The tourism sector, also known as the travel industry, is related to the notion of visiting for pleasure, social or commercial purposes and so on. It is intertwined with the hotel, hospitality and transportation industries: much of it is predicated on keeping visitors entertained, busy and well-equipped during their time away from home. I think this sector, despite being so large, still has its limitations in some places. Attracted by the country’s natural beauty, many domestic and overseas tourists visit its different tourist sites. Despite its immense potential, the sector is facing different challenges like inadequate infrastructure and backward communication system, deficiency of accommodation facilities, lack of safety and security, scarcity of professionalism, and lengthy visa processing, which discourage international and internal tourists from visiting attractive places in the country. The country’s tourism opportunities are religious tourism, sports tourism, eco-tourism, educational tourism, spa tourism, rural tourism, cultural tourism, etc. However, there is a lack of research and plan to explore the development of the tourism industry in Bangladesh. Only if we pay close attention to these minor aspects of tourism, then our sector can compete with the developed countries.
For example, there are many beautiful villages in Bangladesh that many of us or travelers from abroad would have been happy to see, but good roads, transportation systems, or accommodations have not been improved yet in those areas. We ignore the development of the traveling system in the villages, but they still play a significant role in our economy.
Why should you pursue a career in the tourism or hospitality industry?
The travel and tourism business accounts for around 10% of global GDP in 2019 and is still expanding. According to the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), the tourism business employs one out of every eleven people globally, making it the world’s largest employer. Every day, a new concept emerges: large investment companies approve the plans for a five-star luxury resort, or a mom-and-pop café opens its doors. After doubling in size during the last two decades, the tourist population is expected to double again in the following two decades. The rising numbers are just a consequence of the emergence of the middle class: so as a result of the industry evolving with each passing day, the jobs are also becoming more and more diverse.
The hospitality industry allows you to develop yourself – professionally and as a person. Not only do you get to improve the professional skills you already, somewhat, possess, but also with time and commitment, you achieve other skills due to the variety of colleagues, clients, and situations that will put you to the test. Another motive to go for a career in the hospitality industry is the multicultural environment; for this reason, when you work in the hospitality industry, you get to meet people from different backgrounds and cultures. The hospitality industry is demanding yet exciting to work in and this cause in itself should be enough for a reason to pursue a degree from a top hotel management institution. What makes the hospitality industry so exciting are the changing dynamics and the different responsibilities you will handle during your employment.
Few of the fastest-growing areas of the global economy are hotels, catering, and tourism: because of its labour-intensive nature and strong multiplier effect on employment in the other connected industries, it is also one of the top job-creating sectors. According to WTTC, one-fourth of the global net new jobs were created in this industry where women employment was 54%, twice as many women employers in comparison to another sectors. It is no secret that the tourism business relies on the hospitality industry for both domestic and international tourism; the tourism industry arranges things like transport for guests, which includes airline tickets, railway and coach service, and car rental, while the hospitality industry provides necessary amenities like accommodation, entertainment, food and beverage production and service.
The majority of tourism and hospitality management students can get anxious about their future careers in the business as they, usually, might have no clue where they want to go in the tourist industry. With the growth of the tourism industry worldwide, the hospitality industry has become one of the most popular fields and to hold this position in the future, the proper education of hospitality professionals is necessary. Hospitality students are required to be well equipped with knowledge and skills and needed to be professionally trained. In this manner, they can become competent enough to meet the market demand of their career choice. Graduates in hotel management have a variety of job options.
The following industries are used to rank these jobs:
- Hospitality
- Food and Beverage
- Tourism
- Event Planning
- Recreation and Leisure
- Airport service
- Ground operation
- GSA service
- Customer service
- Sales and marketing
- Ticketing executive
- Cabin crew and air hostage.
All these are just a few names among the many other renowned jobs available in the industry. Bangladesh is home to more than 27 airlines that fly straight to North America, Europe, and the Middle East. In this industry, a ticketing and tour packaging travel agency or tour operator will provide you with employment and a good wage. Unfortunately, Bangladesh’s hotel industry pays comparatively lower wages to employees than in other Asian countries. Also, uncertainty about job security makes newcomers think twice before choosing this path.
In my opinion, though the tourism and hospitality sector is enormous, it still needs some modifications, like-
- Development in the transportation system
- Increase the awareness of employment in the tourism sector
Tourism expands steadily with a well-organised transportation system. Transportation is needed for tourism promotion and development; among the other vital issues which help to develop tourism are the maintenance of the existing roads, construction of more roads, rail tracks, sea and air transportation, construction of local airports, and enhancement of the local flight operations. The development of transportation, vehicles, and infrastructure, and using new technologies in this sector also speed up tourism development. If we look at the main national highway that connects Sylhet to other Districts like Dhaka, then we can see that the highway is only a two-lane road and very risky to drive. Unfortunately, the Chittagong Cox’s Bazar highway is also like this. I think these types of roads need to be upgraded to at least a four-lane road with a divider in between. This will make the connectivity of this tourist district smoother, and tourism will be boosted. The demand for skilled workforces in the hospitality industry is increasing day by day, not only in Bangladesh but all over the world. If we can train them well and make them aware of the potential that this sector has, then we can attract more people and reduce the unemployment rate. A skilled worker is also a considerable prospect as they can work abroad and boost foreign remittance
I think these are the two utmost important points to utilize this sector the most. Also, I’m working in this sector in Sylhet through my hotel named Hotel Star Pacific and providing hospitality training. With the concern of taking the tourism sector one step ahead, I am currently doing different sessions with the intention of improving the tourism sector. There will be millions of job opportunities in the tourism sector in Bangladesh in the upcoming days as the government has taken different initiatives to improve tourism infrastructure and has undertaken a tourism master plan. So, these will create massive job opportunities to meet the staffing demand.
