5 Jobs With a Bachelor’s in Tourism

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What Jobs Can You Do with a Bachelor’s in Tourism?

Retirement Home Activities Planner
Event Manager
Outdoor Education Manager
Customer Service Manager
Tourism Officer

A Bachelor’s in Tourism isn’t just about fun travel destinations. It teaches skills in:

business
communication
customer service
event planning

These versatile degrees qualify graduates for so many job options. This list of five careers with a degree in tourism is just a starting point. Ranking: 30 Best Affordable Online Bachelor’s in Hospitality Management

1. Retirement Home Activities Planner

No, residents at retirement homes aren’t tourists, but they have many of the same needs. They want:

mental stimulation to stay healthy
a variety of activities to keep entertained
a fun personality to guide them through the excitement

A bachelor’s degree in tourism paired with a minor in healthcare management, social work or gerontology is the perfect preparation for a job as an:

event planner
activities manager
senior living coordinator

Job duties include:

planning day trips to surrounding attractions
booking in-house entertainment like therapy animals or performers
arranging low-cost events like bingo or card nights.

2. Event Manager

Planning conferences is hard work. A million different details must be covered. Hundreds of workers must be hired and trained. Someone has to be a smiling presence for attendees. That’s why most events use professional, full-time events managers to keep everything running smoothly. This can mean coordinating 200 vendors for a 50,000-attendee conference or negotiating vending contracts for a series of concerts. Interested students can find internships and entry-level jobs in event management and work up the ranks. This is a growing field; the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates an 11 percent increase in jobs by 2026.

3. Outdoor Education Manager

These exciting jobs combine tourism management and environmental education. Outdoor managers have traditional job roles like managing staff and completing payroll paperwork. They have out-of-the-box duties like leading an outdoor whitewater rafting trip. To be an outdoor education manager, you must love outdoor adventure tourism activities like:

rock climbing
camping
horseback riding
water sports

These positions have limited career growth opportunities. But they can be a fun way to get entry-level experience without having to don a suit and tie.

4. Customer Service Manager

Tourism industries focus on customer service. Happy guests mean:

positive reviews
return trips
revenue

Tourism-oriented businesses from amusement parks to airlines need customer service managers. These roles tend to balance direct service to customers with behind-the-scenes employee management. A positive attitude and interest in working with the public is necessary.

5. Tourism Officer

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Pure Michigan. The city that never sleeps. Someone has to create these catchy slogans and design advertising campaigns for them. Often, that person is a tourism officer or manager. These government staff promote local or state destinations through online and television advertising. They travel to conferences and are involved with event coordination. It’s a busy, exciting job and a great for a tourism graduate. A Bachelor’s in Tourism won’t always lead to an exotic career path, but it offers stable career options in a rapidly growing field.

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