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Unit 2 Exploring Careers in Family and Consumer Sciences
marketing and sales, and security are all under
the supervision of the general manager. Each of
these areas provides specialized career oppor-
tunities within the lodging industry.
Travel and Tourism
A comfortable room, good food, and a help-
ful staff can make being away from home an
enjoyable experience for both business travel-
ers and those traveling for pleasure, adventure,
or other reasons. In the past decade, travel and
tourism has become the world’s largest indus-
try. By all indications, the industry will continue
to grow. For example, globalization has made
travel easier as communication systems have
advanced, economic systems have changed, and
knowledge about other cultures has increased.
It has also opened a new facet of tourism that
focuses on heritage or cultural travel.
The travel and tourism industry is much
like the manufacturing industry in that it brings
together many component parts to make a prod-
uct. For example, transportation, meals, hotel
rooms, tours, and entertainment are packaged
together to form a “product” or “package.”
These packages are sold to consumers through
travel agents, tour operators, Internet sites, and
other service segments of the industry.
Travel agency employees arrange travel and/
or vacations to a specific area and act as an inter-
mediary between the client and the providers of
tours, transportation, food service, and lodging.
Some companies only deal with business travel,
large tour groups, or individual travelers. They
may also provide educational programs on top-
ics such as methods of travel, passports, visas,
foreign currency, and cultural customs.
Other hospitality careers exist with airline,
cruise, and railway companies. Tour companies,
resorts, and hotels also have hospitality employ-
ees in areas related to travel and tourism. Some
large corporations employ their own business
travel consultants. In addition, a growing indus-
try exists in travel safety and security. Concerns
about safety and security have been magnified
and publicized by terrorist acts in recent years,
and segments of tourism have suffered as a
result of these concerns.
Recognizing the impact of tourism on the
economy, government at all levels promotes
the industry through destination management
organizations. These organizations include, for
example, city convention and visitors bureaus
and state tourism offices. Employees market the
region as a tourist destination, provide informa-
tion about the area, facilitate development of
new tourist attractions, and conduct research.
Recreation
Hiking, swimming, reading, shopping, play-
ing soccer, drawing, and dancing are just a few
of the endless recreational opportunities people
pursue during their leisure time. The recreation
industry, which focuses on recreational, leisure,
sports, adventure, and cultural activities, is a
fast-growing industry. As the population ages,
more people may have time for leisure activities.
This is good news for recreational professionals
who base their careers on organizing and pro-
viding recreational activities for people.
Recreational workers provide people with
opportunities for leisure time enjoyment. They
arrange recreational programs, manage facili-
ties, provide or staff instructional workshops,
and oversee the general recreational programs—
including advertising and registration. They
often manage recreational facilities such as
health clubs, city parks, swimming pools, and
community centers. They hold a variety of posi-
tions at different levels of responsibility, vary-
ing from managers and directors to instructors,
counselors, and recreational therapists. They
also work in a variety of settings, including
senior centers, hospitals, cruise ships, camps,
and college campuses. Specialized training in an
area, such as early childhood education, dance,
athletic training, sports management, or a par-
ticular art, is often desired. Some jobs require
teacher certification or management experience.
A bachelor’s degree and experience are preferred
for most supervisory jobs and are required for
administrative jobs in the recreation field.