Members of the Travel & Tourism industry are being asked to participate in a new World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) campaign to help change the perception of a career in the sector.

People are being asked to create their own 15 second videos to explain why they love working in Travel & Tourism. Chris Nassetta, President & CEO of Hilton Worldwide is joined by other Industry leaders including Raymond Bickson, CEO of Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces and Thulani Nzima, CEO of South Africa Tourism in kicking off the Instagram campaign, which is intended to demonstrate the career opportunities available.

The campaign comes on the back of new research from WTTC*, which shows that Travel & Tourism holds opportunities for job creation to address the youth unemployment and gender inequality issues faced by countries across the world. The findings show that the sector employs a higher proportion of women and young people compared with the workforce as a whole. The high proportion of youth in the industry is forecast to remain the case for the next ten years.

However, serious challenges have been identified, when it comes to the understanding and profile of the sector**. As David Scowsill, President & CEO, WTTC explains, people need to be persuaded to consider Travel & Tourism as a career option; “Travel & 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. 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 & Tourism as an excellent career option. We believe this campaign can play its part in doing that”.

As Mr Scowsill emphasises, the idea behind the campaign is to increase information, clarity and visibility of Travel & Tourism careers; “Travel & Tourism offers work-life balance, international opportunities, travel and good benefits. But we need people to realise this. People in the Travel & 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”.

Mr Scowsill continues; “Travel & 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 & 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”.