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Opportunities in the tourism industry abound for you as a student at Pickens Technical College’s Hospitality and Tourism pathway. The skills and concepts you’re learning in class now are applicable in almost any hospitality and tourism setting, and once you get the mechanics of building a successful marketing plan for tourist destinations, you’ll be a valuable marketing asset for many companies in the United States and beyond.

Tourism is still an important part of the economies of many localities throughout the United States and around the world. Many countries’ economies are built around the tourism industry. What often separates successful tourist locations from failures is the savvy and know-how of their tourism marketing officials. If you have the skills and concepts figured out how to market tourist destinations, you could have more opportunities abroad than you think.

International Opportunities for Hospitality and Tourism Experts

It may take some time to build your experience here in the States before you venture out to other markets, but in some cases, if a particular location is struggling to attract tourists, local business owners and even governments could be open to green tourism and hospitality expert. It doesn’t hurt to look around.

Take Mexico, for example. Our friendly neighbors to the south, despite internal unrest, still have a booming tourism and hospitality economy. But there are cracks showing in some Mexican tourism sectors, particularly the high-end market.

Alejandro Zozaya, CEO of Mexico’s Apple Leisure Group, was quoted in a Mexico News Daily article lamenting the drop-off of high-end tourist dollars flowing into the country: “The most important market we have lost is that which leaves the largest economic spillover, the high-end North American.” Zozaya estimates that the economic spillover from tourism in Mexico has dropped 20% over the past year. He says the reason is that not as many wealthy Americans are going to Mexico on vacation, to get married, or to go on their honeymoon.

Zozaya and other industry leaders are scrambling to better market high-end destinations. Zozaya cites insufficient marketing initiatives as one of the reasons for this downturn.

Boosting Tourism in Africa

Many African nations rely on tourism to support their local economies, and Uganda is no different. Recently, the Ugandan government got some tips from tourism expert Samantha Muna for how to draw more visitors to the beautiful East African nation.

One action that Muna recommended and that appears to be gaining traction is facilitating tourism forums and discussions between the government and local companies to develop solutions to issues that have hamstrung Ugandan tourism for decades, such as repairing and maintaining fast Wifi and Internet connections. Ugandan hotels have also introduced digital solutions such as online booking, digital check-ins, and other convenient features such as using one’s phone to unlock their room.

The Tourism Puzzle

What these international locales show is that those who hold the keys in the tourism industry, be it governments or hotel owners, are always looking for ways to improve their services and bottom lines. And if Uganda or Mexico don’t appeal to you, there are plenty of areas of the United States, Colorado included, that are looking for the next big thing in tourism marketing.