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Tourism

Staffordshire and Tourism

  • Statistics for 2011 show that there were 20.4 million visits to Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent. 19.4 million of these were day trips and 1.4 million were overnight trips.
     
  • The volume of visitors to the area produced 24,524 jobs in the tourism sector.
     
  • Despite the economic downturn, in the long-term the sector is still expected to grow.

In Staffordshire this sector includes major tourist attractions such as:

  • Alton Towers
  • Drayton Manor theme park
  • Trentham Gardens
  • National Football Association Centre
  • Snow Dome
  • National Memorial Aroboretum
  • Cannock Chase
  • The Mercian Trail
  • Ceramic tourism – including The Potteries Museum
  • Music and arts festivals

The UK picture

Around two million people work in tourism in Britain, making it one of this country’s most important industries.

The Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality workforce is diverse, with a range of careers and jobs. This sector is predominantly made up of small businesses: 46 per cent employ fewer than five people while only one per cent of businesses employ more than a hundred. This sector continues to offer attractive enterprise opportunities to those with entrepreneurial skills and innovative business ideas.

The sub-industries that make up the sector are:

  • Event management
  • Food and service management
  • Hotels, restaurants, pubs, bars, cafes
  • Self-catering accomodation, holiday parks and hostels
  • Tourist services
  • Visitor attractions
  • Gyms, spa and health centres
  • Sports and fitness centres

This sector also includes:

  • Tourism marketing (destination marketing)
  • Tourist information
  • Travel agencies

If your son or daughter wants to work in a sector where no two days are the same and they are able to meet new people every day, then this could be the sector for them. There are plenty of opportunities for them to show their innovation and for them to progress into management and even ownership.

Although there are some jobs in the sector that involve unsociable hours the work can be rewarding and gives people the chance to develop transferable skills which can be applied in many other sectors.

Qualifications and routes

There are many options available; a combination of learning and experience is the best way for your son or daughter to increase their knowledge, and build their confidence and professional network within the industry.

Routes include:

The route your son or daughter takes depends on the type of job they want. The most common jobs in the sector are customer service focussed occupations, management and hospitality/catering.

The following websites can help you and your child work out the route for them:

General skills needed

Employers are looking to employ people who posses the following skills: 

  • Communication
  • Flexibility
  • Personal presentation skills
  • Basic IT skills
  • Basic accounting skills

Specific skills/skills shortages

  • Web design
  • Marketing skills
  • Customer service skills
  • Chefs
  • Management skills
  • Social media marketing

Types of jobs in this sector

Click on the links below to see the National Careers Services job profile with details of what’s involved, hours, salary, and entry requirements or search at National Careers Service.

Air cabin crew

Events manager

Resort representative

Airline customer service agent

Helicopter pilot

Riding Instructor

Airline pilot

Hotel manager

Tourist guide

Airport information assistant

Hotel porter

Tourist information centre assistant

Bus or coach driver

Hotel room attendant

Tour manager

Cinema-theatre attendant

Housekeeper

Train driver

Cruise ship stewardMuseum assistant Museum assistant

Travel agent

Event Technician Museum Curator

Wedding planner

 

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