Hospitality Industry
Hospitality industry is a major employer. The industry includes service sector work like tourism and food service. The hospitality industry is major service sector in the world economy. The industry encompass an extensive variety of service industries that include food service, tourism and hotels. Hospitality industry suffers from fluctuations within an economy every year. It suffers from more economic fluctuations compared to its peer industries.
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Hospitality and tourism industry has taken the shape of one of the most promising and outstanding industries of the world. The industry engages around ten percent of the entire manpower of the world. The hospitality industry is a major employer throughout the world. However, despite the wide variety of jobs available, the lack of formal training is a major concern. As the hospitality industry continues to grow, there is a continual need for training of staff and managers specifically. Studying a graduate hospitality management course will enable you to develop a depth of knowledge of management theories and specialized aspects of tourism and hospitality management that will secure you a position of seniority within the industry. A graduate course in hospitality management will firmly establish the foundations of a long and dynamic career.
Hospitality industry can be empirically divided into two parts: entertainment areas like clubs and bars, and accommodation. Accommodation takes the form of public houses, resorts, inn, campgrounds, hotels, hostels, serviced apartments, and motels. The clubs and bars category include restaurants, fast foods, and nightclubs.
The hospitality industry also includes tourism support commercial activities like airline cabin staff and travel agents. Travel technology like applied information technology (IT) and its workers in hospitality, travel and tourism are included in the hospitality industry.
A hotel is an establishment that renders lodging in lieu of payment. This lodging is usually given in exchange for a specified predetermined amount of money. Modern hotel rooms come equipped with climate control and attached bathrooms. Higher end hotels offer guests internet connectivity within rooms and also throughout the premises. A combination of meals and accommodation comes as a package in most hospitality establishments. Hotels are usually managed by professionally qualified managers. Junior workers usually maintain the hotel. Functions like cooking is usually done by professionally trained chefs.
Academic Discipline
- In recent years, the priority accorded to hospitality education, training, management, and research has changed substantially. The popularity of hospitality management for both purely academic and vocational reasons has increased dramatically. The importance and value of hospitality as a social and economic phenomenon is finally getting the recognition it deserves.
Why Graduate Study?
- Graduate hospitality management courses are for students who have a broad interest and/or previous knowledge in their chosen industry. Many applicants come straight from their first degree or undertake graduate study after a period of work. It is important that you find a graduate hospitality management course that will enhance your career prospects as well as be stimulating and challenging.
Hospitality management courses at graduate level aim to develop the skills and knowledge that today’s managers need now and in the future. Programs should combine sound management education with the flexibility to specialise in areas of particular interest. Studying a graduate course will no doubt give you a competitive edge in hospitality management careers or help you advance in your current career.
According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, travel and tourism accounts for 8% of the world’s jobs and has the highest potential for growth of any industry. International travel alone accounts for more than 840 million tourists annually. The economic, social and environmental impact of tourism is significant and vital to creating sustainable jobs and quality of life.
Hospitality and tourism represents a broad range of career opportunities in industries that include:
- hotels and resorts
- restaurants and commercial food service
- meeting and event planning
- tourism destinations and attractions
- leisure, recreation and sports management
- airlines, cruises and other transportation
- environmentally sustainable and cultural tourism development
- spa and wellness management
As a vast, dynamic and growing industry, hospitality and tourism provides tremendous opportunity for ambitious students who enjoy working with people. The hospitality and tourism industry operates in a highly competitive environment. It is important that those seeking careers as successful professionals develop a strong business foundation and customer service skills. Graduates of hospitality and tourism management programs are well rounded with a combination of business and life skills that are in high demand with employers.
While hospitality and tourism has traditionally been an industry that emphasized hands-on experience, the competitive nature of the business now requires a combination of experience and higher education to build a successful management career. To meet the needs of the industry, hospitality and tourism programs offered by colleges and universities have grown rapidly in the United States. Today programs are offered by a variety of vocational schools, community colleges and both public and private universities. Options range from short-term skills-oriented certificates to post-graduate degree programs.
With so many choices available, how do you choose the right school and program for you? Hospitality and tourism management programs offered in the U.S. vary. If you seek a bachelor’s degree or higher, a community college or university will provide a well-rounded education with a specific industry focus designed to prepare students for management-level careers. Vocational schools generally offer a more hands-on training to prepare students for specific entry-level positions.
More Americans are enrolled in community colleges (also often called junior colleges or two-year colleges) than in any other institution of higher education in the U.S. Community college hospitality and tourism programs offer a variety of specialized certificate and associates degree options as well as university transfer programs that allow students to complete a bachelor’s degree. Because community colleges generally have lower tuition costs than four-year colleges and universities, many international students choose the community college to university transfer pathway (two-year associate’s degree + two years at a university to complete a bachelor’s degree).
What should you look for in choosing a hospitality and tourism management program that best suits your career goals? Some important questions to ask include:
- Does the school’s curriculum meet your career objectives? Hospitality and tourism is a vast industry with many different career paths. If your career goal is to manage a large hotel or to work toward a senior management position with a well-known corporation, a bachelor’s degree is generally required.
- Is the school located in a tourism destination with a strong representation of major hotels? What hotels, resorts and tourist attractions does the program draw from? Do leading industry employers recruit the school’s graduates?
- What are the faculty’s academic credentials and industry experience? Faculty in hospitality and tourism management programs often have advanced degrees in business, education or disciplines other than hospitality and tourism. A combination of academic achievement and management-level business experience are considered important qualifications for faculty in this industry.
- Is the program regionally accredited? Regional accreditation refers to the accrediting bodies that serve one of six geographic regions in the U.S. Each regional accrediting body is responsible for the majority of public and private higher education institutions in the area it serves. Regional accreditation is especially important if you plan to complete a bachelor’s degree or higher. Some institutions also obtain specific professional accreditation.
- support does the institution provide for international students? Does the school provide specific orientation and ongoing advisement for international students? Is there an international students’ organization to support living and working together as an intercultural community?
- What opportunities does the institution provide for language study? Hospitality and tourism is a worldwide industry. An appreciation and understanding of other cultures and languages is essential to a successful career. Does the program provide opportunities to study other languages? Does the institution provide ESL (English as a Second Language) courses that enable international students to expand their language skills while studying in the United States?
The hospitality and tourism industry offers abundant opportunity for students seeking careers in a dynamic, international industry. If you possess strong communication skills and a desire to provide excellent service to others this fast-paced industry may be for you.