With summer on its way, people around the world are busy planning vacations. With improvements in the economy over the past couple of years, 2017 is looking to be a great year for careers in the hospitality and tourism industry. To demonstrate just how much the travel and tourism industry is impacting the GDP, the World Travel & Tourism Council reports that in 2016 this sector’s contribution to the world GDP outpaced the global economy for the sixth consecutive year, surging to 10.2% of the world’s GDP. The website also states that we have travel and tourism to thank for 292 million jobs that people currently hold, or 1 in 10 jobs in the world.
If you have experience in areas such as food and beverage service, housekeeping or casino gaming, now is your time to shine. Here are some high paying hospitality and tourism careers that your experience may be perfect for:
1) Food & Beverage Director
Food and beverage directors are needed at restaurants, casinos and hotels. These high paying hospitality careers require you to create and plan a menu that will please the clientele at the establishment you are overseeing. As a food and beverage director, you are also responsible for marketing the food and beverages you offer, planning events that take place at the establishment, staff management, communicating with vendors and anything else that will improve the customer experience. Those that want to pursue food and beverage director careers in the hospitality and tourism industry will need a bachelor’s degree along with at least several years of relevant industry experience. The average annual salary is about $89,000.
Food & beverage director jobs in New York, NY
Food & beverage director jobs in San Francisco, CA
2) Head of Housekeeping
3) Maître D’
If you have waited tables in the past, it shouldn’t be too difficult to work your way up to a position as a maître d’. Careers in the hospitality and tourism industry as a maître d’ require you to oversee restaurant wait staff, making reservations and ensuring the dining room operates effectively. You also are responsible for greeting clientele and seeing to it they are comfortable and have their preferred table. Only a high school diploma is required, though college courses in hospitality or restaurant management can help. These high paying hospitality careers garner an average annual salary of about $40,000.
Maître d’ jobs in New York, NY
Maître d’ jobs in San Francisco, CA
4) Slot Operations Manager
If you are familiar with electronic gaming and interested in being front and center to the casino life, you may want to pursue a career as a slot operations manager. Slot operations manager careers in the hospitality and tourism industry require you to oversee the daily operations of casino slot machines. This involves ordering equipment, seeing to it machines are operating efficiently and addressing any issues guests have with slot machines. You also must be very familiar with federal and local laws and ensure the equipment and cash reporting follows those laws. The average annual salary for a slot operations manager is $84,000. To be eligible for this high paying hospitality career, you need a high school diploma and several years of experience in the industry.
Slot operations manager jobs in New York, NY
Slot operations manager jobs in San Francisco, CA
Author: Jessica Cody
Jessica Cody, a native of Fairfield County, Connecticut, has a background in online marketing and public relations. Currently, she works at VHMNetwork LLC in the role of Marketing Analyst. She is a graduate of the University of Connecticut, where she studied Journalism and Political Science. She is also an avid runner with a passion for the outdoors.