By Brent DeRaad
President & CEO
Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau
Per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, travel and hospitality employment has grown by 100,000 jobs in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area during the past decade.
Approximately 320,000 people were employed in local travel and hospitality jobs in 2013 with that average growing to 420,000 in 2023, a 30% increase.
As the Dallas Metroplex continues to grow, so will the number of employment opportunities, particularly in hotels and restaurants. Current statistics show that more than 1 million U.S. jobs are open in these sectors. Another 178,000 U.S. jobs are available today in arts, entertainment, and recreation.
With travel and hospitality jobs representing 9% of all U.S. employment opportunities, it simply makes sense to explore careers in these industries based on the number of available jobs, rising wages and unlimited career advancement opportunities.
While we fully acknowledge that some open travel and hospitality positions are front-line jobs, companies in these sectors also need employees in other fields to help operate their businesses.
Accountants, chief financial officers, web developers, human resources professionals, marketing and communications staffers, salespeople, information technology workers, and more, including CEOs, are employed by leisure and hospitality companies.
We at the Travel & Sports Legacy Foundation encourage you to explore classes and programs at Tarrant County College and the University of Texas Arlington to learn whether the travel and hospitality fields interest you. And please remember that we offer scholarships, job training and internship placement assistance in the travel, hospitality, and sports fields.
Please visit TravelandSportsLegacyFoundation.org for additional information.
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