Next Destination for Tourism Industry Workers

With airline travel looking to open up domestically by the end of this year, you might be thinking everything is going back to normal. For those in the tourism industry however, the events of the past few months might have you unsure of the future. With some state borders still closed, Virgin under administration, and many worrying about saving money, international holidays seem impossible to think about right now.

If you have been affected it is important to maintain positivity and think about how you can use this time to future proof or shift your career. Now could be the perfect time to work on the skills to rise in your current career pathway, or to study something completely different. Read on below for our suggestions to get you thinking about your options.

Upskill

If your job hasn’t been affected but you are still worried about the future, why not take your skillset to the next level and look at professional short courses or certifications you can take. If you work in a logistics role you could look at getting your forklift license or enrol in a database management course.

If you have your sights set on a management role, taking the time to start studying a diploma in leadership and management might be the way forward. It would be worthwhile having a look at how your company is evolving and trying to gain skillsets to meet their future demands. 

Study something different

Now could be the perfect time to switch it up completely and change your career path by doing some study. There are many areas that will see significant growth in the future, COVID-19 or not, that can utilise many of your existing skills. Roles within the aged care and disability and associated support services are predicted to have consistent demand for workers now and into the future. 

If you are interested in a career in support services find out how MAX can help here

Transfer your skills

The tourism industry is unpredictable, fast-paced and changes with the times. Your career within it may have spanned several different roles and responsibilities. The skillsets you have acquired through your career are not just valuable but versatile too.

If you’re looking for inspiration, the Australian Government has developed a very useful “Skills Match” tool. By entering job titles you’ve held previously, it identifies the skills you have likely developed in those roles and suggests a range of new career and job ideas that might suit you. 

Using your personalised results, you can identify those transferable skills and have the confidence to promote and discuss these with potential employers.  

You may be surprised what industries you could easily transfer your existing skills to. Examples include:

• Customer service
  Working in the tourism industry usually results in a lot of time spent servicing customers face to face.  Along the way you would have developed your ability to resolve conflicts, empathise with customers and communicate clearly and effectively. These are all traits that are highly desirable for customer service roles in a variety of industries from finance and insurance to transport and logistics; both of which are experiencing a hiring boom.
• Sales
  The same communication skills you have used to resolve hairy situations in your tourism career could also be applied to a role within the sales industry. Whether in person, or over the phone, your abilities to actively listen, remain positive and communicate clearly are the same talents that companies selling products need. 
• Transport and logistics.
  The explosion of demand for delivery services has meant many new job opportunities with major companies like Australia Post, TNT or Coles and Woolworths. Their warehouses are inundated at the moment and have a need for those with a strong skill in organisation effective time management and teamwork. If you worked for an airline in logistics, these are all skills you would have used daily and could apply in these roles.
• Cleaners
  Due to COVID-19, more stringent hygiene practices have been put in place across every business. With the threat of the virus not going away anytime soon, these practices will be in place for the foreseeable future. If you have previous experience in this area and a strong attention to detail, there are job openings for cleaners in all kinds of businesses right now.

For more information on industries looking for workers that may fit your skillsets, head on over to our industries hiring now article to help narrow your search.