Tourism – a world of opportunities in
an exciting and global industry
Tourism is Ireland’s
largest indigenous
industry employing
230,000 people
nationally, one in every
ten of the labour-force.
The industry is twice the
size of agriculture and
far bigger in
employment than the
construction industry,
the IT industry, or the
financial services sector.
It crucially cannot be
outsourced or off-
shored and its economic
benefits are felt both in
our cities but also
throughout rural Ireland.
On a global scale,
growth in tourism is most significant outside of our
normal markets of Europe and the USA, with
significant business growth in Asia and Africa. Tourist
profiles are changing and those working in tourism
now require a set of skills that reflect the global
nature of the industry.
Digital Media Managers are now as common as
traditional roles such as Food and Beverage Director,
Revenue and Reservations Managers or Destination
Travel Executives, and programmes are designed to
open up opportunities in a range of industries with
links to tourism, from Finance, IT, Media and
Marketing and Outdoor / Extreme Travel Experiences.
Why choose LYIT School of Tourism, Killybegs, Co.
Donegal?
LYIT School of Tourism, formerly the Tourism College
Killybegs, is the oldest campus outside Dublin
dedicated to education and training in Culinary Arts,
Hospitality Operations and Management, and Tourism.
Established in 1969, and looking forward to
celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2019, the campus
has produced graduates who are renowned all over
the world, ensuring that today’s graduates will be
recognised as having received the education and
training required to reach the top levels of the
industry.
Our education offering is expanded through a range of
academic partners throughout Europe, where students
can choose to study for a semester, supported
through Erasmus+. We have partners in Germany,
France, Spain, Italy, Malta, Romania and Turkey, and
we are constantly
Why study a programme in Hospitality, Tourism or
enlarging our
Culinary Arts?
network to
Career opportunities, both here in Ireland and abroad, benefit our
are almost limitless in the sector. The structure of all students.
our programmes allows students to undertake work
placements and internships at home and overseas, so On completion of
that they are best placed to enter the world of work
a programme of
on graduation. The School of Tourism continues to
study at the
develop its professional network to facilitate and
School of
support students in selecting their career paths.
Tourism, you will
be perfectly
When choosing a career in the tourism industry, you
placed to take
are setting yourself apart from the many thousands of the first step on
individuals who work in the industry on a casual
your career,
basis, either while studying for other careers or while which will
between jobs. Graduates of specialist programmes are inevitably be
destined for senior career roles, many of which are
exciting and
new to the industry. Non-traditional roles such as
fulfilling.
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Graduate Story
Girts Mihalkins graduated in 2016 with a BA in Hotel, Restaurant and
Resort Management. As a student he stood out as a consummate
professional, displaying a flair for perfection in practical settings. He
gladly took the opportunities available to compete in a range of
national and international competitions, winning gold medals and
acclaim from industry mentors. This extra-curricular activity allowed
Girts to work with the Capella group, at home, but also for his third
year internship, at their Washington DC property in the USA, managing their rooftop bar operation.
He returned to Donegal to take up the position of Assistant Conference and Banqueting Manager at Co
Donegal’s only 5* property, Solis Lough Eske Castle.
He is now ready for his next challenge and is happy to seek the assistance and support of the School of
Tourism. In September 2018, he enrolled in the BA (Hons) in Hotel Management, and on completion of
this one-year, add-on, programme he will be ready to take on a senior role in a luxury hotel anywhere in
the world.
Should you wish to visit the School of Tourism, we are happy to facilitate visits by Schools and
welcome class visits to this unique and well-respected campus.
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