The Visitor Economy includes everything that makes a great place for visitors to enjoy - from travel and tourism services to music and sports events, hospitality, retail, guided tours, adventure activities, arts, and culture.
At its heart, the Visitor Economy is about the money and jobs created by visitors, but it also helps local communities showcase what makes them special. This industry is a major driver of growth, providing plenty of jobs and adding billions of dollars to the economy.
With more people travelling both within Australia and from around the world, the Visitor Economy is a growing industry full of diverse job opportunities. Careers can be flexible and exciting, with no two days the same. People often follow their passions and create their own unique career paths.
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The visitor economy encompasses all activities, businesses, and services that contribute to and benefit from people traveling to a destination, including tourism, hospitality, arts, culture, and entertainment sectors.
(Music fades in. Video starts)
Steve Cox: There are so many opportunities in the Visitor Economy no matter what the high school student is looking to do, and often they're not quite sure. I wasn't quite sure when I left high school; in fact, I went and did an Electrical Engineering degree, and here I am as the CEO of Destination NSW.
Keisha Lesaisaea: It was ever since I was really young that I've always been drawn to the Travel and Tourism industry. It wasn't something that I thought I could pursue as a career until I got into high school and learned about the TVET courses that you can do at TAFE, and it was there where I realised that passion could be turned into a career.
Michael Minny: Some of the things I really enjoy is I get to work with people of all ages. We have Climb Leaders that have just finished high school, all the way up to me who are getting towards the end of my career, and just the energy that everyone brings to it is amazing, and we're all there to support each other.
Ian Wood: I have the ability to lead a fantastic team every day. I have the ability to make some differences to my team's experience and my guest experience. I love the fact that every day is different. It's not a nine to five sitting behind a desk job; it is out there with the team. Every day we can talk about something exciting happening somewhere within our attractions, and I think that makes my role really exciting.
Greg Briggs (Keisha’s grandfather): I have noticed a lot of changes in Keisha since she's started in the industry. She's a lot more confident, more outgoing, and she's a lot happier. She actually speaks a lot more now than she used to, that's from confidence, I think. I love it when she comes home from work; she talks about her job. She just loves it.
Kira Stokes: I used to be very shy and a very introverted individual, and this job has definitely gotten me out of my comfort zone, out of my shell, and just getting myself out there and doing new things and trying new things.
Ian Wood: The good thing about Tourism and the Visitor Economy is the broad spectrum of roles you get to have. So you might be a marketeer, for instance, your first marketing role, and you could be doing things around PR, around marketing campaigns, around driving volume, having a real impact on the business that you're working on. I think that's really exciting.
Steve Cox: It's an economic driver. Along with being an economic driver comes jobs, and there's an enormous range of jobs; it's one of the largest employers in the state. It's a very, very high employer of the female workforce, Aboriginal workforce as well. So there's a lot of opportunities for people to get skills and to get employment.
Kira Stokes: Where I see myself going in my life is hopefully tour guiding around Japan; it's kind of my dream destination. I just think it's so interesting and just different to what we have in Australia.
Keisha Lesaisaea: I have a lot of things to still learn ahead of me, but I would eventually love to be able to be a Destination Specialist, hopefully, potentially in the future, to be able to do a few things like that and promote those areas across Australia.
Greg Briggs (Keisha’s grandfather): I'd give advice to parents and grandparents to enter this industry because it's a great industry if you want to mix with people, you want to travel. As I say, I got a prime example in my granddaughter. She's gone from 1 to 10 since she started the travel industry, as far as meeting with people, talking with people, showing a lot of initiative in what she does.
Michael Minny: You always need to be looking to see what jobs are available or where you might be able to get a foot in the door. You're then able to work your way up to find whatever that passion is.
Ian Wood: At the age when you're having to make a decision about your career, you're very young, and you might not know exactly what you want to do yet. The great thing about the Visitor Economy is it allows you to try lots of different career paths. You can start in one and work out what you like or dislike about that job, and then potentially move around. And I don't know other industries that make it as easy as they do in the Visitor Economy. In my team, I know people who have started in one department and realised that their strengths, skills, and what they want to do take them into a different direction, and the Visitor Economy can offer that to your child.
Kira Stokes: The ability to meet new people, make new friends, and just get yourself out there. It's such an interesting sector to work in, and you get to work in some of the most iconic locations in the world, and you can take it globally.
Steve Cox: I dearly love this industry, and I love what it does, not only at the domestic level but also in sharing cultures globally. I think travel is a really important part of humanity; it's an important part of understanding each other at a deeper level, breaking down some of those silos that lead to division in the world. So I think it's a really, really important industry and one that we need to continue to encourage and continue to grow.
(Organisational logos displayed on screen. Music fades and video ends.)
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On Thursday, 19 March 2026, around 70 secondary students recently explored exciting careers in tourism, hospitality, arts, and events at the Visitor Economy Sydney High School Student Challenge held in Sydney’s CBD. This immersive event provided students a unique, hands-on look at one of NSW’s most dynamic industries, showcasing the diverse range of career pathways available.
Event Highlights
The Student Challenge was officially opened at the historic Sydney Observatory by NSW Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education, Steve Whan. Students heard directly from industry professionals about real jobs within the visitor economy, gaining valuable insights into the skills and opportunities involved.
Delivered by TAFE NSW in partnership with the NSW Department of Education and supported by Destination NSW, the program connects students with practical learning experiences. It highlights how school-based vocational education, apprenticeships, and traineeships can lead to rewarding careers across the visitor economy.
During the day, students took part in interactive activities at Sydney Observatory, learning about the history and operations of this iconic site. They also visited BridgeClimb Sydney, gaining firsthand understanding of the many roles needed to run major visitor attractions. An industry panel featuring representatives from BridgeClimb, Sydney Observatory, 57 Hotel (Surry Hills), and the Port Authority provided an engaging forum to explore the variety of roles, skills, and pathways across NSW’s visitor economy.
Previous events:
For further information contact careerworkplacelearning@det.nsw.edu.au
(Music is playing in the background. Launch your Career in the Visitor Economy video starts playing on screen.)
Steve Cox: The great thing about the Visitor Economy is that there's something for everybody. How quickly somebody rises is really about how they apply themselves when they take on their role. I started selling popcorn makers in David Jones as a casual, and now here I'm today, CEO of Destination NSW. So what I would say to any student who's entering the job market is apply yourself. No matter what the role is, show some initiative, show some drive, and those things get noticed. And if you apply yourself and you are willing to learn and to listen and to ask questions, you're out there seeking that information and trying things and not being afraid to make a few errors, then you'll go a long way.
Georgia Hooper: When I was at school, I knew that I definitely wanted to be in a creative field. I didn't really know exactly what it was or what that would look like, but I knew if I could have a job where every day I was applying my creativity and really challenging myself, including engaging with people, I knew that I would be happy doing something that involved all those things.
Nathan Turner: As a Guest Experience Officer, my role is all about education of the people who come to our zoo. I am fortunate to work in the operations, education programs, community programs, and in a lot of different roles in our zoo.
Patrick Noble: I really enjoy my job and it's just an amazing opportunity to sort of interact with both our guests and our animals and being able to share my experiences with our guests and the people coming through our doors is one of the best and one of the most memorable experiences for me.
Georgia Hooper: I definitely noticed that I've been able to apply my skills into my everyday life as well. Working in tourism, I think particularly not just in a marketing job. Collaboration and communication are really important when you're working with so many different team members.
Patrick Noble: Working here at SEA LIFE, I've had so many opportunities to gain so many different skills from guest engagement and doing talks and presentations to diving within our exhibits, to water chemistry, to hospitality skills. There's so many skills and so many opportunities.
Steve Cox: For students, it's also an industry that's a growth industry. Global visitation trends are very strong. In fact, they're increasing. Growth into the Visitor Economy in Australia is increasing. So as far as picking an industry where there is great potential and more job opportunities and different career paths for a student to follow, you couldn't go better than the Visitor Economy.
Nathan Turner: I'd like to progress into a lot of different roles. I think for my long-term plans, I'd like to be involved in the senior management and executive side of the zoo. I feel very fortunate to work on the ground, involved in a lot of different areas, but I want to be involved in the future of the zoo.
Kira Stokes: I love my job because I'm not stuck behind a desk. I get to be active, walk around, be in the sunshine, be in the elements as well. It's exhilarating, it's fun. Where I see myself going is hopefully tour guiding around Japan. It's kind of my dream destination. I just think it's so interesting and just different to what we have in Australia.
Ian Wood: At the age when you're having to make a decision about your career, you're very young and you might not know exactly what you want to do yet. The great thing about the Visitor Economy, it allows you to try lots of different career paths. You can start in one and you can work out what you like or dislike about that job and then potentially move around. And I don't know other industries that make it as easy as they do in the Visitor Economy. And in my team, I know the people who have started in one department and realized that actually their strengths, their skills, and what they want to do takes them into a different direction.
Nathan Turner: To speak to people in the industry, if you are not certain yourself, you can learn as much as you can by just asking people, seeing what they enjoy about their roles, or find out what the different roles are about there and find the way that you can best get involved in where your passions lie.
Steve Cox: Many people can learn on the job, many people can learn from experience. TAFE offers some great opportunities as well. The university sector, high school. So it's an industry where you can do lots of roles with different levels.
But I think for anyone, no matter what they do at a formal education, the trick to doing well within this industry and frankly any industry is to have a learning mindset. To always be thinking about what I need to learn, “How am I gonna improve myself?” “How will I do better tomorrow?”
Patrick Noble: I would recommend this career to students or anybody because it's just so much fun from being able to dive with sharks, breed jellyfish, interact with our guests, go off site and sort of do beach cleanups and spruik to the local community and drive that engagement outside of our attractions as well. It's just an amazing place to be.
Kira Stokes: When I was in Year 10 deciding my subjects, I was looking through the list of subjects and the TVET courses really caught my eye, especially the Travel and Tourism, the Cert III. And so I went and asked my careers adviser about it, and she signed me up. The ability to meet new people, make new friends, and just get yourself out there. It's such an interesting sector to work in, and you get to work in some of the most iconic locations in the world.
(Music fades out. Video ends)
End of transcript
Visitor Economy Microskill
A short interactive online course to introduce the Visitor Economy. Students will learn about the breadth and diversity of the Visitor Economy through real videos from those who work in it, explore career paths and opportunities across NSW and find out how to get started.
Visitor Economy Build - TAFE NSW
Visitor Economy Design Sprints
Design sprints - workshops and keynote speeches from industry experts, students will gain valuable skills and knowledge in design thinking, Visitor Economy, and sustainability.
Further information can be found on the Launch your Career events page.
THRIVE 2030 is Austrade's long-term strategy for the visitor economy. Industry-led and government-enabled, THRIVE 2030 charts a course for tourism and the wider visitor economy to recover and return to long-term, sustainable growth
For more information on the THRIVE 2030 Strategy, visit www.austrade.gov.au/visitoreconomy
Discover the vibrant world of hospitality and explore the many roles available, including bar and wait staff, chefs, marketing, accommodation, and business positions. In this session, students will hear from passionate hospitality professionals who share their journeys and show how every day brings new experiences and opportunities.
Hospitality offers flexibility, career growth, and the chance to work locally or globally. If you enjoy working with people, being part of a team, and creating memorable experiences for others, this could be the perfect industry for you.
Sian Flanagan: I chose to work in hospitality because it really just gave me a lot of freedom. Not only was it a job where I was making money, but it was also really social and really fun and I enjoyed doing it.
When I was in high school and I was interested in working my mum actually encouraged me to get into hospitality. I started work experience when I was 14, I’ve done waitressing, you know, bar back and then also now gone into bartending.
It’s something that is really flexible. You can use it to work around school hours, extracurricular stuff that you have to do. And it also gives you a whole range of skills that you can use in your career.
Isaac Nix: From a young age I always had a passion for food and cooking, and I, I thought of it as more of a hobby, but as I kind of had the opportunity to work in hospitality venues and do cooking courses at school, I found it was more of a passion. So I decided after I finished year 12, I started an apprenticeship as a chef.
Joshua Grech: Hospitality was always one of my favourite subjects. It was my highest earning in high school earning me second in my entire class. I’ve been in the hospitality industry for about five years now, from my first job as a janitor, all the way to my current job as a bartender, training to be a manager at the Peakhurst.
Alice Bui: I was not really sure what I wanted to be when I was in high school. So, I got a lot of advice from my parents, my seniors, and my success coach at school as well. So, by that time I found out that my passion is about the people, so that’s why I joined the hospitality industry.
Vicki Lawrence: Having been in the industry now for 11 years, what I love the most is the exposure to people. I love meeting new people every day. I love creating memories for people and being part of that journey that they are going to remember forever.
Sian Flanagan: One of the cool things about my job is I get to interact with celebrities, serve celebrities, which is something that you usually have to pay to meet them, um, which is really cool.
Alice Bui: I leave my shift with a smile on my face because I am able to deliver my best performance to create their memorable event, such as a wedding or birthday.
Vicki Lawrence: The best thing about working in hospitality is just the flexibility and the opportunities that you get to experience. Being able to travel, being able to meet a whole bunch of new people and getting perks like discounted food and beverage and accommodation is awesome.
Isaac Nix: As I coming to the final year of my apprenticeship, I’m definitely interested in moving abroad and working in different countries to really develop and hone my skills as a chef. Further down the line I’d definitely be interested in opening my own restaurant and really showing the world what I have to offer.
Joshua Grech: After about 8 months or so of committing myself to the Peakhurst, covering every vacancy that I can, and, you know, showing that I have something to contribute, my superiors were able to provide me with the opportunity to do qualification courses in order to advance my career. I was able to undertake further studies, including a cert 4 in hospitality, and now currently I’m doing a diploma in leadership and management.
Alice Bui: I studied my master study degree in international hotel management in at the Blue Mountains international hotel management school. I chose that school because it has a great reputation in the country.
Vicki Lawrence: I got into hospitality through TAFE NSW doing my advanced diploma of tourism, and so, I got offered a job as soon as I finished that through the intercontinental hotels group. So having TAFE NSW offer us the opportunity to work with those employers was really beneficial for me to be able to get my foot in the door.
So students who are interested in working in hospitality, my advice would be to try and just apply, go and get a RSA certificate or RCG certificate, do a barista course, a lot of those initial training courses really help to get your foot in the door as well.
Isaac Nix: So if you’re the type of person who is creative, loves coming up with new dishes and new ideas, likes a, you know, faced paced environment or slow-paced environment, there’s a lot of opportunities in the hospitality world.
I’d also really recommend considering a school-based apprenticeship. It’s a fantastic way to quickly enter the hospitality world while not being fully immersed in it. You get the opportunity to be a chef, learn the skills, but you still can step back if you need to.
Sian Flanagan: So I would encourage anyone studying at the moment, wondering what they want to go into to consider the employability skills that you need, because hospitality can provide those skills. Working in hospitality has given me definitely confidence, people skills, skills that I can use throughout my whole life.
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This webinar explored the diverse careers available across restaurants, cafes, bars, hotels, pubs and clubs. Hear real stories from people who began hospitality work as teens, balancing school, work, and training, and who now find their jobs rewarding, flexible, and full of opportunities to meet people and build skills for life.
Young hospitality professionals, teachers and alumni shared their experiences, career journeys and advice, covering:
Coming soon
Discover the vibrant world of hospitality and explore the many roles available, including bar and wait staff, chefs, marketing, accommodation, and business positions. In this session, students will hear from passionate hospitality professionals who share their journeys and show how every day brings new experiences and opportunities.
Learn how hospitality is a career full of creativity, teamwork, and connection. Find out how gaining hands-on experience through work placements or apprenticeships can help you decide if this fast-paced and people-focused industry is right for you. Hear about study options at TAFE NSW and how many hospitality skills such as communication, organisation, and problem-solving are valuable no matter where your career takes you.
Hospitality offers flexibility, career growth, and the chance to work locally or globally. If you enjoy working with people, being part of a team, and creating memorable experiences for others, this could be the perfect industry for you.
Bec Watson: Hospitality, it's not like bread. Never gets stale. It's more like aged wine. It will always get better. Every day is a new day. Every day you meet someone new, and they're going to really inspire you to keep creating an experience for the customers, which is what hospitality is all about.
[music plays over images of a beach, and a city and hospitality workers]
Gigi Awadalla: There are many reasons why it's important for students to investigate their career options now. By engaging in career exploration, students make informed decisions, not only about their career but also about subject choices. One of the best ways to get a feel of the industry and a head start is to seek work-experience opportunities. This will provide an insight into the industry. Students will be able to ask questions from those who work in the industry and gain valuable advice while building their network and contacts.
Bec Watson: So when I was at school, especially when I was picking subjects, I did think about my interests, and I did find an interest in business and commerce. I was fortunate enough to reach out to a mentor of mine, and he said, "Look, you can bring it together." Although I started thinking I was going to do PR and advertising, I'm now working as a front-of-house manager at Forrester's in Surry Hills.
Daniel Azzopardi: This industry is about opportunity and if you have the determination and drive, you can get those opportunities very quickly. I definitely got a lot of advice from career advisors and teachers when making those choices because I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. It was more about keeping my options open.
I definitely made sure that I was growing connections and, and having more of an understanding of the industry. So I had a really good progression path, in that I was supported, and when I moved to Sydney, specifically working within one of the largest groups in hospitality in Maryvale, it meant that I was given those opportunities tenfold.
Vicki Lawrence: I got into the industry through TAFE New South Wales when I was studying. The company, InterContinental Hotels Group, or IHJ, came to the campus and offered an outbacker program. I just fell in love with this rewarding experience of being able to make somebody's holiday.
Harley Norman: I am a bit of an artist. I love to draw, and I love to implement my art into my food. I progressed from just washing dishes to food preparations, and then eventually I got offered an apprenticeship, and that's when I really took off into the industry. My TAFE New South Wales mentor, Bernadette, she has been an absolute inspiration for me to become a teacher in the future and then teach the next generation of chefs.
Lucy Marrinan: I love hospitality because I love people. I am a huge people person, and hospitality is something where you're serving guests, you're serving your customers. But you're also working in a team. And you just get to have such a good time and everybody teaches you something all the time. You're always learning, and it's always evolving. Like, No day is ever the same. It's always different.
Monica Tyburczy: Every day it doesn't feel like work. I'm happy to go into work every day, and I never dread going into work the night before. You always have fun, and you make friends, and it feels like a big family. So, you're going into an environment where you're always learning, and people are there to support you.
[music plays over video clips of a restaurant]
Gigi Awadalla: Students who progress in the hospitality industry reap the long-term benefits. The global stage is their playground. They are likely to have opportunities to work anywhere in the world.
Billy Fox: This industry's been very kind to me. I've been able to travel through my work, and I was the captain of the Australian Culinary Youth Team. So, we were the competitive international representatives for the country, and we'd fly in and out of a whole bunch of different countries, representing Australia and showing what we have as chefs.
Australian chefs are really highly regarded all around the world. Australian produce is some of the best in the world. So, young chefs have the opportunity to work with some of the best cuts of meat and seafood that the world has to offer. When you get an Australian chef walk into a kitchen in Switzerland or in London, they've got plenty of seafood experience and meat experience.
Samuel Smith: Being in this industry, the world is your oyster. When I was living and working in France, I always sort of jump on a train, and in a couple of hours, I was in, in Spain and then, um, you know, being able to travel from Paris, you know, fly over to the UK just for the weekend. Yeah, It's just mind-blowing to me, and I still sort of have to pinch myself in regards to the opportunities that I've had and where this career has taken me.
[Music plays over video of a bar]
Gigi Awadalla: Important attributes to possess when considering the hospitality industry is to have an open mind and a willingness to learn. Be prepared to be creative, practical, and like using your hands to create.
Daniel Azzopardi: The transferable skills I learned in the hospitality industry include money management, building relationships and problem-solving, and, and also the customer-service skills. With those skills, you get a job anywhere in hospitality.
Lucy Marrinan: You need to love working with people and you need to want to be a team player. Emotional intelligence is something that's really, really important as well. Having great initiative, knowing when something needs to get done, and doing it without needing to be told.
Harley Norman: Organization is just key. And, uh, to have everything organized around me, it makes life so much more simple, so much more easy. It makes you feel better to be very organized and to be able to do multiple jobs.
Vicki Lawrence Let your fun side come out, let your energy shine. If you're a helper or a people person, you like learning about different things, different cultures, and different people, ask questions, and be open to what you want to learn as a person as well.
Monica Tyburczy: I would say, speak to people with experience as well. Try to get their view and try to learn from them as well. Even going into your, um, local cafe, you can always start a conversation with the manager and ask questions and say you're interested about the industry and their own experiences, and then just learn from that.
Billy Fox: If you have the right attitude, then in my belief, you're halfway there. Put yourself in a position where you learn from the best possible people and just become a sponge throughout your career. You will have the opportunity to go out and work with industry leaders to learn and sort of grow in your career.
Gigi Awadalla: Speak to your careers advisor, who is able to clarify your understanding, provide you with industry links, and support you with work-experience opportunities. So, from here your job is to speak to your careers advisor.
Bec Watson: There's a reason why we all go to restaurants and have fun. It's because we want to have that experience, and you will be part of that. If you love putting a smile on someone's face, then this is the industry for you.
End of transcript
