Tourist promotion agency VisitBritain forecasts overseas trips to the UK will increase 6% with spending up 14% this year. Britons are also holidaying at home in record numbers. With tourism featuring high in the Lancashire and Cumbria economy there are implications for employment.
Facts
Lancaster is one of 11 heritage cities in the UK featuring along with York and that other Georgian city, Bath.
The Forest of Bowland is the first protected area in England to be awarded the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas.
Lancaster is in the top ten for most vibrant inner city culture.
Cumbria is well established as a most beautiful part of the UK.
So what are the employment implications?
Recruitment
Popular tourist destinations can be expensive places to live and the population more scattered so different approaches to recruiting the right people can pay off. Bussing employees in centres of populations is one approach. Expensive locations can have a disproportionate population of retired people, a source of experienced individuals who may need minimal training.
Customer care training
Expectations of customer care are rising as more national visitors are also international travellers.
Hygiene training
Widely available at low cost it can be an eye-opener.
Language
Visiting students at international training institutions, such as Lancaster University, offer some potential part-time employees with diverse language skills. But the ability to speak multiple foreign languages is becoming increasingly important as international visitors extend beyond just those who are proficient in English.
Wider tourism training
Colleges offer training from level three to first degree level. Tourists from abroad, particularly expect ever higher standards of customer service from the pub to the five star hotel.
Malcolm Martin FCIPD
Author Human Resource Practice