Tourism Degree Online
The hospitality and tourism industry is the second largest employer in the United States. Whether you are attracted to this trade in order to reap the benefits of reduced travel and lodging rates or have a genuine interest and expertise in a specific destination or type of travel, an online tourism degree will increase your opportunities for employment. The industry caters to all facets of travel, from vacations to business trips, and includes services that help customers with every conceivable need associated with their journey. An online tourism degree will prepare students for employment in any one of the tourism sectors including lodging, convention services, leisure travel and tourism and other recreation related industries.
Tourism Degree Online Description
An online tourism degree is a great way to become competitive in the tourism industry. Several different degree programs are available, from a certificate or a bachelor’s degree in hospitality and tourism to BS, BA or MBA concentrations in the subject. Tourism courses online will include emphasis in subject areas such as hotel and restaurant management, travel agency management, tour arranging and planning, convention and event planning, tourism and tourism policy, marketing and promotion strategies, travel counseling, travel industry law, and international and domestic travel operations. An online tourism degree is an optimal way to enter the travel and tourism market or to improve opportunities for advancement for those already working in the field. In either case, taking tourism courses online will afford students optimal scheduling for their academic pursuits.
Recent trends in tourism include ecotourism, where travelers have a distinct interest in low impact travel to fragile and often protected areas of the world; recession tourism, with an emphasis in low cost travel; medical tourism, where travelers take advantage of lower costs for medical procedures in certain countries; educational tourism, with an emphasis on travel that enhances knowledge of a certain place or culture; and creative tourism, with an emphasis on active participation in a host culture and community. Tourism courses online will assist students with a better understanding of these trends and an ability to better cater to potential clients needs and desires.
Tourism Careers
With the incredible size of the tourism industry in the United States, possibilities for careers in this field cover a large spectrum. Positions include hotel and resort desk clerks, reservation and transportation ticket agents, tour guides and escorts, travel guides, and travel agents. The job market is expected to remain steady over the next decade, but opportunities and wages may decline during poor economic times or world crises, during which time travel may be delayed or cancelled.
According to the Bureau of Labor, the annual median salary for a travel agent in 2008 was $30,570. Seventy-six percent of travel agents worked for travel arrangement and reservation services, either at a travel agency or for large companies with in-home travel services. Another 17 percent were self employed.