High Paying Careers in the Hospitality and Tourism Industry

Jessica Cody

8 years ago

With summer on its way, people around the world are busy planning vacations. With improvements in the economy over the past couple of years, 2017 is looking to be a great year for careers in the hospitality and tourism industry. To demonstrate just how much the travel and tourism industry is impacting the GDP, the World Travel & Tourism Council reports that in 2016 this sector’s contribution to the world GDP outpaced the global economy for the sixth consecutive year, surging to 10.2% of the world’s GDP. The website also states that we have travel and tourism to thank for 292 million jobs that people currently hold, or 1 in 10 jobs in the world.

If you have experience in areas such as food and beverage service, housekeeping or casino gaming, now is your time to shine. Here are some high paying hospitality and tourism careers that your experience may be perfect for:

1) Food & Beverage Director

Food and beverage directors are needed at restaurants, casinos and hotels. These high paying hospitality careers require you to create and plan a menu that will please the clientele at the establishment you are overseeing. As a food and beverage director, you are also responsible for marketing the food and beverages you offer, planning events that take place at the establishment, staff management, communicating with vendors and anything else that will improve the customer experience. Those that want to pursue food and beverage director careers in the hospitality and tourism industry will need a bachelor’s degree along with at least several years of relevant industry experience. The average annual salary is about $89,000.

Food & beverage director jobs in New York, NY

Food & beverage director jobs in San Francisco, CA

2) Head of Housekeeping

If you have worked in the service industry as a maid, janitor or any other job that involves cleaning and maintenance, you can choose to work your way up to a position as head of housekeeping for a hotel, casino or resort. In these high paying hospitality careers, you are responsible for overseeing staff and the daily operations of the establishment’s housekeeping services. You also assign housekeeping duties to staff members, control budgets and deal with suppliers of linen, cleaning supplies, soap, keys, etc. Only a high school diploma is required for these careers in the hospitality and tourism industry, though a bachelor’s degree can come in handy, especially if it’s in a field such as hospitality management. Most employers require at least several years of experience, including supervisory experience in housekeeping. The average annual salary is about $54,000.

3) Maître D’

If you have waited tables in the past, it shouldn’t be too difficult to work your way up to a position as a maître d’. Careers in the hospitality and tourism industry as a maître d’ require you to oversee restaurant wait staff, making reservations and ensuring the dining room operates effectively. You also are responsible for greeting clientele and seeing to it they are comfortable and have their preferred table. Only a high school diploma is required, though college courses in hospitality or restaurant management can help. These high paying hospitality careers garner an average annual salary of about $40,000.

Maître d’ jobs in New York, NY

Maître d’ jobs in San Francisco, CA

4) Slot Operations Manager

If you are familiar with electronic gaming and interested in being front and center to the casino life, you may want to pursue a career as a slot operations manager. Slot operations manager careers in the hospitality and tourism industry require you to oversee the daily operations of casino slot machines. This involves ordering equipment, seeing to it machines are operating efficiently and addressing any issues guests have with slot machines. You also must be very familiar with federal and local laws and ensure the equipment and cash reporting follows those laws. The average annual salary for a slot operations manager is $84,000. To be eligible for this high paying hospitality career, you need a high school diploma and several years of experience in the industry.

Slot operations manager jobs in New York, NY

Slot operations manager jobs in San Francisco, CA

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