Leisure & Tourism
Travel and Leisure, or the Visitor Economy as it's often called, plays a key part in Central Bedfordshire’s local economy and includes a host of areas.
The area comprises of:
Airports
Botanical Gardens, Zoos and Safari Parks
Community Centres
Hospitality & Entertainment
Holiday Parks and Leisure Organisations
Garden Centres
Hotels
Conservation Organisations
Golf Clubs
Libraries
Cafes and Restaurants
Public Houses
Theatres and Concert Halls
Sports Clubs and Facilities
Markets
Heritage and Historical Visitor Attractions
See some examples of roles and earning potential in the Visitor Economy sector here.
In 2017, there were 2,458,000 jobs in the Visitor Economy sector (England)
In the same year, there were 660 companies in the Visitor Economy employing 11,000 people in Central Bedfordshire
The number of businesses increased in Central Beds from 595 to 675 between 2014 to 2018. This suggests that the sector’s business stock has grown by 13%
The Visitor Economy sector is growing, with a high demand for people with the right skills, qualifications, training and attitudes.
Leisure & Tourism Occupations
Business Size (Employees) - Proportion
Over 11,000 people are employed in the Visitor Economy industry sector in Central Bedfordshire. This number increased by over 1,000 from 2014 to 2017.
The top 10 Visitor Economy occupations with the largest growth between 2014 and 2017 have been: accommodation services followed by sports activities and amusement and recreation activities, increasing by 750 and 500 respectively.
The Visitor Economy is likely to just as strong in the future job market for Central Bedfordshire
Jobs within the sector are more likely to grow as a percentage of the workforce in the future.
Employers value a whole host of skills, competencies, attitudes and behaviours:
Communication
Initiative
Digital literacy
Independence
Reliability
Problem solving
Organisation
Work ethic
Reflective
Politeness
Resilience
Teamwork
Curiosity
Honesty
Humility
Employers for Central Bedfordshire residents include:
Find out more about what career opportunities and earning potential the visitor economy can provide at Prospects.
How do I get there?
Pathways
There are many pathways into a career in the creative industries sector including the traditional academic routes.
Apprenticeships - a real job, a nationally recognised qualification with a mix of learning in the workplace and formal training by a training provider, further education college or university. There are a range of levels for apprenticeships from intermediate to degree. Find out more Find out more here and to search for and become an apprentice, start start here.
Traineeship - Traineeships are designed help young people who want to get an apprenticeship or job but don’t yet have appropriate skills or experience. More information can be found here.
Vocational/Technical - Further Education -
Higher Education -
University of Bedfordshire
University of Northampton
The Open University
What else do I need?
Qualifications on their own will not be sufficient to secure a job. Employers also look for:
Basic skills - maths and English
Key employability skills - those specific to a job, technical/practical skills and customer service
Experience - gain some work experience whilst in education, this may include volunteering
Have a look at Life Skills and Industrial Cadets to prepare you for making the first step into a career.