Tourism : Overview

The industry in a nutshell

• The tourism sector can be divided into two parts; the travel industry and the tourism services industry (People 1st Industry Report, 2009).
• VisitBritain , in partnership with the regional tourist boards Visit Scotland , Visit Wales  and Discover Northern Ireland , ensures that Britain is marketed effectively both nationally and throughout the world. On a national level, this is also achieved through the many Tourist Information Centres.
• Over a third of the tourism sector workforce is educated to graduate level or equivalent. 
• Fluctuating oil prices lead to fuel surcharges through increased air ticket prices and air passenger duty.
• Tourism is to some extent unpredictable due to unexpected (and often sudden) events such as economic recession, natural catastrophe and industrial action. However, the sector is resilient and generally regarded as quick to recover (UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), 2010).
• An increasing number of people are opting to spend more holidays within the UK due to increased environmental awareness and a desire to take fewer flights. 
• Large events such as the London 2012  can generate an increase in tourism jobs - even if perhaps only of a fixed-term nature. The organising committee has announced (July 2010) that it will be looking to fill in the region of 70,000 jobs although many of these will be voluntary positions.

What kind of work can I do?

There are a number of different areas of work within the tourism sector, including:

• customer service - client facing roles in travel agencies, tourist boards, airline jobs as cabin crew and holiday representatives;
• marketing - for tourist boards, tour operators and travel;
• sales - within travel agencies or for tourist attractions such as theme parks and activity days;
• product development - for tourist attractions in certain regions, for example;
• IT and administration in a number of different areas related to tourism.

What’s it like working in this sector?

• Work conditions vary according to your role. You may work in an office, in a customer service environment, outdoors or on board a plane or a cruise ship.
• For permanent posts at graduate level, pay rates will vary, depending on skills and the levels of expertise required. This sector is not generally known for high remuneration but management positions will demand higher salaries and minimum wage legislation has brought lower paid positions in line.
• Working hours vary depending on the role but you should expect to work unsocial hours in many of the roles in the tourism industry.
• The travel and tourism industries tend to be female dominated with a 60/40 female to male employee ratio.
• There are good opportunities in the industry to work part time.
• Employees from Black and ethnic minority groups make up around 10% of the tourism sector workforce.
• Depending on your job role, regular overseas travel may be required (all statistics sourced from People 1st Industry Profile, 2009).

How big is this sector?

• Tourism comprises some 180,000 businesses which generate £19billion annually in foreign revenue for the UK.
• It is estimated that there are 1.4 million jobs related directly to tourism activity in the UK, accounting for 5% of total UK employment.
• Approximately 130,000 of these jobs are self-employed (all statistics sourced from Tourism Alliance 2010).
• Tourism and related industries, account for nearly 5% of the UK’s total economic output (sourced from People 1st Industry Profile, 2009).

Where can I work?

In accordance with the nature of tourism, jobs are available worldwide, either through overseas airlines and tour operators or through UK companies that have international offices and opportunities.

For information on working overseas, see opportunities abroad.