A tourism industry profession can be both challenging and rewarding. A career in the tourism industry could be that of a hotel manager, a national park concessionaire, a cruise ship worker or a museum employee. The tourism industry is very diverse and rife with opportunities for burgeoning young professionals. However, it can also present challenges that cause personal and professional hardship for those who are not prepared for it.
The challenges of working in the tourism industry are many. Every tourism professional will eventually encounter hardships such as difficult customers and chaotic busy spurts. There is not a tourism destination on earth that will not attract difficult customers. They come to some destinations in the droves and want nothing but to complain about the accommodations around them. Or perhaps they will just be entirely unprepared and will not be able to communicate any of their reservation information. Regardless, it is up to the tourism professional to make sense out of them which can become very taxing. The waves of hustle and activity that can come in the busy moments of being a tourism professional are the stuff of nightmares. No customer service worker likes to look up and see a line trailing out the door to their desk. Despite efforts to handle these situations gracefully, they can rattle even the sturdiest tourism industry professionals.
For many, however, the stress is worth the rewards. There are plenty of excellent rewards and benefits that come with working in the tourism industry. Tourism corporations and businesses know their employees value travel and sight seeing, and typically offer them above average vacation compensation and other travel benefits. Hotel chains will frequently offer discounted or free stays through out their chain, and recreation companies will give their employees free or discounted use of their attractions. This, and the opportunity to meet a wide variety of people and experience diverse cultures, is why most tourism professionals find that the rewards of the tourism industry outweigh the difficulties.