Careers in tourism

Tourism is the world’s largest industry and Ontario’s sixth-largest export industry. Tourism annually employs more than 490,000 people in 149,000 different businesses across the province. Tourism exists in urban centres and in rural escapes and can be one of the strongest economic engines within a community.

Many people have a limited perception of the tourism industry. They see an industry that offers part-time, low paying jobs in hotels or restaurants, jobs that tide people over until they find “real” careers. Certainly, these types of positions exist, and they offer necessary entry-level experience to one in three Canadians as a first job. But what about the interior designers, controllers, destination marketing agents, event planners, museum curators, hiking guides, chefs and landscapers? They are just some of those in the “hidden” careers within the tourism industry.

As for the pay scale, statistics can be deceiving, considering the number of people who take advantage of the flexibility offered by the tourism industry to work on a part-time basis. Statistics also seldom reflect the additional benefits offered to many tourism employees, such as clothing and footwear allowances, dry cleaning services, free meals, gratuities and staff discount rates at properties around the world.

Tourism is a highly mobile industry. The skills learned in most tourism occupations are highly transferable to other sectors in the industry, including accommodation, transportation, food and beverage service, event and conference planning, attractions, tourism services, outdoor adventure and recreation just about anywhere in the world. The industry also provides opportunities for quick advancement, which allows conscientious and dedicated individuals to rapidly ascend the career ladder.

Consider Lorie Opie’s story. Opie, now employed at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, has also worked as the corporate and association sales manager for the CN Tower. She began her tourism career part time at a ski resort while she was in school. Her job was to ensure that bus groups were taken care of in a timely fashion. When she finished school, she was hired at SkyDome as part of the opening team and was responsible for band requirements and press conferences. She even organized Madonna’s dressing room! “I love the day-to-day challenges of continually coming up with unique ideas for improving and enhancing our customer experience,” Opie says. “It is very rewarding to represent Canada and act as an ambassador for our great country!”1

You can enter the tourism industry directly from high school or while in high school in a part-time or summer job. Many of Ontario’s community colleges offer programs in tourism and hospitality, most of which include experiential work-placement opportunities that frequently provide an advantage for students when they enter the job market. Several Ontario universities offer degrees in hospitality and tourism management, such as the University of Guelph and Ryerson University, or in recreation and leisure studies, such as Lakehead, Brock, Ottawa and Waterloo. And these are just the programs available within Ontario. As a global industry, tourism affords numerous national and international opportunities to study in this discipline.

If your teen is not interested in working for one of the 149,000 existing Ontario tourism businesses, tourism provides opportunities for entrepreneurship. More than 70 per cent of Ontario tourism businesses are classified as small and medium operations. Bruce Poon Tip, the 34-year-old founder of G.A.P. Adventures, started his first company when he was 12. He won an entrepreneurship gold medal at the age of 15. G.A.P. Adventures, which recently doubled in size through acquisitions, is working with the TV show “Survivor” to launch a new brand of adventure tours and is in the process of filming its own TV show.2

The variety of responsibilities, the chance to work with people from around the world, the potential for rapid advancement, training opportunities and perks…these are just some of the many reasons that attract and keep hundreds of thousands of tourism employees across Ontario interested in this dynamic industry.

Cheryl Paradowski is president and CEO of Ontario Tourism Education Corporation (www.otec.org)

1 Realm Insert (2003). "Tourism: The Fastest Growing Industry on the Planet."

2 Sedo, Brent (2003). Tourism Entrepreneurship. "Tourism: The Fastest Growing Industry on the Planet."

A PROFILE

Name: Beatriz Aponte
School: Le Cordon Bleu Paris Ottawa

What is your job title? Chef. I have worked in several countries and with

different types of cuisines.

How did you decide to study culinary arts? Cooking has been my life passion, and it has always been my dream to study at the Cordon Bleu! It is necessary to learn new techniques and tendencies.

What kinds of skills must you have to be a chef? To be a chef, you need organization, time-management and production skills and good hygiene awareness.

What other kinds of jobs are available for chefs? You can work in hotels, restaurants, hospitals, schools, in airline catering, military food service, catering and banquet services, as a personal chef, a teacher at a cooking school or for a gastronomic magazine.

What do you like best about your job? Work availability. I like to move. It’s always easy to find a good job. I love to work in a place where I can develop my creativity, and I love the smell, to touch raw ingredients, to feel texture, to do the cooking and above all to provide pleasure.

What is the worst part about being a chef? Sometimes long working hours and working on weekends.

What does a chef do in an average day or week?  Chefs are responsible for the organization of work in the kitchen. They oversee culinary production, management, team spirit and research. They create menus, determine the food cost and sale price, define quality standards, determine ordering needs, assure respect for professional hygiene and safety standards, establish communication and ensure customer satisfaction.

Any other advice?  I tell all passionate cuisine candidates not to doubt an academic education despite the cost. It is worthwhile by all means, since it allows you to progress a great deal and provides better job opportunities.

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