With the invention of air travel and the internet came the opening of many doors that allowed people who previously went no further than their usual cottage rentals to have adventures on the other side of the world. More travel means more money for towns which have attractions to offer and more jobs for locals. If you live in a tourist town or wish to help your town capitalize on global tourism, here are some tourism job opportunities you won't want to pass up.

Tour Operators

People don't come to Niagara Falls for example, to sit inside all day long. They come to Niagara Falls to take a boat out under the falls. If your town has an attraction, you can capitalize on it by providing tours. Sometimes this means having specialized skills (or hiring employees with special skills) as is the case with adventure tours like river rafting or dog sledding, but if people are just there to see an ancient battlefield or a block of interesting architecture, get a book and become an expert!


Sponsor

Hotel and Restaurant Service Providers

While tourists are in town enjoying the attractions, they need somewhere to sleep and something to eat. If you've got furnished condos for rent, advertise, and they will soon be full. Options on this front include opening an inn or bed and breakfast, running a restaurant or food stall in town, or getting a job in an existing establishment, which is the recommended option for people who don't have business skills. You might become a concierge, chef, server, desk clerk, bell hop, or cleaner.

Retail

People who are in town on vacation don't sit around their hotels wondering: "I miss my own couch" when attractions are close by.. They get up, go out, and go shopping. Everyone likes to have a few souvenirs to bring home with them, and if you play your cards right you can also sell them things like clothes, jewelry, and books. The best areas to open shops are right on the main streets and near any attractions that tourists like to visit. Even if you own a clothes shop, you would do well to stock up on souvenirs to keep near the counter.

Transportation Services

These days, most visitors arrive by plane, which means they'll have no way of getting around unless they rent a car or an Uber driver. Transportation services are especially important in towns without public transit. You might run a taxi or shuttle service, pull a rickshaw, rent bikes or cars to tourists, or even get a bus that you can use to provide transport to attractions in outlying areas. Be sure to visit a popular travel website like Trip Advisor to check out transportation, tours, hotels, dining and attractions for tons of destinations.