根據美國旅行協會的《美國製造：旅行對勞動力發展的貢獻》，旅行行業的工作導致更高的工資和財務上的永久立足點，超過了製造業和醫療保健領域的薪酬。
美國旅行社在第36屆年度全國旅行和旅遊週的背景下發布了這項研究。 該報告是《美國旅行》“美國製造”系列中的第二篇，著重強調了旅行對美國經濟的重要性，該報告發現旅行業的工作為數百萬美國人提供了繁榮之路。
在主要發現中：
• Travel is the No. 1 industry for first jobs. Nearly four in 10 workers got their start in travel and tourism. Moreover, they are good first jobs that give workers skills, confidence and experience that are essential to successful careers in a broad spectrum of occupations.
• Individuals who began their career in travel have gone on to earn a peak average salary of $82,400 by the time they were 50 years old—higher than those who started in manufacturing, health care and other industries.
• Nearly a third of Americans (31%) re-entering the workforce do so through a job in the travel industry—compared to just 12% in manufacturing and 8% in health care. Travel jobs have the flexibility, availability, diversity and focus on practical skills to launch a rewarding career.
該報告還包括對從事旅遊業並因此實現了美國夢的個人的案例研究。
“與許多美國人一樣，我的第一份工作是旅遊業，是酒店泳池的救生員，它為我奠定了技能和機會的基礎，從而帶來了長期而豐厚的職業，”美國旅行協會總裁兼首席執行官羅傑說陶氏“旅行業的工作是所有美國人都能唯一獲得的，並為他們提供了堅實，終生的途徑。 簡而言之，旅行是通向美國夢的大門。”
報告中的其他一些重要內容：
• Travel industry jobs provide flexibility for pursuit of higher education and training. Of the 6.1 million Americans working part-time while pursuing higher education in 2018, more than half were employed in travel-related industries. Nearly one in five (18%) travel industry employees currently attend school, compared to the 8% of workers attending school in other sectors of the economy.
• The travel industry is diverse and accessible compared to other industries. Nearly half (46%) of travel industry employees have a high school degree or less, compared to 30% of employees of the rest of the economy. Travel also has a greater share of Hispanics, African Americans and multi-ethnic individuals than the rest of the economy.
• Experience in travel fosters entrepreneurs. Seventeen percent of Americans whose first job was in travel now own their own business, and 19% consider themselves entrepreneurs—again, a higher figure than manufacturing and health care. Of women who started their career in the travel industry, 14% now consider themselves entrepreneurs, compared to only 10% of those who started out in health care.
• The travel industry fills the skills gap. Through training, education, certification programs and firsthand experience, the industry is providing resources and opportunities for high school and college students, minorities, females and individuals with barriers to employment such as the lack of a formal education.
陶氏表示：“統計數據真是棒極了，但是當您閱讀個人資料時，旅遊業對就業的真正影響就變得很明顯。” “每個故事之一都提供了旅遊業為任何想要謀生的人所擁有的潛力的快照。
“這份報告進一步強調了旅行對我們國家的工作和經濟至關重要，我們的政府應優先考慮旅行政策，以確保該行業繼續發展。”
該報告主要依據美國勞工統計局1979年和1997年全國青年縱向調查的數據，探索了第一位從事旅遊業的個人的職業道路。
