Industry Research

Surveys Prove Certification Linked to Sales

Total Tourism Sector Employment in Canada

National Tourism Sector Compensation Study

Human Resource Module of the Tourism Satellite Account


Surveys Prove that Certification results in
increased Salary and Sales

Salaries in the travel industry are rising, and education and professional certification positively impact take-home pay and selling power. These were among the key findings of industry-wide surveys conducted by both the Canadian Institute of Travel Counsellors in Canada and The Travel Institute in the United States.

Both surveys established that CTCs earned more than non-CTCs and generated more sales. The survey also demonstrated that the travel industry continues to rebound.

 

Total Tourism Sector Employment in Canada 

This report was prepared by the Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council (CTHRC) and funded by the Government of Canada - Sector Council Program.

CITC is a member of the Board of Directors for the CTHRC.  It is the fifth in a series of studies describing the tourism labour force, its size, characteristics, anticipated growth and a perspective on the potential supply of workers to meet demand. In this link you will find information specific to Travel Services as one of the 5 industries of tourism. 

Key changes from the previous statistics:

  • The number of workers in travel services has increased by 6700 workers
  • The occupation remains dominated by women (26% more than the employed labour force in Canada)

  • The average age has decreased from over 49% of the workers being over 45 years old to being only 31% of workers over 45 years old.
  • Only 56% work full-time, year round which is significantly down from the previous 81%
  • 80% of the workers have either some post secondary education or a university degree up  from 66% in the previous survey.

    For complete survey details please review the linked Travel Services summary.

    This survey will be updated using the 2006 Canadian census Data in early 2009.

     

    • National Tourism Sector Compensation Study

    The need to recruit and retain staff at travel agencies remains critical in some areas of Canada. In order to hire the best, agencies need to be able to compare their HR policies and compensation packages to see if they are remaining competitive in the workplace.  In order to compare, travel agencies need data. To assist the travel industry in obtaining this comparison data, CITC is partnering with the Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council (CTHRC) and the Government of Canada to produce a National Tourism Sector Compensation Study.

    The survey asks questions on the following: 

  • overtime pay
  • bonus and incentive programs
  • benefit programs and work arrangements
  • perks
  • work arrangements - ie job share / work from home options
  • HR practices to see what companies typically have in their  basket in terms of leadership, quality of work, an enabling environment, tangible rewards, work life balance, & future growth
  • turnover, absenteeism, job satisfaction

    In the June 2008 report "The Future of Canada's Tourism Industry - Long on Prospects...Short on People" the Canadian Tourism Research Institute found the following:

    a)  Potential Labour Demand in travel services will increase by about 3000 workers from 2010 - to 2015

    b)  The exodus of the baby boomers from the labour force is creating an increasing void of unfilled positions

    c)  Raising wages alone is not enough incentive to have people start travel service occupations – therefore employers need to be aware of other attraction and retention measures that might impact on people wanting to work in this field

    d)  traditional hiring and interviewing practices have been abandoned - often agencies are recruiting through referrals from existing staff even providing bonuses or incentives if that "friend" stays.

    How do you get prepared to recruit & retain workers for your agency in the future?

    Participate in the National Tourism Sector Compensation Study

    When you provide CITC with information on your current compensation practices, a national and provincial database can be created.  What this means to you is that, as a survey participant you will gain access to this wealth of information to see where your company's compensation practices fit.  This valuable took will help travel industry employers better understand the labour market, and make decisions to give them a competitive edge when it comes to hiring skilled workers.

    Complete the study at http://www.haygroup.com/surveys/tourism_survey

     

    • Human Resource Module of the Tourism Satellite Account

    This paper reports on the update to 2006 of the Human Resource Module (HRM) of the Tourism Satellite Account developed by Statistics Canada. The Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council (CTHRC)  (on which CITC participates as a Board Member) and Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC) helped Statistics Canada fund the study. The HRM provides detailed information on employment related to tourism. Information on wages and salaries, number of jobs and hours worked by occupation are included. 

    For a synopsis of the report, please click here

    For the Full CTHRC Report, please click here


         		   


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