“When are you going to get a real job?”

If you’ve ever said, thought or heard this in relation to a hospitality job, please, read on.

I can’t count the number of conversations I’ve had — through my work, and in my personal life — defending the value of tourism careers.

Sometimes it’s best to let numbers speak for themselves; so here is a shameless data dump. (Data sourced from the U.S. Travel Association and Dean Runyan Associates).

• Travel provides the first job for more Americans than any other industry — including manufacturing, health care, construction or education.

• Americans who had their first jobs in the travel industry go on to achieve higher salaries (on average) than most other industries.

• The travel industry is one of the top ten largest employers of middle-class wage earners in the U.S. — more than real estate, information technology and other industries.

• 17% of Americans whose first job was in the travel industry go on to own their own businesses and 19% consider themselves entrepreneurs — more than manufacturing, health care and other industries.

In Central Oregon (Deschutes, Crook, Jefferson and South Wasco counties):

• The travel industry directly employed more than 10,000 Central Oregonians in 2022. 8,150 in Deschutes County alone.

• In 2022, employee earnings totaled $360 million.

• For these travel related jobs, every $100 spent by visitors to Central Oregon generated $30 in employee earnings.

The travel industry instills fundamental skills — like customer service, communication, teamwork and problem solving that can’t be taught in a classroom.

And although there isn’t always a logical career ladder to climb in the tourism industry, with the skills gained in hospitality jobs, people can go on to have rewarding, high-earning careers (both in and out of the industry).

So, cheers to the real jobs that are a foundational part of any destination. The frontline staff, tour guides, lift operators, baristas, servers and more who help keep businesses flourishing, customers returning and the positive impact that travel has on the local economy growing.