Travel, Tourism & the Holiday Business

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Sector Overview

This page has been written by Shona Mach, the relevant Careers Adviser for this occupational area. To see how you can meet Shona, or any of our advisers, go to our website to view how and when you can meet them. 


Is it right for me? - further information on this career area, including skills/attributes required and tactics for success (pdf)



Travel, tourism and the holiday business is both a major employer and an important source of revenue for the UK.  The sector can be broadly divided into three categories: incoming, outbound and domestic tourism. The industry has experienced significant growth over the last few years due to increasing affluence and lifespans, but is now having to adapt to the pressures of the economic climate, price of fuel and green concerns. New technology is having a major impact on the business. Websites have become the most popular way of ordering brochures and increasingly for booking travel and holidays, although recent airline and tour company failures as well as the Icelandic volcano ash are encouraging more customers to chose travel agencies for security. While it is difficult to predict the future impact of new technology on the travel, tourism and holiday business, it is clear that all businesses in these markets will continue to develop and rely on it.

The most likely employers are tour operators, travel agencies and organisations, tourist boards, travel operators, tourist attractions and hospitality. Like many other employment sectors a wide range of functional roles are represented including sales and marketing, IT, finance, logistics and human resources. The Prospects website has a very good guide to the tourism sector, with descriptions of some main job roles.

For such a major and dynamic occupational sector, it is surprising how few employers have specifically targeted graduate recruits. It is however now recognised that greater business expertise is needed in the industry and many more graduates are being recruited by major employers. As a customer focussed industry, perhaps the key requirements are:

  • Excellent customer service and interpersonal skills
  • Flexibility and the willingness to take on what are sometimes quite mundane tasks
  • Stamina in challenging situations
  • Organisational skills and the ability to work using initiative
  • IT Skills
  • Willingness to learn languages and confidence when working with/in other cultures

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Network with alumni

Connecting with University of St Andrews alumni already working in this sector is a great way to make contacts, gain an insight into what's happening in the sector, and in some cases alumni can become valuable mentors.

  • LinkedIn – By joining the group University of St Andrews Alumni, and the sub-group University of St Andrews Alumni - Mentorship Programme, you'll be able to make contact directly with alumni. Further details can be found on our website: LinkedIn.

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How to get experience

  • Having prior experience in a customer-facing role is almost without exception expected by employers. It can also be very helpful to have more direct experience in the industry, before looking for openings after graduating. Fortunately the travel business has a big demand for temporary workers to cope with the seasonal peaks which happen generally to coincide with the long summer vacation.
  • Many undergraduates have experience in the hospitality industry (hotels, restaurants, bars), gained either before coming to St Andrews, while studying here, or in vacations working for tourist attractions.
  • As tourism is such a big industry in St Andrews, there are often relevant part-time vacancies in our Job Shop. If you are serious about this career then make sure you get the most out of your work experience by being proactive in your work and taking on more responsibility if possible.
  • Search the Careers Centre JobsOnline for vacation opportunities locally and throughout the UK. Organisations which have taken on St Andrews' students for interesting vacation jobs include ECE and ESL Language Studies Abroad
  • The Careers Centre has various books to borrow which include listings of short-term opportunities in this sector (see Careers Centre resources below).
  • Check the websites listed in How to find a job below for details of seasonal jobs.
  • If you can't find the paid opportunity for you, then think about asking for some good quality work experience by making speculative applications and networking. You might find paid employment in the area of your choice, or simply a few days of work shadowing, but the experience will help you develop your ideas, your CV and give you contacts.
  • As well as the long vacation the other peak time for short-term opportunities is the winter ski season. Of course this is not a possibility for current students, but can be worth considering for those hoping to gain experience after graduating. Websites advertising ski season jobs include: Natives and ski-jobs.co.uk

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How to find a job

A few companies run graduate training schemes, but these are quite rare. Check the websites of the following for up-to-date information. Closing dates tend to be early and competition is fierce.

Other jobs will be direct entry roles, which may not be graduate level, but this is how many graduates initially enter the tourism sector initially. Even though many of these jobs will only be advertised 2 or 3 months before they need the position to be filled, it is never too early to look at vacancies and the kinds of personal requirements that are needed for different positions. Employers who have advertised jobs suitable for graduates in the past include:

The following websites advertise jobs in the travel, tourism and holiday business sector:

Recruitment websites:

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Key Links and Resources

Careers Centre

Books

  • Careers & Jobs in Travel & Tourism
  • Jobs & Careers Abroad
  • Summer Jobs Worldwide
  • Teaching English Abroad
  • Working in Ski Resorts
  • Working in Tourism - The UK, Europe & Beyond
  • Working on Cruise Ships
  • Work Your Way Around the World

Online

  • The Careers Centre subscribes to 'Going Global', a specialist website with information and job vacancies worldwide. To access Going Global login to the Careers Centre website and click on Going Global Database.

Professional Bodies, Trade Organisations & Journals/Magazines

General Travel, Tourism and Holiday Business careers information

  • BnB Edition - informative blog with useful advice about setting up and marketing a Bed and Breakfast

The Industry in Scotland

USA


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