never a dull moment,” others agreed. Tourism offers many different challenges. Most employees were grateful not to be stuck in a routine, predictable job.
2. Helping people
Tourism employees enjoyed the opportunity to meet people from all over the world. Many felt good when they knew they had helped or entertained this diverse group of customers.
3. Working with other tourism employees
Employees praised their fellow employees. People in tourism, they said, tend to be dynamic, interesting, and upbeat. In the past, it was perceived that only young people worked in tourism, but with more accessible workplace environments, the recruiting of new Canadians and mature workers, the face of the sector is changing.
4. The opportunities
Because the sector is growing, employees said, there are so many different types of jobs and opportunities in tourism. It is possible, they said, to get experience in many different kinds of tourism. There are lots of career paths available. There are many opportunities to learn new skills.
5. Advancement potential
Employees were also enthusiastic about the opportunities for relatively quick advancement in tourism. If you work hard, they said, you can move up to the next level faster than you could in many other sectors.
6. Developing global skills
Another positive was the fact that your tourism skills are transferable all around the world. Once you have experience, employees said, you can work in many different parts of the world.
7. Easy to get started
Many tourism employees were grateful for the ease of getting an entry-level job in tourism: “It’s not necessary to have post-secondary education, but it is desired. It is important to get tourism training and education if you want to build a career in tourism.”
8. Training opportunities
At the same time, employees were pleased that there were many tourism training and educational programs available to expand their knowledge about the sector. Many of these can be pursued part-time while you are working.
9. Tips!
Many tourism employees were happy to supplement their income with tips. They enjoyed being able to influence their tip amount by providing good service.
10. Creativity
A great variety of tourism jobs, they said, allow you to think on your feet and be creative.