Tourism Industry Gaining As Source Of Jobs Nationally

The number of jobs generated by the U.S. tourism industry is increasing faster than the nation’s overall job growth, with much of it occurring in high-paying executive positions, a new study of industry employment shows.

The study, conducted by the Travel Industry Association of America, shows that tourism and travel now rank as the first-, second- or third-largest employer in 32 states and the District of Columbia. Only the health-care industry consistently does better. Overall, tourism generated more than 6.6 million jobs in 1995, a number that has grown 33 percent in the past decade, the study shows. The nation’s total nonagricultural employment, meanwhile, grew 20 percent during the same time.

Looking forward, travel industry employment is expected to grow more than 18 percent between 1994 and 2005, the study determined. During the same time, construction employment is expected to grow nearly 10 percent, mining employment is expected to decline by 27 percent and manufacturing employment should drop 7 percent.

Much of the tourism industry’s growth is to take place at the highest levels, with the availability of executive positions expected to grow 31 percent by the year 2005, the study says. That’s more than double the rate of job growth in the overall economy.

Top-level executives in the tourism industry can pull in six-figure incomes.