The tourism sector in Italy is a significant education ground, especially for young people. This training goes beyond traditional hotel roles like reception, management, food service, housekeeping, and entertainment. The rise of online travel platforms and new tourism experiences has created a wave of new career paths in the industry. Affordable and user-friendly online services have fuelled the growth of the travel industry, opening doors to these innovative job opportunities.
What skills are in demand in the Italian tourism industry?
The tourism sector is seeking new professionals for travel agencies and accommodation companies.
The tourism industry faces a skills gap. The current workforce struggles to meet growing demand, and some lack the qualifications for the sector’s transformation. New skills are crucial, like fluency in languages like Chinese, Russian, and Arabic, to cater to evolving tourist demographics.
Food and beverage staff, particularly restaurant reception staff, need a multifaceted skillset. They ensure product quality, food safety, and hygiene compliance and provide excellent table service. Special attention to customers with allergies and intolerances is paramount.
Investing in training and upgrading benefits companies. It kickstarts innovation and equips staff with highly relevant and valuable expertise. Continuous upskilling is essential to the continuing evolution of the tourism industry.
What skills are most in demand in the tourism sector?
New skills in demand in the tourism sector involve the web world. In this field, the professional figures most in demand are as follows:
- Social Media Manager, the protagonist of Social Media Marketing, manages Marketing activities on social channels.
- Revenue Manager, a professional who monitors and manages hotel and bed & breakfast prices.
New highly specialized figures include:
- The Travel Planner is an increasingly popular profession not only in Italy. The travel planner offers himself as a consultant for the client, follows his directives, and proposes personal solutions outside tour operators’ logic, timing, and costs.
- The Travel Designer is a figure who can create an ad hoc travel itinerary for individual clients or groups based on direct knowledge of a particular country or territory. He practically builds a customized, tailor-made trip based on the client’s needs. To do this, the Travel Designer must demonstrate proven experience in travel and tourism.
What does it mean to professionalize in the tourism sector?
Expanding one’s professional skills and professionalizing in tourism means entering the world of work more quickly. Those who approach one of the various professional fields in the tourism sector have specific characteristics, such as a passion for travel and languages, a desire for continuous learning to advance their careers, flexibility, the ability to work in a team, enthusiasm, and ambition.
Willingness to travel to work in this field is essential. People often have to travel to other cities or even abroad, and the motivations for traveling for long periods are diverse.
There are, for example, “educational tours,” which are necessary to understand the tourist destinations offered. But not only that. They also serve to learn more about other accommodations and understand how they work.
Professionalizing in tourism also means following trade fairs. They are indispensable to both participants and exhibitors. They must meet with tour operators in different cities around the world. Attending a trade show also means establishing new partnerships.
The importance of training in the tourism sector
To join the tourism sector and gain access to many of the profiles listed above, it is essential to have the following requirements:
- High school degree;
- Bachelor’s degree in Tourism Science or Tourism Economics;
- Attendance of a qualifying master’s degree.
- There are also numerous training courses promoted by tourism companies, organizations, and associations.
- To practice some of the previously mentioned professions, it is necessary to hold a trade qualification.
Continuing education in tourism can open up new career opportunities. Professionals who invest in their education demonstrate strong motivation and a commitment to excellence. This can lead to promotions, advancement, and the chance to work on exciting projects. In addition, acquiring specialized or sector-specific skills through continuing education can make a professional more attractive to employers, increasing the chances of being hired in senior roles and at higher salaries.