Tourism and Hospitality Management Overview

Hospitality is defined as the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors or strangers, with kindness and customer service. Hospitality frequently refers to the hospitality industry jobs for hotels/resorts, restaurants/bars/clubs, meetings/conventions, gaming, catering, entertainment or any other service position that deals with tourists. The hospitality industry covers a wide range or areas including food service management, financial and managerial accounting, hospitality law, hospitality marketing, hospitality technology and computer applications and international hospitality. With an increasingly global economy and the fact that travel is becoming a common part of business, the outlook for the hospitality industry is rather positive. According to the World Tourism Organization, tourism has experienced continued growth and deepening diversification, becoming one of the fastest growing economic sectors in the world. In addition, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the number of jobs available in hospitality will increase substantially over the next several years, so those who earn a degree in tourism and hospitality will give them an edge over those who have not.

Degrees in Tourism and Hospitality

Tourism and hospitality degree programs are designed to prepare students for advancement in customer-service oriented positions in the hospitality industry. Degree programs include a wide variety of courses, such as business management, information technology, computer science, human resources, marketing, accounting and finance, critical thinking, problem solving, leadership, communications, organizational psychology, nutrition, sanitation, food planning and food preparation. Many adults pursuing higher educations in business choose to specialize in hospitality management to gain a complete understanding of the various aspects of running or managing a business within the tourism and hospitality industry. In addition, ethical and legal issues within the tourism and hospitality industry, management of employees, quality control and service coordination are all addressed. One of the most critical aspects of the tourism and hospitality training and degree will be the importance of effective communication and decision making within the industry.

Career Opportunities in Tourism and Hospitality

Because of the many aspects of the hospitality industry, hospitality graduates will be qualified for a wide range of career opportunities throughout the U.S. and internationally. The most popular career opportunities include positions as hotel/resort managers, assistant managers, sales and marketing professionals, property managers, restaurant managers, general managers, food & beverage directors, front office managers, conference planners, human resource managers, convention planners, special event planners, travel agents and group travel facilitators. Job opportunities in the tourism and hospitality industry should be quite strong due to high turnover and increased consumer demand. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that employment in this sector will grow by as much as 17% through 2014, and average earnings range from minimum wage (with tips) all the way up to six figures, depending on your expertise, location, and experience.

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