Canada is one of the most popular tourist countries. According to the World Tourism Organization for 2003, the Maple Leaf Country ranks twelfth in income received from foreign tourists. According to reports from the Canadian Tourism Commission, the twelfth position in this list cannot satisfy a country with such high potential for tourism development, so industry leaders intend to make more efforts to attract foreign tourists to the country. One such measure is the training of qualified personnel for the hospitality industry.
Hospitality management programs in Canada are taught both in colleges and universities. As Canadians themselves say, colleges teach how to do, and universities teach how to think. Among the dozen colleges where this degree can be obtained, Niagara College could be noted. This is due not only to its programs, but also to its unique location.
The Niagara region, known primarily for its waterfall, which is classified as one of the natural wonders of the world, separates Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. It is mainly an agricultural region distinguished by its ecological cleanliness. The main population of the area is concentrated in three small cities: Welland (46 thousand population), Niagara Falls (79 thousand population) and St. Catharines (127 thousand population). With a relatively low population density, this area is a favorite place for tourist pilgrimage. Up to 14 million tourists come here a year.
College campuses are located in Welland and St. Catharines, separated by a distance of 25 km. From the variety of courses taught at the college, one can highlight a number of programs specific to this region, and at the same time capable of providing decent employment opportunities in other countries. These include winemaking (Winery and Viticulture Technician) and areas related to hotel and tourism activities.
Perhaps it is hard to imagine, but twenty years ago, experiments on growing grapes were successfully carried out in the Niagara area, and since then viticulture and winemaking have become the main directions of the region, displacing traditional gardening. Due to its unique natural conditions, this area is one of the few in the world where the so-called “ice wine” (ice vine) is produced. To achieve the best result, the grapes must be exposed to the first frost, and only after that the bunches are removed and sent for processing to the winery. Thanks to the availability of their own vineyards and workshops for the production and bottling of wine, students of this specialty can participate in the entire technological process in practice.
Those students who comprehend the subtleties of hotel management and tourism are also now in the thick of things. The fact is that, despite the abundance of tourists in this corner of Canada, tourism here was seasonal, and in winter local hotels and restaurants could not work at full capacity. Tourists preferred to make trips from Toronto and use the developed infrastructure of the metropolis. But a few years ago, the gambling business came here, casinos and five-star hotels began to be built. This pulled along the entire infrastructure of the entertainment and service industry – restaurants, beauty salons, health centers, etc. The consequence was the need for a large number of specialists with the necessary qualifications. Only to service one casino requires at least 8 thousand personnel. Therefore, the college is now training not only traditional personnel for hotels and tourism, but also croupiers and sommeliers, as well as cooks and pastry chefs through its Culinary Institute.
The share of graduates of the Niagara College School of Hotel Management and Tourism employed in the local hospitality and entertainment industry reaches 95% of the total number of workers. However, there is a demand for specialists in tourism and hotel management who have graduated from Niagara College outside the region as well. Employers representing large hotel chains and cruise companies come to the traditional job fairs held by the college twice a year.
As for universities, a bachelor’s degree in hospitality can be obtained at the University of New Brunswick, Mount Saint Vincent University, Ryerson University, and Guelph University.
The University of New Brunswick’s two campuses, located in the cities of Fredericton and Saint John, have 10 thousand students. The university is one of the oldest English-speaking higher education institutions in Canada and the first public university in North America. A bachelor’s degree in hotel management and tourism can be obtained here at the Department of Applied Management, which is part of the Faculty of Business. This is a so-called “co-operative” program (co-op), which involves mandatory completion of an internship.
Mount Saint Vincent University is located in Halifax, the capital of the province of Nova Scotia. It is a small university with approximately 4,400 students. Hospitality is studied here at the Faculty of Professional Education. In parallel with the study of this discipline, students can also study business administration and, upon graduation, receive a professional diploma in addition to a bachelor’s degree.
Ryerson University is located in the multi-million cosmopolitan Toronto. The student population of the university is 14 thousand people. For the sixth year in a row, in the ranking of the magazine “Maclean’s”, Ryerson takes first place in the category “Leaders of Tomorrow” among universities that mostly teach bachelor’s programs. A Bachelor of Commerce in hotel management and tourism can be obtained here in four years of study, including an internship.
At the University of Guelph, hotel management is studied not only at the undergraduate level, but also in the MBA program. The intricacies of hotel management are taught here at the School of Hotel Management and Tourism, opened in 1969. In the MBA program, students study the economics and specifics of the hotel and tourism business, revenue management, marketing, quality management of services, safety and risks, and strategic management of hotel operations. Admission to the MBA in hotel management and tourism at the University of Guelph requires at least three years of professional work experience.