Tourism is definitely on the rebound after the recent worldwide economic downturn. This is an $800 billion industry in the United States alone. Throughout the world it makes up 12 percent of the gross domestic product, employing approximately 10 percent of the entire planet’s labor force. By the year 2020, one- half the people employed in the world will have either a direct or indirect association with the tourism industry. Throughout 32 of the United States, travel-related types of tourism are the number one, two and three top employers.
Destination Recreation Ranks Number One
The number one popular facility in the worldwide tourism industry is what is known as destination resort. These are located throughout the world in the most popular vacation spots that people choose when wishing to go on a holiday. These are located in a variety of different geographic settings from mountainside chalets, seaside complexes, theme parks and other types of facilities that offer features attracting millions of vacationers from around the world. Someone has to run these.
Hospitality Managers are Social Beings
If you don’t like people, stop reading this. A career in resort management is going to put you in constant contact with other human beings – whether it be the employees you supervise, the vendors from whom you purchase, or the guests whom you wish to entertain. As a resort manager, you’ll experience the opportunity to work in a lot of beautiful, exotic places meeting a great deal of diverse and interesting people. But, you’ll first need to develop the knowledge and skills that are necessary to succeed in this field of endeavor.
Training Guarantees Success
Opportunities for hospitality management and those that exist specifically in resort management were , in the past, fundamentally ones made available to people who rose through the ranks of employment at such facilities. However, a couple of decades ago saw an emphasis placed upon formalized training to prepare people to assume a higher quality professional execution when responsible for multi-million dollar operations. Universities, colleges and trade schools throughout the world now offer a variety of different training courses leading to acquisition of these skills. A course of study would include developing skills in leadership, planning and policy, research and evaluation, labor relations, grounds maintenance, technology, compliance, communications, food and beverage, convention planning, and other aspects pertaining to recreation and leisure activity management. Furthermore, a great deal of training that leads to becoming better-than-average resort manager will place participants in real-world settings where they will acquire the skills necessary at every level of employment in order to function in a supervisory capacity in a successful manner.
Learning the Ropes
It is essential for a successful resort manager to participate learning the duties of all the employees under his or her supervision. This would include spending time working as a desk clerk, functioning as a bell person, as well as working in such capacities as a shuttle bus driver, housekeeping, grounds maintenance, waiter or waitress, cook and bartender plus much more. Mega-resorts that are all-inclusive offer a variety of services pampering their guests that can include everything from top-notch vending machines to state-of-the-art fitness centers. Individuals seeking to have a successful career as a result manager must have an understanding of all the operations under their command as well as the personnel duties and functions.
A Stressful Position
A lot of pressure is placed upon a resort manager. Therefore, high quality training and education play key roles preparing professionals to carry the burden of not only managing a staff of employees, but also consistently executing methods for keeping guess satisfied in a positive and always upbeat manner. Resort managers may face unusual problems on a daily basis and their education plus past experience helps them to deal with these many challenges in a productive manner. This is not a position that is limited to a 9-to-5 daily commitment, but becomes more a lifestyle in which one gets paid.
Bachelor Degree Prepares Individuals Correctly
Today, within the hospitality management industry there are several positions where employers seek educated professionals to fill. A four-year course of study leading to a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management, with an emphasis on resort operations, can prepare individuals in a number of different settings found at a resort including convention services manager, special events coordinator, a meeting or conference planner, food and beverage services director, recreation activities coordinator as well as overall operations management in a variety of different capacities on the executive level.