Grab your notebook and your camera, because you’re going for a ride… and for studying.
If you have a love for travel and enjoy working with people, a degree in Tourism is just the one for you. These two are the only requirements to fill, while the advantages are plenty. Here are 9 benefits of studying Travel and Tourism to convince you to get on board right now:
Tourism is a major industry in the service sector, and it is only growing year by year. Global Business Travel Association found that global travel spending is expected to reach $1.6 trillion by 2020. Travel and Tourism offers countless opportunities to pursue career paths in different areas, such as being a guide for high-end travel or outdoor adventures, or in management and event planning.
Obvious as it is, traveling is the biggest incentive to motivate one to join the industry of Travel and Tourism. You’re not to expect traditional classrooms getting such a degree. Rather you’ll learn by doing, that is by taking classes in various locations and meeting people of the industry.
It’s okay to follow the money. A study by the US Travel Association found that Americans whose first job was in an industry related to travel obtained an average career salary of $81,900. Moreover, nearly 40% of workers who began their career in travel reached an annual career salary of more than $100,000.
The tourism industry is all about cultivating relationships and making connections with international people which you will get to meet during both your academic and professional life. You will have the opportunity to get educated on different cultures and customs that you will find handy throughout your career in the tourism industry.
Tourism teaches you about things that are not exclusive to this industry. It touches upon many others, such as Marketing, Conflict Management, Negotiation, Sustainable Business Strategies, Event Planning and many more. Therefore, you’ll gain skills that you can use even if you leave the field.
Problems and crises can happen when you least expect them in the tourism industry, but that only gives you a challenge. Successful professionals are the ones who know just what to do when problems arise. You’ll also get to do a lot of critical (and creative) thinking so the whole experience will serve as Soft Skills training for you!
If you want to be part of a legacy, then this is the right place to be. Tourism is an industry that has the opportunity to create change, help economies, preserve history/culture, and achieve balance and prosperity for communities. If you study Travel and Tourism, you will get to have courses on Sustainability and learn the positive impacts that mindful traveling can have on society.
I’m sure you already know this one. You will meet new people that will leave lasting impressions on you, and you will leave a lasting impression on other people, too. You will make memories which you will treasure all your life and will help enrich the lives of others by creating such experiences that leave lasting impressions.
Students of this field are bound to be adventurous and fun. The industry requires and delivers it. This ever-changing field provides the opportunity to use your creativity to enhance travelers’ experiences.
There you have it! Are you convinced yet?
Dafina Zymeri is passionate about ongoing, self-motivated and self-paced learning. She writes for Kiwi, which is a restaurant LMS that aims to help restaurant owners train their staff in an easier and more effective way. Moreover, they offer online training courses for different Restaurant services.