EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND

QUALIFICATIONS IN THE TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

CHAPTER 15

Employment Opportunities in Tourism

At present, tourism has acquired the distinction of being one of the world’s largest
industries. It consist of many components such as transportation, accommodations, food
service, tourist destinations, tourist attractions, travel brokers, as well as travel-related
services.
Since tourism is a diverse and complex industry, each sector offer several career and
employment opportunities.

The following is a list and description of the jobs in the large field.
Airlines
Airline employment is exciting and attractive to the adventurous, whether in the air or on
the ground servicing the carriers between flights. Salary levels are relatively high in the
airlines. Short-term economic stresses may cause some problems, but long-term prospects
for airline careers are bright. Some of the jobs in the airline are flight attendants, ticket
agents, reservation agents, clerks, airline food service jobs, flight dispatcher, operation or
station ramp agents, sales managers and district sales managers, airline lounge
receptionists, airplane flight attendant supervisors, ramp flight attendants, crew schedulers,
flight crew time clerks, flight reservations managers, gate agents, gate services supervisors,
ground hosts or hostesses, passenger service representatives, reservations agents, senior
reservation agents, ticketing clerks, aircraft log clerks, airport attendants, flight information
expediters, airport managers, station managers, chief airport guides, and traffic agents.
A. Flight Attendant
The position of flight attendant has evolved from the career that was once called
“stewardess,” “hostess,” or “steward.” In the past, employees who filled this
position were young, female, unmarried, attractive, and required to be nurses. After
a lawsuit filed by a young man claiming he was denied a steward position because of
his sex, the airlines had to consider both men and women for the position, thus the
evolution of the flight attendant.
The primary responsibility of the flight attendant is to see to it that passengers are
comfortable. Travelers often form their impressions of the airline- whether positive
or negative- on their experiences with the flight attendant.
The flight attendant performs several personal services conducive to the safety and
comfort of airline passengers during flight, greet passengers, verifies tickets, records
 destinations and assigns seats, explain use of safety belts, oxygen masks, and life
jackets, and serves previously prepared meals and beverages.

 He or she observes passengers to detect signs of discomfort and issues

palliatives to relieve them of ailments such as airsickness and insomnia;
answers questions regarding the performance of aircraft, stopovers, and
flight schedules; and performs other personal services such as distributing
reading material and pointing out places of interest.
 The work of flight attendant is demanding and tiring. Some international
flights last more than twelve hours. The ability to remain calm and pleasant,
coupled with the physical stamina necessary to remain on duty for several
hours, are primary requirements for flight attendants.
 Flight attendants are no longer required to be unmarried. However, they are
required to live in the city designated by the airline. The flight attendant is
required to be average to tall in height to be able to reach the pillows,
blankets, and small luggage that are stored overhead. The attendant’s weight
must be proportional to his or her height.
 Excellent English language skills are required. If one works on an airline with
international routes, a second language is an asset. General health should be
excellent since the flight attendant must be physically ready to cope with all
emergencies. All airlines stress the importance of good appearance. Various
airlines provide individual training programs for flight attendants.
 Advancement from the flight attendant position depends on seniority and
merit. Nonflying positions into which flight attendants may be promoted
include instructor, customer service director, and recruiting representative.
Flight attendants may also become members of an airline’s advertising and
public relations staff.
 The primary benefit of a flight attendant’s work is the availability of free or
reduced travel rate. Many airlines offer this benefit not only to their own
employees, but also to employees of competitive airlines. Thus, the choices
of trips of flight attendants are not limited to their own employer’s routes but
include the routes by other carriers that have exchange agreements with
their employer.

B. Tickets Agents, Reservation Agents, Clerks

Reservation agents and clerks who work for major carriers work in large central offices
where they become the link between telephone inquires and the computer terminal. The
agents answer questions on flight schedules and seat availability and make reservations.
Their work brings them in telephone contact with the general public, travel agents, as well as
their own company’s ticket agents.
Ticket agents work at airport ticket counters and in central city ticket offices. Their duties
include answering questions about fares and schedules, handing out timetables and
literature, checking with the reservation agent on seat availability, and selling tickets. In
addition, they check baggage, add excess weight charges if necessary, and issue boarding
passes. Ticket agents are in direct contact with the public. Thus, they must be pleasant and
 present a professional appearance. They wear uniforms that represent their carrier
employer. Possibilities of advancement to other positions are improved if one has college-
level courses in traffic management and other phases of transportation.

C. Airline Food Service

This is a behind-the-scene position but an essential one in the airline industry. Airlines have
finally recognized the need for quality meals to attract potential passengers. Travelers now
expect a meal on board or at least a snack if the flight is short. Many airlines even plan
international meals characteristic of the destination or of the airline itself. An airline may
have its own food service division or arrange for a private catering service to prepare in-
flight meals.
The prerequisite for a position in airline food service is educational training in food service or
practical experience in the hotel or restaurant field.

D. Flight Dispatcher
The flight dispatcher gives permission for aircraft of specific airlines to takeoff. For example,
PAL’s flight dispatcher oversees all PAL carriers at a given airport. The dispatcher evaluates
all factors of the flight including the airplane’s status, the crew, weather information, and
other details. Constant communication between the dispatcher and crew keeps the crew
informed of any delays at the airport caused by weather or crowded airspace conditions.

E. Operations Agents, Station Ramp Agents

The responsibilities of operation and station ramp agents are the supervision and loading of
baggage and cargo. Cargo weight must be evenly distributed by these agents with the
corresponding list of members and passengers recorded. They coordinate the transfer of
baggage for connecting flight while taking on new luggage at stopover airports. These agents
are also responsible for announcing arrivals and departures.

F. Sales Manager/District Sales Manager

Sales managers and district sales managers oversee ticket and reservation offices supervise
sales representatives, and promote traffic on their airlines. They maintain contact with local
travel agents and tour operators to keep them informed on the latest airline promotions.

G. Airlines Lounge Receptionist

The airline receptionist admits members and guests to the airline lounge; serves beverages
and snacks; opens the door to the lounge in response to the sound of a buzzer; verifies
membership cards; admits and seats members and guests; answers questions regarding
scheduled flights and terminal facilities; and verifies passenger reservations.

H. Flight Attendant Supervisor

The flight attendant supervisor supervises and coordinates activities of flight attendants,
assigns duties and areas of work to flight attendants; observes activities of employees to
evaluate work performance and procedures for performing tasks; and prepares evaluation
reports on the performance employees.

I. Ramp Flight Attendant

The ramp flight attendant checks flight attendant's conformity to personal appearance
standards and performance of preflight duties during the boarding stage of scheduled airline
 flights and compiles reports of findings; and inspects appearance and grooming of personnel
for conformity to company standards.

J. Crew Scheduler
The crew scheduler compiles duty rosters of flight crews and maintains records of crew
members' flying time; schedules airline flights; prepares flight register which crew members
sign to indicate their preference and availability for flights and time they wish to be called
before each flight; types names of crew members in the flight schedule in the order of
seniority to indicate flights to which crew members are assigned, posts names of extra crew
members in the order of seniority on reserve list, and selects replacement when needed.

K. Flight-Crew-Time Clerk
The flight crew time clerk compiles flight time records if flight officers for the payroll and
crew scheduling departments to ensure accuracy of payroll and legality of flight and posts
data such as time in flight , type of aircraft, mileage flown , weight of aircraft, and flight time
records using posting machines.

L. Flight Reservations Manager

 The flight reservation manager directs and coordinate through subordinate
supervisory personnel, flight reservation activities for certified commercial or
transport companies reviews flight reservation reports and conducts comparative
studies with other airline reservation to develop methods and procedures designed
to improve operating efficiency and increase reservations for company flights.
 The flight reservation manager interpret and implement, through supervisory
personnel , company policies and procedures regarding customer relations and
contact with the public , analyzes economic statistics as applied to air transport and
other factors such as weather conditions , special flights rates and package deals to
estimate future volume of flights reservation directs investigation of customer
complaints regarding reservation service and prepares correspondence design to
improve customer relations.

M. Gate Agent
The gate agent assists passenger and checks flight tickets at entrance gate or station when
boarding or disembarking airlines of commercial airlines and examines passenger tickets to
ensure that passenger have the correct flights or seats or direct passenger to correct
boarding areas , using passenger manifest, seating charts , and flight schedules.

N. Gate Services Supervisor

The gate services supervisor supervised and coordinate activities of workers engaged in
admitting departing passenger to the aircraft and assisting passengers to disembark at
terminal exist if commercial airlines reviews flight schedules, and passenger manifest
observes workers to ensure that services to passenger are performed courteously and
correctly.

O. Ground Host/Hostess
Hostess the ground host or hostess renders personal services to passenger in airline
terminals to facilitate movement of passenger through terminals and create goodwill ,
greets, ad welcome , passenger to the terminals answer questions and advices passenger
 concerning flight schedule and accommodation such as arrival or departure time , location of
concourses, and gates selection of seats on aircraft , assemble ls and forward luggage to
departing flights , guides and escorts foreign speaking passenger to designated gates for
boarding of aircraft.

P. Passenger Service Representative

Renders a variety personal services to airline passenger requiring other than normal
services, such as taking care of company officials, distinguished person's, foreign speaking
passengers, invalids and unaccompanied children.

Q. Reservations Agent
Makes and confirm reservations and routing for passengers on scheduled airline flights.

R. Senior Reservations Agent

Supervises and coordinates activities of worker engaged in reserving seat space for
passenger on scheduled airline flights.

S. Ticketing Clerk
Complies and records information to assemble airline tickets for transmittal or waiting to
passenger.

T. Aircraft Log Clerk

Keeps records of wage and time interals between inspection and maintenances of
designated airline parts.

U. Airport Attendant
The airport attendant periodically inspects building and hangars to detect fire hazard and
violations of airport regulations ; examines fire fighting equipment to detect malfunction and
fills depleted fire extinguishers; perform minor repairs on fire trucks and tractors; patrols
airfield to ensure security of aircraft and facilities ; records airport data such as the number
of planes stored in hangars plane landings and departures and number of passengers carried
on planes.

V. Flight Information Expediter

The flight information expediter determines flight times of airplanes and transmits
information to flight operation and air traffic command centers, evaluate data such as
weather conditions, flight plans, ramp delays, and end route stopovers to determine arrival
and departure times for each flight using aids such charts, slide rule and computer transmit
identity and type of airplane; flight location, time of arrival and departure, and names of
crew members to air traffic command to obtain clearance for flight over restricted areas;
notifies relevant departments of airlines of pending arrival of inbound flights to ensure that
personnel are available to load or unload fuel ,baggage and cargo.

W. Airport Manager
The airport manager coordinates activities of personnel involved in the repair and
maintenance of airport facilities, building and equipment to minimize interruption of airport
operations, directs personnel in investigating violations of aerial or ground traffic regulations
; reviews investigation reports; and initiates action to be taken against violators.
 X. Station Manager
The station Manager direct and coordinates airline station activities at transport station
located at airport to provide services for schedule flight operations; reviews station activity
reports to ascertain data required for planning station operations; direct preparations of
work schedules to obtain maximum utilization of manpower and facilities; coordinates of
passengers reservation and ticketing, passenger services, ramp and cargo services, and
dispatching of aircraft to ensure operations to meet company and government policies and
regulations; direct preparations of passenger lists, cargo manifests, and plan for storage of
cargo and baggage aboard aircraft.

Y. Chief Airport Guide

The chief airport guide supervises and coordinates activities of workers engaged in
conducting guided tour at airport ; arrange tour according to interests of group such as
school children, foreign visitors and civic or private organizations; schedules tours to avoid
interruption of airport operation and minimize congestion ; and assigns workers to guide
tours.

Z. Traffic Agent
The traffic Agent solicit freight business from industrial and commercial firms and
passengers travel business from travel agencies, school ,clubs and other organizations;
explains available routes, land limits, and special equipment available; quotes fares;
schedule ; and available itineraries offered to groups by company; acts as liaison between
shipper and carrier to obtain information for settling compliments ; and distributes
descriptive pamphlets.

Travel Agencies

The travel agency is a legally appointed agent, representing the principal in a certain geographic
area. The agency acts as a broker, and brings the buyer and seller together for the other suppliers
such as hotels, car rentals, ground operators, and tour companies.

There are several jobs that exist in the travel agency such as travel agent, tour operator, travel
information center supervisor, travel clerk, travel counselor, tourist information assistant,
reservation clerk, and tour guide.

A. Travel Agent
The travel agent plans itineraries and arranges accommodations and other travel services for
customers of travel agency; converses with customers to determine destination, mode of
transportation, travel dates, financial considerations, and accommodations required; plans
or describes and sells itinerary package tour; gives customer brochures and publication
concerning travel and containing information regarding local customs, points of interest, and
special events occurring in various locations or foreign country, regulations such as consular
requirements, rates of monetary exchange, and currency limitations; computes cost of travel
and accommodations or quotes costs of package tours; and books customer on
transportation carrier and makes hotel reservations.
B. Travel Information Center Supervisor
The travel information center supervisor supervised and coordinate activities of workers
engaged in greeting and welcoming motorist at state highway information center provides
 information such as direction road conditions and vehicular travel regulations and provides
maps, brochures, and pamphlets to assist motorist in locating points of interest in reaching
destinations.
C. Tour Operator
The tour operator is the wholesale agent of the travel industry. The primary function of the
wholesaler is the design of the tours and travel packages on a large scale, marketing, these
packages to the retail travel agent and the major airline carriers. Tour operator range from
the very large to small independent operators specializing in specific geographic regions.
D. Tourist Information Assistant
The tourist information assistant provides information and other services to tourists at an
information center; assists tourists in planning itineraries and advises them of traffic
regulations; and gives information on resorts, historical sights, scenic areas and other tourist
attractions.
E. Tour Guide
The tour guide escorts visitors around the city or town; describes points of interest along the
route of tour using public address system or megaphone; may collect fees or tickets and plan
refreshment and rest stops and may be required to speak a foreign language when
communicating with foreign visitors.

Hotels and Motels

The following are the descriptions of hotel/motel-related jobs based on material in the Dictionary of
Occupational Titles published by the US Department of Labor.

A. Manager of a Hotel or Motel

He or she manages a hotel or motel to ensure efficient and profitable operations; establishes
standards for personnel administration and performance, service to patrons, room rates,
advertising publicity, credit, food selection and service and type of patronage to be solicited;
plans dining room, bar, and banquet operations; allocates funds, authorizes expenditures
and assists in planning budgets for departments; hires personnel; and delegates authority
and assigns responsibilities to department heads.
B. Lodging Facilities Manager
He or she manages and maintain temporary or permanent lodging facilities such as small
apartment houses , small , hotels, trailer parks, and boat marinas purchasing supplies and
arrange for outside services such as fuel delivery, laundry, maintenance and repair , and
trash collection, cleans public areas such as entrances halls and laundry rooms, and makes
minor electrical, plumbing and structural repairs.
C. Hotel Clerk
He or she performs a combination of duties for guest of hotels, motels, motor lodges, or
condominium hotels; register and assign rooms to guest; issues room keys; transmits and
receives messages; answer inquires pertaining to hotel services; registration of guest,
shopping dining, entertainment and travel directors; keep records of room availability and
guest accounts and computes bills and collect payments.
D. Sales Representative
He or she contacts representatives of government, business, and social groups to solicit
business for hotels, motels, or resorts; selects prospective costumers by receiving
information concerning functions such as sales meetings, conventions, training classes, or
 routine travel by organization members ; calls prospects, outline types of services offered,
and quotes prices; and verifies reservations by letter or draws up contracts.

Cruise Lines

A. Cruise Line Director

He or she is responsible for all daily activities, planning, entertainment, and port of call
information for passengers. This requires a strong background in the entertainment field, an
exceptional ability to work well with people, and the ability to handle administrative details.
B. Documentation Supervisor
He or she supervises and coordinates activities of workers engaged in preparing shipping
documents and related reports, and classifying and rating cargo according to established
tariff rates; reviews ship’s schedules and booking records to plan and schedule work
activities; and assigns rating activities to workers and reviews rating.
C. Chief Steward/Stewardess
The chief steward supervise and coordinate activities of personnel in the steward
department aboard a passenger vessel supervises workers engaged in housekeeping and
meal serving arranges space for shipboard recreation activities, inspect passenger areas for
cleanliness, and observes services rendered by steward personnel for conformity to
company standards.
D. Social Director
He or she plans and organizes recreational activities and creates a friendly atmosphere for
guest in hotels or resort or for passenger on board ship, greets new arrivals, introduces then
to other guest, acquaints them with recreation facilities, and encourages them to participate
in group activities.
E. Booking Supervisor
He or she supervises and coordinates activities of workers engaged in booking shipments of
cargo on ships and keeping booking control records to ensure maximum utilization of cargo
spaces; reviews records of booking, studies plans of cargo spaces to determine type of
tonnage that can be booked on each ship to obtain maximum revenue, and utilize available
cargo space; and assigns booking duties to workers.

Motor Coaches

The following are descriptions of motor coach-related jobs, based on material in the Dictionary of
Occupational Titles published by the US Department of Labor.

A. Bus Dispatcher

He or she dispatches long-distance buses according to schedule, and oversees bus drivers and bus
attendants while they are at the terminal; issue orders for station departure of buses at specified
hours or according to schedule; arranges for extra buses and drivers in case of accidents or heavy
traffic; and announces incoming and outgoing buses over public address systems in the bus terminal.

B. Bus Attendant

He or she renders a variety of personal services to bus passengers to make their trip pleasant;
welcomes passengers boarding the bus; adjusts seating arrangements to accommodate passengers
when requested; answers questions about bus schedules, travel routes, and bus services; points out
places of interest; and distributes newspaper, magazines, pillows, and blankets.
 C. Dispatcher Clerk

He or she schedules work for bus crew or individual workers and keeps time records; enters names
of workers on assignment sheet for each trip on the basis of seniority; notifies workers of
assignment, establishes availability, and assigns replacement crew when needed.

Car Rental Companies

A. Sales Rental Agent

The sales rental agent greets customers and helps them find suitable cars for their needs.
B. Reservation Agent
Reservation agent work directly over the phone with request from airline reservation clerks
travel agent , and the general public. They check the availability of cars in the city requested
and take all pertinent information including a credit card number to ensure the reservation.
C. Car Rental Sales Representative
The car rental sales rep promotes car rental services to the business. Traveler segment,
other deal with travel agents and airlines with the goal of increasing sales through the
establishment of corporate packages deals on a large volume basis.
D. Automobile Rental Clerk
He or she rents automobile to costumers at airports, hotels, marinas, and other location; talk
to costumers to determines type of automobile desired and accessories such as power-
steering or air conditioning, location where car is to be picked up and returned, and
numbers of days repaired ; examines costumer's driver's license and determines amount of
deposit required; quotes cost of rental based on per-day and per-mile rates; complete rental
contract and obtains customer's signature and deposit; and computes rental charges based
on rental time, miles traveled , type of car rented , taxes, and other incidentals charges
incurred.

Gaming Entertainment Industry

Career opportunities in the gaming entertainment industry are unlimited. They are divided into five
career tracks, namely: hotel operations, food and beverage operations, casino operations, retail
operations, and entertainment operations.

A. Hotel Operations
The career opportunities in gaming entertainment hotel operations are very similar to the
career opportunities in the full-service hotel industry. The only exception is that good and
beverage can be a separate division and not part of the hotel operations. The rooms and
guest services departments offer the most opportunities for students and hospitality
management.
B. Food and Beverage Operations
There are many career opportunities in restaurant management and the culinary arts.
Gaming entertainment industry has many food and beverage outlets including restaurants,
hotel room service, banquets and conventions, and retail outlets. There are many executive-
level management positions in both front and back-of-the-house food and beverage
operations in gaming entertainment operations.
C. Casino Operations
 Casino operation are divided into five functional areas gaming operation staff, casino service
staff. Gaming operation staff includes slot and finance and administration staff. Gaming
operation staff includes slot machine , technicians, table game dealers and table game
supervisor casino service staff includes purchasing maintenance and facility engineers.
D. Retail Operations
The increased emphasis on non-gaming sources of revenue in gaming entertainment
business demands on expertise in all aspects of retail operations, from store design and
layout, to product selection, merchandising, and sales control career opportunities exist in
retail operations.
E. Entertainment Operations
Because of the emphasis in entertainment, there exists career opportunities for those
interested in stage and theater production, lightning and box office management, and talent
management and booking.