Job market information
Finding out about visitor attractions
The visitor attractions industry is represented by People 1st, the Sector Skills Council for hospitality, passenger transport, travel and tourism. The hospitality, travel and tourism sector incorporates the following industries: contract food service providers, events, gambling, holiday parks, hospitality services, hostels, hotels, membership clubs, pubs, bars and nightclubs, restaurants, self-catering accommodation, tourist services, and visitor attractions. The sector accounts for a workforce of 2.1 million, most of which are based within the restaurants, hospitality services, and pubs, bars and nightclubs industries. The roles within the sector are extremely diverse and include managers, technical staff, front-of-house staff, back-of-house staff, and non-core staff.
The visitor attractions industry is difficult to define as activities overlap with other sectors. Visitor attractions include: fairground attractions (including theme parks); piers; historic railways; and other city attractions, such as Madame Tussaud’s and the London Eye.
Key facts:
- There are 8,200 people working in visitor attractions.
- 18% of the workforce has a NVQ Level 4 qualification.
- The majority of the workforce has a NVQ Level 2 qualification (32%).
- 62% of the workforce is employed full‐time.
[N.B. Data derived from Labour Force Survey, 2009.]
Jobs in the industry range from: leisure services operations manager, park operator, guest services supervisor, rides and activities operator, entertainer, souvenir outlet supervisor, gift shop assistant, ticket office assistant.
Entry and progression
For most entry level jobs, there are no specific academic requirements, but a willingness to work hard, a good attitude, good communication and team working skills can be an advantage. For public facing roles, employers may prefer candidates who have previous experience of working in a customer service environment and show good people skills, as well as an appreciation of the importance of customer service. There are a number of areas from which people could transfer in, particularly from retail and call centres.
There are opportunities for progression in the industry for those willing to take on more responsibility. Previous managerial experience can be an advantage. It is fairly common for people to move between certain areas of work in the industry. There is a range of industry endorsed courses, apprenticeships, vocational qualifications, and training schemes available.
For job specific entry requirements, take a look at our job profiles.
Workforce statistics
| Number of UK employees: |
8,200 |
|---|
| Number of UK employers: |
6,500 |
|---|
| Gender: |
45% male |
55% female |
|---|
| Ethnicity: |
96% of the workforce is white and 4% is from black and ethnic minority groups |
|---|
| Age: |
22% of the workforce is aged 16‐19 years |
|---|
| 29% is 20‐29 years |
| 12% is 30‐39 years |
| 9% is 40‐49 years |
| 25% is 50 years and older |
[N.B. Data derived from Labour Force Survey, 2009.]
Employment trends and future prospects
[N.B. Data presented are for the whole hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector.]
The following table shows the numbers working across the whole hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector and forecasted numbers for 2017. There will also be high demand for new workers to replace those people who have either changed jobs or left the industry altogether.
| 2007 |
2012 |
2017 |
2007‐2017 |
|---|
Managers and senior officials
Including:
Hotel and accommodation managers
Restaurant and catering managers
Publicans and managers of licensed premises |
590,900 |
617,900 |
659,500 |
+12% |
Skilled trade occupations
Including:
Chefs/cooks |
213,700 |
209,300 |
193,800 |
‐9% |
Elementary occupations
Including:
Kitchen and catering assistants
Waiting staff
Bar staff |
768,900 |
821,800 |
853,600 |
+11% |
[N.B. Data from Warwick Institute for Employment Research, Working Futures, 2007‐2017.]
Skill requirements and shortages
[N.B. Data presented are for the whole hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector.]
The five most common skill requirements are: technical, practical or job‐specific skills; customer handling skills; team working skills; oral communication skills; and problem solving skills.
Occupational trends
[N.B. Data presented are for the whole hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector.]
There are a number of ‘core’ occupations commonly found in hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector. The following table lists the numbers working in these occupations across the whole sector.
| Hotel and accommodation managers |
57,700 |
|---|
| Conference and exhibition managers |
23,700 |
|---|
| Restaurant and catering managers |
148,200 |
|---|
| Publicans and managers of licensed premises |
46,900 |
|---|
| Chefs and cooks |
255,100 |
|---|
| Kitchen and catering assistants |
394,600 |
|---|
| Waiting staff |
222,200 |
|---|
| Bar staff |
197,800 |
|---|
| Leisure and theme park attendants |
21,100 |
|---|
[N.B. Data derived from Labour Force Survey, 2009.]
National and regional data
[N.B. Due to small workforce numbers in this industry regional data is unavailable.]
| England |
7,700 |
5,700 |
|---|
| Scotland |
* |
500 |
|---|
| Wales |
* |
400 |
|---|
| Northern Ireland |
* |
* |
|---|
* Numbers too small to be statistically robust.
Salary levels
Pay scales in this industry are variable, so the following only provides an indication of the average annual pay of the current workforce:
- Leisure Services Operations Manager/ Park Operations Manager/Head of Amusements and Leisure Activities £24,000 ‐ £30,000
- Leisure Services Operations Supervisor/Park Operations Supervisor £26,000 ‐ £24,000
- Rides and Activities Operators/Entertainer £12,000 ‐ £18,000
- Retail Store Assistant/Gift Shop Supervisor/Souvenir Outlet Supervisor £12,000 ‐ £16,000
- Ticket Office Assistant £12,000 ‐ £16,000, Ticket Office Supervisor £14,000 ‐ £18,000
Career paths
Further sources
Produced Sept 2010, using People 1st AACS LMI report (Jun 2010)
