OPPORTUNITIES GALORE IN TOURISM!

5,000 positions in the Canadian tourism and hospitality industries remain unfilled as a result labour shortages. At recent conferences in Moncton and Ottawa, senior tourism industry representatives were told that by the year 2020 almost a million positions in all industries would be unfilled.

Already staff shortages are having an impact in the hospitality sector. A recent article by Virginia Galt in the Globe & Mail cites the example of Delta Hotels Ltd in which there are 20 vacancies in management at any given time across the country; and where only one-in-six graduating students accepted job offers by the company during campus recruitment.

In an industry as labour intensive as the tourism industry – employing over 500,000 – the potential impact is staggering. Youths entering the market for the first time and those wishing to re-enter the labour force are being viewed as critical sources to address the problem.

We, at Aboriginal Tourism Team Canada (ATTC), believe that Aboriginal people have overlooked many of the opportunities in the tourism industry. ATTC lists human resource development as one of its five key strategic directions.

Positions exist in entry-level and management positions throughout the tourism industry including, hotels, restaurants, transportation, outdoor adventure/eco-tourism operations, resorts, golf courses…you name it.

As a member of the Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council and the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, ATTC serves as a resource on industry issues and opportunities to Aboriginal people. Recognized as the national voice for Aboriginal tourism in Canada, ATTC is able to present the Aboriginal perspective in order to address our industry’s particular issues and needs. A network of Regional Aboriginal Tourism Associations (RATAs) located in virtually every province and territory supports ATTC.

There are a number of resources available to assist you in taking advantages of the business and employment opportunities in tourism.

Businesses or community economic developers can access information from ATTC at www.attc.ca. The site also links visitors to the RATA in their region and to other industry/government resources. ATTC also publishes booklets to assist tourism businesses.

For employment opportunities, try www.tourism-market.com. This is an on-line tourism industry marketplace where people can post their resumes and where employers come to search for potential employers.

For career and high school and adult educational information in your region, visit the Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council’s site at www.cthrc.ca or call them at (613) 231-6949 for your nearest Tourism Education Council.

Finally, take advantage of conferences and workshops to learn and network. Our National Aboriginal Tourism Forum is slated for March 25-27, 2001 in Brantford Ontario. Watch our web site at www.attc.ca or call ATTC at 1 800 724-7872 for up to date information.

Aboriginal Tourism Team Canada is a partnership of Aboriginal business and government whose mission is to influence and develop tourism policies and programs to the benefit of Aboriginal people in Canada.

Our vision is to represent Aboriginal people as world leaders in tourism in harmony with our culture.