Tourism : Typical employers

The travel industry: comprising retail travel services such as high street travel agencies, travel insurance and online travel services, tour operators, bureaux de change and travel ticketing agencies. The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA)  is the body which represents travel agencies and tour operators.

Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA)

Big players

Depending on whether you are interested in the travel industry or the tourism services industry, both offer big employers which provide opportunities for graduates. 

Thomas Cook Group Plc is one of the world's leading leisure travel groups. It was formed in 2007 after the merger of Thomas Cook AG and My Travel Group Plc. Its principal brands include Thomas Cook, Condor and Direct Holidays.

TUI Travel PLC was created in 2007 from the merger of First Choice Holidays Plc and the Tourism Division of TUI AG. It is another of the leading international travel groups, operating in over 180 countries. TUI offers an 18-month International Management Trainee programme for graduates.

Large airline companies include Ryanair, EasyJet, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

There are a large number of agencies organising gap year travel, such as Gapyear.com, Gapadvice.org and Yearoutgroup.org.

The Saga Group owns travel interests targeted at the over-50s. They specialise in cruises, tours, resort breaks and short UK breaks.

The tourist authorities such as VisitBritain , Visit Scotland , Visit Wales  and Discover Northern Ireland  are also major employers.

Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)

SMEs are organisations with less than 250 employees and an annual turnover of around £26million. Working for a smaller company can be rewarding because you are more likely to forge a path for yourself within the company, although opportunities to try other departments may be limited. 

SMEs are unlikely to use the testing and assessment techniques of larger companies, or follow lengthy recruitment procedures. SMEs are more likely to advertise their vacancies through the local press, university careers service bulletins, local graduate vacancy listings, jobcentres, and word of mouth, rather than rely on their reputation and a presence at graduate recruitment fairs.

Careers services should have listings of jobs with small firms; see also the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) .

Self-employment

As with other sectors, there are a growing number of consultants who carry out policy and research on behalf of other organisations such as tour operations and government offices. To be able to get into this type of role it is important to demonstrate sector specific knowledge, which would have usually been gained by professional experience or thorough research-based knowledge. Graduates who enter this area usually have previous tourism or related experience and a relevant postgraduate qualification.

Find out more about self-employment.