Internship in Hospitality

An international hospitality Internship will give you a global exposure and immediately set you apart from other hospitality majors who have not done any.

Further, it will boost your communication and interpersonal skills, make you more flexible and better at teamwork, and help you develop a friendly and positive attitude - all of which attributes are necessary for a successful career in the hospitality sector.

A successful career in the hospitality and tourism industry also requires you to be multi-culturally aware and sensitive, as in most cases you will be dealing with clients from different cultural backgrounds.

So, apart from gaining vital work experience and professional contacts, a hospitality and tourism internship in Asia will give you the chance to experience and immerse yourself in the culture of your host country while enjoying her cuisines, sights and attractions.

You will also have the opportunity to interact with the locals, your work colleagues, clients, as well as other people from diverse cultures; and learn a new language (such as Mandarin), all of which can give you a competitive advantage in the industry job market.

Depending on their internship requirements and the available internship positions in our partner companies, prospective interns may work in any of the following (or other) disciplines during their hospitality & tourism internship with AIP:

• Lodging & Accommodation: The hospitality industry’s lodging and accommodation sector is one of the most popular and has several aspects to it, including housekeeping, guest services, sales management and human resource management.

• Food & Beverage Management: This discipline primarily involves ordering, storing and managing food and beverage products in a hospitality establishment. Professionals in this sector can work as restaurant managers, bar managers, kitchen managers, catering supervisors, lead chefs, etc.

• Travel and tourism: Regarded as the most widespread sector of the hospitality and tourism industry, the travel and tourism sector has to do with attracting, transporting, entertaining and accommodating tourists. Travel & tourism professionals also organize and operate tours.

• Event Management: Event management is a fast-growing field in hospitality. The roles available in this sector include event management, venue management, production management, as well as house management; and event managers typically plan and manage fundraisers, weddings, conferences, concerts, theatre productions, and so on.

Due to the immense growth the hospitality and tourism industry has witnessed in recent years, with tourism numbers soaring higher and new hospitality establishments (such as hotels) opening their doors all over the world, jobs in this sector have become more diverse, and employment opportunities are on the increase.

In fact, according to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the tourism industry is the world’s largest employer responsible for one out of every eleven jobs worldwide. Also, by 2025, 10.5% of all jobs worldwide will be in the hospitality and tourism industry.

In Malaysia for example, the demand for hospitality and travel professionals went up by 7% year-on-year in July 2018, and 21% over a period of 3 months. Also, professionals in this industry constituted the greatest share (35%) of part-time or temporary jobs among other occupations in Malaysia, according to the latest Monster Employment Index.

One advantage professionals working in this industry have over professionals in many other industries is that increased automation does not pose a risk to their future careers.

This is because customer experience and satisfaction, which is basically what the industry revolves around, is entirely dependent on the human factor. While automation may lead to more efficient service, it can neither provide that “human touch” nor create the experience consumers seek in this sector.

Therefore, hospitality professionals will continue to be in demand.

But, while the industry has nice job prospects, competition may become greater for positions in the coming years. That is why prospective entrants into this diverse field should try their best to stand out from their peers by doing an international internship with AIP.