Kent labour market information
Tourism and hospitality
The UK’s tourism and hospitality sector is diverse and dynamic and has an exciting future. Whether it’s providing guests with a little bit of luxury, creating a fantastic day out for families, or designing delicious food for a festival, working in tourism and hospitality can be rewarding and fun - creating memorable experiences is at the heart of these careers.
Also known as the visitor economy, a job in tourism and hospitality can be great for meeting new people or travelling to new places, but behind the scenes there are roles in marketing, web development, event organising and more. The hospitality workforce has the highest share of younger workers under 25, and Kent and Medway is a fantastic place to begin a career in this sector.
20 jobs and careers in tourism and hospitality
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events manager UX (user experience) designer hotel manager
data analyst resort representative tourism officer
chef outdoor activities instructor marketing officer
social media manager barista counter service assistant
exhibition designer cruise ship steward street food trader
app developer cabin crew travel consultant
theme park attendant hotel porter restaurant manager
Now and the future
The visitor economy is a resilient sector which responds well to various external challenges and we can expect to see more year-round jobs in the future. Guests and visitors to Kent and Medway expect high standards, and people with excellent customer service skills and quick problem-solving abilities are highly valued. Staff shortages include front-of-house roles and managers.
Digital skills are crucial for managing bookings and orders, while new technologies are transforming the sector in some exciting ways. Visitors can get a whole new perspective as artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) create new interactive tours, historical reconstructions and immersive experiences for tourists.
Sustainable tourism is gaining momentum, with providers offering eco-friendly accommodation, local food sourcing, preserving local habitats and encouraging visitors to use low-impact transport. This shift is also creating new job opportunities in areas like eco-tour guiding and sustainable event planning.
Spotlight on Kent and Medway
We have plenty of opportunities to work in tourism and hospitality in Kent and Medway! We have some of the best beaches in the UK, fantastic seaside towns, historic castles, galleries and family attractions. We also have Michelin-starred restaurants, winery tours, festivals and wellbeing escapes. It’s not surprising that almost one in 10 of the local population work in this sector (source).
For those interested in developing their hospitality and culinary skills, The Yarrow Hotel, in the grounds EKC’s Broadstairs College, offers real-life work placements on site, and there are other learning and training opportunities across the county.
If you’re prepared to work hard, tourism and hospitality offers very good career progression – you’ll gain lots of transferable skills which will help you climb the ladder and there could be opportunities to move into a different part of the sector too.
Scroll to the bottom of this page to find links to some great local employers.
More information
- enjoys working with customers
- as excellent communication skills
- is calm under pressure
- uses their initiative
- has leadership and management skills
- works well in a team
- is reliable
- has basic digital skills.
Useful subjects
These subjects and qualifications could help you get into this sector:
English | geography | modern foreign languages | art | drama | music | history | religious studies | psychology | food and nutrition | PE | sociology | maths | computer science | business studies | creative digital media | British Sign Language
What about apprenticeships?
Apprenticeships are available at all levels; degree apprenticeships tend to focus on careers related to business management. You could apply for an apprenticeship at 16 and progress your career or keep studying and move into a higher or degree apprenticeship from age 18.
For vacancies in Kent and Medway and further information:
- Find an Apprenticeship
- Amazing Apprenticeships
- Careerscope
- Higher and Degree Apprenticeship Vacancy Listing
- Explore the Skills England apprenticeship maps for this sector
Your choices @
14-16
You’ll gain useful skills in English, drama, maths, religious studies and modern foreign languages; depending on the career you’re interested in, history, food and nutrition, geography, art, drama, computer science, maths and PE may be useful.
Post 16
Five or more GCSEs at grade 4+ including English and maths | Working towards grade 4 GCSE English or maths |
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Post 18
- degree in any subject
- other higher education qualification
- higher or degree apprenticeship
- employment with or without further training
Gain skills and knowledge by building up experience. This could include volunteering, work shadowing, a work experience placement, or paid employment. Experience in a related area could be helpful when applying for jobs or training.
Kent employers
