Jennifer Lazarz Tourism and Marketing Manager, City of Gallup [email protected] 505-863-1227
World Tourism Day, September 27, 2019 Notes on Tourism Employment
The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has observed World Tourism Day since 1980. The purpose of World Tourism Day is to foster awareness among the global community of tourism’s social, cultural, political and economic value and the contribution the sector can make in reaching the Sustainable Development Goals. In 2019, in line with UNWTO’s overarching focus on skills, education and jobs throughout the year, World Tourism Day will be a celebration on the topic ‘Tourism and Jobs: a better future for all’.
Because this year’s focus is “Tourism and Jobs” it is appropriate to provide data regarding the tourism employment sector in our community, and then expand that to where we fit in the global scope.
According to the New Mexico Tourism Department (data presented September 2019), the economic impact of Northwest New Mexico is as follows:
• Visitor Spending in 2017: $611 Million (Up 13.7 % since 2011) • 6,188 Jobs- Direct Tourism Employment, 11.4% of all jobs (direct & indirect)
In the City of Gallup monthly Gross Receipts Tax reports, the two largest categories for GRT in the City are Retail Trade followed by Accommodation and Food Service. In addition, Lodgers Tax collected by the City has annually increased an average of 5.45% from FY14 to FY19.
The Bureau of Labor and Statistics reports an average growth of 4.89% in employment in the Leisure and Hospitality sector in New Mexico from March through August of 2019. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, New Mexico Economy at a Glance, September 27, 2019, https://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.nm.htm). Overall, New Mexico has experienced 2.3% growth within the Leisure and Hospitality sector between 2013 and 2017 in comparison to the national growth of 3.2%. In 2016, tourism and hospitality related occupations accounted for five out of the top ten most common occupations in New Mexico. In addition, the accommodation and food services industry is expected to grow 15.3% between 2014 and 2024 ( “New Mexico 2019 State of the Workforce” from the Department of Workforce Solutions, report published June 2018, https://www.dws.state.nm.us/Portals/0/DM/LMI/NM_2018_SOTW_Report.pdf).
The Education to Employment NM Pathways Project provided the following data about the Tourism Employment Sector in McKinley County (Page 67 of the report). • 2,214 individuals were employed Accommodation and Food Services Sector at the time the data was pulled • These careers include (in order of share in the employment sector from largest to smallest): Food Prep & Serving Workers, Waiters & Waitresses, First Line Supervisors of Food Prep, Restaurant Cooks, Maids/Housekeeping, Fast Food Cooks, Food Preparation Workers, Cashiers, Hotel & Motel Desk Clerks, and Food Service Managers. This report does not include hotel management staff within the list as these are the top ten.
Tourism has made and will continue to make a significant impact on the economy and workforce of our area, but we aren’t alone. “Internationally tourism generates 10% of the world jobs… Tourism is a major source of employment because of its labor-intensive nature and the significant multiplier effect on employment in related sectors. It is estimated that one job in the core tourism sector creates about one-and-a-half additional or indirect jobs in the tourism-related economy. Overall tourism accounts for one in ten jobs worldwide. The ILO [International Labour Organisation] estimates that ‘accommodation and restaurants’, together with ‘private sector services’, will create jobs at the fastest rate among all sectors in the economy over the next five years.
Tourism has proven to be a resilient economic activity. In each of the seven years following the global economic crisis of 2010, the number of worldwide international tourist arrivals grew at 4% or above.” The UNWTO organization goes on to outline that a major challenge to tourism employment is similar to one faced in all sectors of business in our community: “Despite representing 10% of the world’s jobs, tourism’s role in employment generation and entrepreneurship is often underestimated and undervalued in policy formulation and implementation.
A mismatch between available qualifications and workplace reality is one of the major factors impacting tourism employment and talent development. The gap between education and skills/knowledge needs, and the resulting shortages of labour with ‘future-proof’ skills, continues to dent economies and harm job creation prospects. Moreover, tourism suffers from important challenges related to attracting and retaining talent and the improvement of working conditions. (“About World Tourism Day,” United Nations World Tourism Organization, 27 September 2019, http://wtd.unwto.org/content/wtd-2019-about-world- tourism-day”)
There are indeed programs that exist in our community to work toward addressing this labor qualifications mismatch in the tourism sector. The program with the most potential for impact is the Visitor A2D program. This program is built specifically for Gallup/McKinley County. It combines online learning with a live class, teaching individuals their role and importance in customer service and gives our workforce tools to positively influence their workplaces and the experience of both our residents and guests to the community. The target of this program is customer service related soft skill and is run by the Gallup McKinley County Chamber of Commerce. The only difficulty this program has run into is the lack of willingness of employers in our area to commit their employees to the training. To further discussion about this program contact Bill Lee at Gallup McKinley County Chamber of Commerce.
There has been serious momentum toward redefining what workforce development programs across other sectors look like in our community. The GGEDC’s latest workforce development efforts are a testament to both the need and the importance of these kinds of programs, and will set a bar for what these kinds of programs will continue to look like and how they will integrate in our employment sector in the future.
Jennifer is currently working toward her Certified Travel Industry Specialist certification- the tourism industry’s first university- sponsored certification program. This certification is recognized across US tourism sectors and includes training in customer service, business promotion, business writing and grammar, sales skills and effective advertising. Upon completion of this program, Jennifer will be joining only two other individuals with this certification in New Mexico: Andrea Lawrence (Brand Development and Marketing Specialist for the New Mexico Tourism Department) and Rochelle Hernandez-Miller (Interim Director of Visit Las Cruces, Director of Sales), allowing her to brings those unique professional skills into the workplace.
Overall the Gallup/McKinley County community is positioned for growth in the Tourism sector due to our unique cultural assets, rich heritage, and gorgeous outdoor recreation system. The City of Gallup Tourism Department is working closely with other local and state agencies toward researching and fulfilling the City Council’s tourism strategies. It is also working strategically with the National Tours Association, American Bus Association and Grand Circle Association to continue to develop and employ meaningful and attainable objectives toward growing our tourism economy.
For additional information about initiatives and ongoing programs of the City of Gallup Tourism and Marketing Department please contact Jennifer Lazarz, [email protected], 505-863-1227. You are also encouraged to visit us on all social media platforms @galluprealtrue and at our dynamic tourism site www.galluprealtrue.com