With the Cayman Islands being a top holiday spot, Caymanians are being encouraged to make tourism their business.
Featuring a wide variety of roles within the hospitality sector, there are many career options in which residents can proudly share their home islands with visitors from all over the world.
Some of the roles include customer-facing jobs such as tour guide, restaurant server, concierge, flight attendant, spa therapist and transportation operator.
But there are also many key roles behind the scenes like chef, landscaping, maintenance, housekeeping, marketing, finance and accounting, with management positions in every sector.
Cayman Islands Tourism Association, which represents and promotes a broad spectrum of businesses, is actively encouraging young Caymanians, and others seeking a change of career, to consider working in this field.
CITA president Troy Leacock points out that tourism is Cayman’s most important industry, and that the territory is a tourism leader in the region.
“Cayman has a diversity of tourism companies, job roles and even business opportunities for ambitious and creative participants,” he says. “There is a lot of room to grow, evolve, even change roles, as tourism is such a dynamic industry. Many roles and career pathways do not require university degrees but can be pursued through on-the-job training and career development.”
And he adds that tourism is the primary channel through which Caymanians can share culture, history and heritage.
REWARDING CAREER
“It’s immensely rewarding to be a part of one of Cayman’s oldest and most indigenous industries, sharing our home with visitors,” Troy says.
At one end of the tourism industry, there are many micro business opportunities such as tour operation, specialty marketing, personal concierge or chef roles, and property management.
And at the other end of the scale, employment with the large international tourism companies offers the possibility of travelling and working overseas as part of career development.
“The most enjoyable aspect for many is engaging with visitors who are in Cayman to have fun,” says Troy. “Helping visitors to have fun and make great memories is the best job you can have.”
CITA PLANS FOR 2024
To help Caymanians with their career pathways into the tourism sector, CITA has several initiatives planned for this year.
These include:
• Working closely with schools and education establishments to better inform students about the opportunities in tourism.
• Developing internship and apprenticeship programmes to provide vocational pathways.
• Hosting job fairs and networking events to connect employees and employers.
Anybody interested in finding out more about the CITA initiatives, or career opportunities within this sector, can contact [email protected], or follow the organisation on Facebook.
This article appears in the 2024 Compass Media Careers Guide.
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