The travel and tourism sector is continuing to grow, despite worldwide economic difficulties. People still want to get away and enjoy life and there are still many opportunities in the tourism field. More than 235 million people are employed in the travel and tourism industry around the world, and there are many job opportunities for graduates of tourism training.

New graduates are very important to the industry and its success. They bring new ideas to businesses and help them to adapt to changing markets as customers’ needs change. The tourism sector offers a diverse range of jobs in many different areas, from financial to transport and technical to front of house type roles.

A career in this field is a great choice for someone who enjoys adventure and wants to enjoy their working day as much as possible. Job opportunities exist in adventure tourism, giving the graduate the opportunity to go abseiling, skydiving and caving as part of their job. Who wouldn’t want that? Life as an adventure tour guide can involve researching and planning expeditions as well as providing the equipment and expertise to run the operation. Gaining skills as a tour guide is a good idea, as well as gaining knowledge and experience of a wide range of adventure activities. Job opportunities exist in the adventure travel sector across the world, from Europe and South America and everywhere in between.

Working on a cruise liner is another option for a graduate of tourism training. It’s a glamorous sounding job and there are plenty of options once you’re on board. Modern cruise liners are fitted out like small cities, so there are restaurants, bars, shops, a gym, swimming pools and a huge range of other sporting activities as well as accommodation to maintain. On board ship, a tourism graduate could be entertaining or looking after passengers as well as being involved behind the scenes. It’s a great way to see the world, but you need to be able to work as part of a busy team and have great social and communication skills. And remember that your work place and living space are both confined to a ship, so that also needs to be taken into consideration if you are thinking of taking up a tourism job opportunity on a cruise liner.

Many people enter tourism training with a desire to become a travel agent. Travel agencies are found in towns and cities around the world, so there are often jobs available. It’s a job where you are helping to make your customers’ travel dreams come true, so you need to be aware of every aspect of the holiday industry and be able to remain calm and helpful under pressure. Competition for travel agency jobs is strong, so you need to be prepared to start at the bottom and work up.

There are many ways to enjoy a career in tourism and travel. Once you are trained and employed, the world really is your oyster.