Crisis to Opportunity: Building Back the Tourism Workforce

In every crisis, emerges opportunity. U.S. Travel hosted a timely discussion around the challenges facing the hospitality workforce today—a result of unforeseen employee shortages in a time of returning demand. As the industry navigates this issue, many travel businesses are uncovering opportunities to foster a new generation of travel and tourism professionals, finding ways to diversify and cultivate new resources that will build back stronger, more productive and more innovative teams. Actionable takeaways from hiring professionals and travel organizations are provided as they expose the current challenges and how they have redirected their hiring strategies as a result. 

Featured Speakers:

• Tori Emerson Barnes, executive vice president of public affairs and policy, U.S. Travel Association
• Cleo Battle, chief operating officer, Louisville Tourism
• Mark Gnatovic, executive vice president, SearchWide Global
• Lynn Minges, president and CEO, NC Restaurant & Lodging Association

Additionally, our members shared some valuable resources on how they’ve addressed the shift in their hiring strategies.

• Visit California’s Resilient Workforce
• AHLA Career Center
• New Orleans & Company Job Portal, Job Fair Flyer and Video Spotlights
• U.S. Travel Association's "Made in America: Travel's Contribution to Workforce Development and Career Advancement"
• Louisville Tourism's Hospitality Works

Find the downloadable presentation and recording on the right hand side under "Downloads".