Students wanting to study hotel, tourism or leisure should
remember that they are entering a services industry and, as such, customer
service, appearance and attention to detail are paramount.
Within tourism and hospitality there are different
directions of study and careers. Courses and degrees within tourism and leisure
vary greatly. Two of the largest areas for study are in event management
and hotel management however; schools offer anything from business degrees with a focus on tourism to
vocational degree in culture tourism, ski instructor, horse guide or
destination and product development within tourism.
Event management study courses incorporate the entire gambit
of responsibilities associated with planning, marketing, financing, and project
managing events which range in scope, scale and complexity from large scale
music festivals to a corporate meeting, and cover activities from sport and
culture to product launches and fundraising.
Hotel Management study courses range from diploma and
vocational to doctorate and PhD level. Students in hotel management will learn
the operational tasks necessary for running a successful hotel.
Studying Hotel Management will provide a varied and
challenging degree program with opportunities for employment and post graduate
further studies around the world.
In the tourism industry you have the option of working within both the private
and public sector. The private sector is largely made up of businesses within
the hotel and restaurant sector, conference centers, camp sites, theme parks,
and ski resorts. Within the public sector there are plenty of offices and
institutions dealing with increasing national tourism, and development of the
sector.
The future
The
future for graduates of tourism and leisure is very positive. The increases in
globalisation, budget air travel and the development of new economies has lead
to a fast growing and diverse industry. More and more people are able to afford
holidays abroad. This combined with an increasingly international business
market with more conferences and business trips, translates to an increase in
demand for tourism, hotel, leisure, hospitality and event management.
