Heading into a new era of global tourism
Across the world, the travel and tourism industry has been hit the hardest since the 2020 pandemic resulting in the loss of billions in revenue and income for airlines, hotels, resorts, businesses, and more. With that being said, there are now new and exciting opportunities emerging to revive the industry with a whole host of modern roles that you can step into.
Here you will find a list of the top 10 roles within the travel and tourism industry.
1. Become an online Travel Agent
With many high street agencies closing down, people are leaning more towards big online companies such as Expedia, Booking.com and Skyscanner. These companies will not only compare destinations, accommodation and flights, but also offer travel insurance and compensation, if necessary.
There are also independent travel agencies that operate online offering clients a more bespoke and tailored service to fulfill their needs. This is a preferred choice for many as it allows them to create their own packaged holiday. They offer more certainty to clients and the number of people moving online to book their travels will only increase over time. Working as an online travel agent you could earn up to £40,000.
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2. Travel Insurance sales person
Following the pandemic, many will now look to take out insurance, as a matter of priority, for all their travels. If you have good communication skills and are confident, then you can earn up to £100,000 with the added benefit that you earn a commission on each insurance package you sell.
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3. New age Cabin Crew
Cabin Crews have always remained essential to deliver a smooth experience during a flight, whether short or long-haul. With travel resuming back to normal and the vast number of earlier redundancies within the industry, these new job openings are not only more competitive, but also in high demand. The job itself has developed, which means crews will now have to also train as cleaners, cooks, and security officers.
For the highest paying jobs, you may wish to consider working for private companies that will also give you a better work-life balance. As an experienced cabin crew you could earn up to £40,000.
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4. Influencer marketer
Marketing has moved significantly from the traditional newspaper advertisements, posters and the like. With more people using the internet and social media apps, marketing influencers such as bloggers, vloggers and those who provide insight, recommendations, comparisons and feedback are likely to be heard and followed, all of which helps to boost tourism and are available within this thriving influencer industry.
If you want to avoid being on screen, you can also choose to work as a virtual assistant, get into social media management, become a ghost-writer, or work for an organisation directly on their social media campaigns, such as a tourist board or tourist attractions. You can earn up to £50,000 a year, with scope for earning a lot more, depending on which area you are inspired to cover.
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5. Smart technology developer
Smart tourism helps companies to innovate new ways to improve the delivery of their services such as resource management and to maximise competitiveness. Examples include QR code menus in restaurants, using technology to manage crowds and queuing (like a smart motorway), facial recognition instead of paper tickets, guided tours on your phone, and virtual tourism.
If you want to develop smart technology for the tourism industry you will need to be good at maths and pursue computer science at a higher level. If you are keen to implement smart technology as well as improving your IT skills, you should be forward-thinking, consider efficiency in service deliveries, and how to improve customer experience. You can earn up to £80,000 in this type of role.
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6. Sustainability consultant
Sustainable Tourism is a kind of tourism that protects the environment, economy, and society and has gained more interest recently with eco tourism, ethical tourism, rural tourism, volunteer tourism, mountain climbing, outdoor activities, glamping all set to increase in the future.
You could work as a consultant advising companies on how to be more sustainable and how they can improve the way they work or you could work in the implementation of sustainable tourism. For some positions, you may be required to carry out research for major organisations such as the United Nations World Tourism Organisation to support their work in sustainable tourism. You could earn up to £60,000 at a top position.
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7. Chinese outbound tourism expert
The Chinese are the highest population on earth to travel the globe, not to mention that they are also one of the biggest spenders during their holidays. Many neighbouring countries target China to encourage outbound tourism into their own countries to boost their economies.
This area will continue to have a high demand and companies will be looking to recruit people to support their marketing efforts to attract Chinese tourists. As a consultant with knowledge and experience of Chinese tourism you could up to £100,000.
8. Ancillary Revenue Manager
Ancillary products and services have existed since tourism began and with some airlines offering low-cost flights throughout the year, selling ancillary products such as travel insurance, inflight meals and baggage is one way to add to their profits. Airlines also allow companies to place advertisements in their in-flight magazines and before a film on their systems.
As an Ancillary Revenue Manager, you’ll have the job of implementation and management of all ancillary revenue products agreed by the commercial team, both airline-related including fees, seats, baggage, and more, and by third-party partners including executive lounges, transport, hotels, and more. You could earn up to £60,000 a year.
9. Niche tourism provider
There has been a rise in niche tourism as more people move away from the traditional sandy holidays. Niche tourism is wide-ranging and diverse and covers different holiday groups for example an LGBT cruise company or art tour provider for a particular country.
You can set up your own holiday company offering unique and more bespoke holidays. The opportunities are vast and you can be creative in your own company or the company you work for to attract larger groups of potential tourists. You could earn up to £50,000.
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10. Airbnb host
Airbnb has been most popular amongst tourists for years and will only become even more favoured by travellers across the globe. With Airbnb being more authentic and connecting people to local places of interest, tourists often opt to book away from big hotels due to its affordability and uniqueness.
You can either open up your own airbnb and through expansion provide multiple properties to keen tourists or work for a family who run airbnbs. You could potentially earn up to £50,000 a year.
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