US campaign calls for change in travel and tourism career industry

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Written by Linda Hohnholz

People are being asked to create their own 15-second videos to explain why they love working in travel and tourism.

People are being asked to create their own 15-second videos to explain why they love working in travel and tourism. Chris Nassetta, President and CEO of Hilton Worldwide (http://instagram.com/p/oLWxMjjWbd/) is one of the Industry leaders kicking off the Instagram campaign, which is intended to demonstrate the career opportunities available.

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has launched a campaign to help change the perception of a career in the sector and is asking members of the travel and tourism industry in the US to participate.

The campaign comes on the back of new research from WTTC, which shows that travel and tourism holds opportunities for job creation to address the youth unemployment and gender inequality issues faced by countries across the world. The findings show that the Industry employs a higher proportion of young people and women compared with the global workforce as a whole. However, serious challenges have been identified, when it comes to the understanding and profile of the sector amongst undergraduates. WTTCโ€™s research shows that travel and tourism companies are missing out on the best new talent amongst graduates due to negative perceptions of a career in the industry.

David Scowsill, President and CEO, WTTC says many people need to be persuaded to consider a career in travel and tourismโ€ โ€œTravel and tourism helps transport people to all corners of the world, immerse them in different cultures and experiences and provides a livelihood to millions worldwide. Itโ€™s a fantastic Industry to work in but we need to increase awareness of career opportunities. Graduates need to be moved away from always only considering banking or finance or law as careers with opportunities for progression and security and see travel and tourism as an excellent career option. We believe this campaign can play its part in doing that.โ€

As Mr. Scowsill emphasizes, the idea behind the campaign is to increase information, clarity and visibility of Travel & Tourism careers: โ€œTravel and tourism offers work-life balance, international opportunities, travel and good benefits. But we need people to realize this. People in the travel and tourism Industry have a great thing in common… we love travel! So there are no better people to sell the sector and be brand ambassadors to help shift perceptions.โ€

Mr. Scowsill continues: โ€œTravel and tourismโ€™s flexible nature, requirement for skilled and unskilled staff, entrepreneurial spirit and strong growth prospects means the sector has a significantly higher youth and female employment rate, than the overall labor market. Travel and tourism provides a way to overcome the issue of youth unemployment, which undermines young peopleโ€™s futures and the economyโ€™s overall growth potential. The sector also thrives on entrepreneurship and offers prospects for self-employment for women, which are less accessible in other sectors.โ€

In the video, people are being asked to answer one of the following questions:

1) How or why did you decide to start a career in the travel and tourism industry?

2) What has been the most fulfilling (or inspiring) moment in your travel and tourism career?

3) Who has been most influential to you in your travel and tourism career?

4) Why would you recommend a career in travel and tourism to someone?

5) How has a career in travel and tourism affected/changed your life?

The videos then need to be uploaded to Instagram, tagging @WTandTC and hashtagging #TourismMatters for a chance to win a prize. A first prize of USD$1,000 and runners up prizes of US$500 and US$250 will be awarded by WTTC to spend on a travel event of the winnerโ€™s choosing. The following video on YouTube explains the campaign in more detail https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgISUCCkNZw

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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