MEMBERS of the Travel and Tourism industry from Panama and around the world are being asked to participate in a new  campaign to highlight opportunities for a career in the sector.

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is asking people to create their own 15 second videos to explain why they love working in Travel & Tourism. Chris Nassetta, President & CEO of Hilton Worldwide is joined by other Industry leaders including Raymond Bickson, CEO of Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces and Thulani Nzima, CEO of South Africa Tourism in kicking off the Instagram campaign, which is intended to demonstrate the career opportunities available.

The campaign comes on the back of new research from WTTC which shows that Travel & Tourism holds opportunities for job creation to address the youth unemployment and gender inequality issues faced by countries across the world. The findings show that the sector employs a higher proportion of women and young people compared with the workforce as a whole. The high proportion of youth in the industry is forecast to remain the case for the next ten years.
However, serious challenges have been identified, when it comes to the understanding and profile of the sector
David Scowsill, President & CEO, WTTC says , people need to be persuaded to consider Travel & Tourism as a career option; “Travel & Tourism helps transport people to all corners of the world, immerse them in different cultures and experiences and provides a livelihood to millions worldwide. It’s a fantastic Industry to work in but we need to increase awareness of career opportunities. Graduates need to be moved away from always only considering banking or finance or law as careers with opportunities for progression and security and see Travel & Tourism as an excellent career option. We believe this campaign can play its part in doing that”.
The idea behind the campaign is to increase information, clarity and visibility of Travel & Tourism careers; “Travel & Tourism offers work-life balance, international opportunities, travel and good benefits. But we need people to realize this. People in the Travel & Tourism Industry have a great thing in common....we love travel! So there are no better people to sell the sector and be brand ambassadors to help shift perceptions” says Scowsill
“Travel & Tourism’s flexible nature, requirement for skilled and unskilled staff, entrepreneurial spirit and strong growth prospects means the sector has a significantly higher youth and female employment rate, than the overall labor market... The sector also thrives on entrepreneurship and offers prospects for self-employment for women,” Scowsill said.
In the video, people are being asked to answer one of the following questions:-
1) How or why did you decide to start a career in the Travel &Tourism industry?
2) What has been the most fulfilling (or inspiring) moment in your T&T career?
3) Who has been most influential to you in your T&T career?
4) Why would you recommend a career in T&T to someone?
5) How has a career in T&T affected/changed your life?
The videos then need to be uploaded to Instagram, tagging @WTandTC and hashtagging #TourismMatters for a chance to win a prize. A first prize of USD 1,000 and runners up prizes of USD500 and USD250 will be awarded by WTTC to spend on a travel event of the winner’s choosing. The following video on YouTube explains the campaign in more detail https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgISUCCkNZw