The boss of Hilton Worldwide is one of the industry leaders kicking off an Instagram campaign designed to highlight career opportunities in the travel sector.
The initiative has been created by the World Travel & Tourism Council to help change the perception of a career in travel as research found that less than half (47%) of UK respondents said they would consider a career in the industry.
Hilton president and chief executive Chris Nassetta is among those leading the bid to encourage people in the industry in the UK to create their own 15 second videos to explain why they love working in travel and tourism.
The campaign comes on the back of a WTTC study showing that travel and tourism holds opportunities for job creation to address the youth unemployment and gender inequality issues faced by countries across the world.
The research shows that the industry employs a higher proportion of young people and women compared with the global workforce as a whole.
But serious challenges have been identified when it comes to the understanding and profile of the sector amongst undergraduates.
The study found that companies are missing out on the best new talent among graduates in the UK due to negative perceptions of a career in travel and tourism.
WTTC president and chief executive David Scowsill said many young people need to be persuaded to consider a career in the sector.
“Travel and tourism helps transport people to all corners of the world, immerse them in different cultures and experiences and provides a livelihood to millions worldwide. It’s a fantastic industry to work in but we need to increase awareness of career opportunities,” he said.
“Graduates need to be moved away from always only considering banking or finance or law as careers with opportunities for progression and security and see travel and tourism as an excellent career option. We believe this campaign can play its part in doing that”.
The campaign aims to increase information, clarity and visibility of travel and tourism careers.
“Travel and tourism offers work-life balance, international opportunities, travel and good benefits. But we need people to realise this,” said Scowsill.
“People in the travel and tourism industry have a great thing in common… we love travel. So there are no better people to sell the sector and be brand ambassadors to help shift perceptions.”
He added: “Travel and tourism’s flexible nature, requirement for skilled and unskilled staff, entrepreneurial spirit and strong growth prospects means the sector has a significantly higher youth and female employment rate, than the overall labour market.
“Travel and tourism provides a way to overcome the issue of youth unemployment, which undermines young people’s futures and the economy’s overall growth potential. The sector also thrives on entrepreneurship and offers prospects for self-employment for women, which are less accessible in other sectors.”
In the video, people are being asked to answer one of the following questions:
- How or why did you decide to start a career in the travel and tourism industry?
- What has been the most fulfilling (or inspiring) moment in your T&T career?
- Who has been most influential to you in your T&T career?
- Why would you recommend a career in T&T to someone?
- How has a career in T&T affected/changed your life?
The videos need to be uploaded to Instagram, tagging @WTandTC and hashtagging #TourismMatters for a chance to win a prize.
A first prize of $1,000 and runners up prizes of $500 and $250 will be awarded by WTTC to spend on a travel event of the winner’s choosing.