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Hospitality & Tourism

Category Description

› Cooking

› Event Management

› Food, Meat processing and butchery

› Hospitality

› Outdoor recreation

› Tourism management

Overview of Hospitality and Tourism

Hospitality and Tourism has become one of the fastest growing industries since air travel became more accessible and widespread multiculturalism increased the demand for a variety of cultural restaurants and cafes, particularly in Australia.

With so many fields of tourism like ecotourism, cultural tourism, heritage tourism and sport tourism among others, a course specialising in hospitality and tourism makes for a very practical and useful qualification.

Studying Hospitality and Tourism

Previously, there were few qualifications available to potential students as most of the training was acquired on the job. Now as the demand increases, there are many qualifications including universities, TAFE training, private colleges and more.

While private schools and colleges have always had a special focus on hospitality and tourism, there are also a number of university degrees available.

Courses are available in event management, food and beverage management, environmental tourism, hotel management, multicultural hospitality, travel management, catering, eco tourism and indigenous tourism.

Studying a business degree is also another way of specialising in hospitality or tourism. For example, you can choose a Bachelor of Business degree in hotel management or hospitality management.

You can also study a combination of degrees like tourism and leisure, tourism and hospitality, tourism or hospitality and international studies – a valuable combination given the nature of tourism.

An important part of these courses is the practical element. Paid industry internships are common but most experience takes place off the job to begin with. Residential schools which allow students to work regularly are very popular because they allow you to gain the necessary practical experience that employers often expect from graduates.

Careers in Hospitality and Tourism

Graduates from a degree in hospitality and tourism are usually involved in management positions.

With hospitality, this includes hotel, club and restaurant management, area or operation management, event and festival management, executive chef positions or cafe owners.

With tourism, this includes jobs in hotel accommodation, the airline industry, tourism management, travel consultants, tour guides and winery management.

Qualifications in hospitality and tourism can often lead to careers in public relations and business or marketing.

Skills needed in Hospitality and Tourism

Skills include the ability to work in a team, strong communication skills, good customer skills, organisational skills and the ability to work well under pressure.