Students explore the future of travel and tourism

Students looking to develop future careers in travel and tourism have heard from industry experts about the range and diversity of opportunities available in the sector.

The Institute of Travel and Tourism (ITT) Future You Roadshow, hosted by Northumbria University, was held recently in Newcastle with invited guest speakers and an audience of tourism students from Northumbria and Teesside universities, and Newcastle and Gateshead colleges. Industry leaders from some of the region’s most successful travel and tourism organisations, including Newcastle International Airport, TR10 Travel, and hotel chain the Cairn Group were able to share their knowledge and experience.

The ITT Future You roadshows bring together some of the biggest names in the travel and tourism industry to ITT Centres of Excellence across the UK, including Northumbria University.

Dr Kate Harland, Graduate Tutor at Northumbria and ITT Education and Training Committee member, said: “It was fantastic to be back hosting an in-person ITT Future You, the first since 2019. This event is integral to connecting students with the tourism and hospitality industry, offering an inclusive environment for students to network with industry professionals. The line-up of speakers this year demonstrated the commitment and passion within the industry, offering inspiration and guidance for the next generation of tourism and hospitality.”

James Ratliff, Client Services Director at TR10, added: “Having supported ITT Future You digitally for the past few years it was a real pleasure to meet and hear from the students that benefit from the programme. This generation are perfectly suited to leverage their aptitude for technology to help travel businesses improve customer service and increase bookings. I’m grateful for the opportunity to give insight into one of the more unconventional career paths available to those with a desire to work in travel and tourism. It was very interesting to hear from a range of industry experts about their career journeys to date and the advice they had for students.”

Echoing these comments, Richard Adams, HR Director at Cairn Group, said: “It was fantastic to get to meet some of the sector’s up and coming stars. Hospitality careers thrive on offering experiences and celebrate personality, and you can’t beat meeting face to face to discuss what’s on offer for everyone involved. We’re excited about the future and looking forward to continuing to work in partnership with the university and their students.”

Chris Ion, Aviation Development Manager at Newcastle International Airport, said: ‘’Newcastle International Airport was delighted to attend the ITT Future You conference. The aviation industry offers excellent career prospects with a range of exciting roles available across our Airport and the wider industry. We were delighted to engage with students and hope we were able to inspire the future generation of industry talent.’’

As an accredited ITT Centre of Excellence, Northumbria University is keen to attract other industry speakers to future events, including the next Future You Roadshow in March 2023. For more information please contact Dr Kate Harland.