Hospitality/Travel
Industry Overview
The hospitality and tourism industry has changed more than a little since the first motel, in San Luis Obispo, California, was opened in 1925. (Its rooms went for $2.50 a night.) Today, there are more than four million guest rooms in the country, and tourists and businesspeople spend about $550 billion each year on travel in the United States. The industry includes behemoths like Marriott, Hilton, Six Flags, and Disneyland and Walt Disney World, on down to out-of-the-way bed-and-breakfasts and roadside attractions like the Liberace Museum (in Las Vegas), the Cadillac Ranch (Amarillo, Texas), and the Dan Quayle Center and Museum (Huntington, Indiana).
Today, the industry employs more than seven million people directly and even more than that indirectly. (For example, consider a waiter in a restaurant in Palm Springs, California, which is in the middle of the desert: His job wouldn't exist if it weren't for the fact that Palm Springs is a tourist destination.) Accountants, nurses, salespeople, lifeguards, park rangers, street cleaners, car rental agents, blackjack dealers, caterers, cruise directors, the actress in the Snow White costume, the clerk in the t-shirt shack, the tennis pro, the golf course groundskeeper-the industry employs these folks and many, many more.
Despite the size and complexity of the industry, today many of its arms are interconnected by technology. Computer systems now allow people to reserve airline tickets, rental cars, hotel rooms, and tours-all at the same time. These computer systems are called computer reservation systems (CRSs) or global distribution systems (GDSs).
Although many in the industry work in behind-the-scenes positions, those on the front lines-travel agents, front desk clerks, tour guides, and so on-must be enthusiastic and articulate. And in most any position, you'll need to have a love of service and a strong attention to detail. In the end, your job is about how satisfied you've made the customer. Look to InternZoo to offer opportunities in the hospitality and tourism industry.