Solo Episode: Tourism Careers Have a PR Problem

Episode Description

In this first solo episode of Tourism Matters, prompted by a question asked of her on LinkedIn, Carmen Bold explores one of the biggest challenges facing the tourism industry: how do we attract more people into tourism careers when so many of those careers are still invisible from the outside?

Carmen shares her thoughts on why tourism has a PR problem, why the industry needs to do a better job of showing the breadth of roles available, and why career conversations need to reach far beyond tourism students and people already inside the sector.

She also reflects on the value of education, the importance of lived experience, and the flexibility that makes tourism such a powerful and adaptable career path.

This episode is a call to stop talking about tourism careers in narrow, outdated ways and start showing people what the industry really offers.

What You’ll Take Away From This Episode

•  Why tourism careers are still poorly understood by many people outside the industry 

•  The need to broaden awareness beyond travel agents, flight attendants and tour guides 

•  Why tourism education is valuable, but not the only pathway into the industry 

•  How tourism can offer serious, rewarding and life-changing career experiences 

•  Why flexibility is one of tourism’s greatest strengths 

•  The importance of keeping good people in the industry, not just attracting new ones 

•  Why workplaces need to support, develop and retain their teams 

About Carmen Bold

Carmen Bold is the host of Tourism Matters and a Tourism Workforce & Industry Capability Specialist.

With more than 25 years’ experience across tourism operations, frontline delivery, events, destination management, industry development, partnerships, workforce capability and entrepreneurship, Carmen brings a practical, real-world lens to conversations about the future of tourism.

Her work focuses on tourism careers, workforce development, operator capability and the role people play in delivering standout visitor experiences.

Organisations Referenced

Carmen Bold on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmenbold/

Carmen Bold Website:  https://carmenbold.com

Episode Chapters

 00:00 Introduction to Tourism Careers
 01:52 The Visibility Problem in Tourism Careers
 05:00 Broadening the Audience for Tourism Careers
 06:38 Education and Pathways into Tourism
 07:33 The Nature of the Tourism Industry
 10:02 Flexibility and Career Paths in Tourism
 12:54 Retention and Development in the Tourism Industry