When the COVID-19 outbreak hit and the travel industry began to shut down earlier this year, Chris Ellis, CEO of 7M Travel Holdings (an Orlando-based travel management company), wanted to help.
A few months later, on Aug. 4, Tourismo Jobs was born.
A website devoted to helping unemployed members of the travel industry return to work, Tourismo Jobs aims to connect furloughed or laid-off workers with prospective employers. It is offered globally and is free to use for both job seekers and employers.
“The travel industry is extremely important to the U.S. economy, and it’s heartbreaking to see our colleagues and friends losing their jobs through no fault of their own,” Ellis said. “This is a great industry, and we all need to work together to help the recovery.”
It’s heartbreaking to see our colleagues and friends losing their jobs through no fault of their own.
Unlike other online job search engines such as Indeed or Monster, Tourismo Jobs has a laser-sharp focus on attracting travel agencies, tour associations, destination management organizations, hotels, attractions, transportation companies, airlines and cruise lines, along with travel entrepreneurs and travel-related startups.
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“If you go on any job search engine and type the word ‘travel,’ you will get any employer that has used ‘travel’ in the posting,” he said. “For example, a [position for a] plumber who must be able to “travel.’”
Chris Ellis, CEO of 7M Travel Holdings, saw a need for a travel-focused job search website.
Credit: 2020 Chris EllisEllis says the development of the site was his way of “paying it forward” to industry peers during an especially challenging time.
“We were severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and as the weeks turned into months, we saw a huge increase in the number of tourism workers who lost their jobs,” he said. “We wanted to help our industry get back on its feet and created a job seeking website exclusively for the tourism industry.”
After a job seeker has registered through the website and created a profile, that profile is used to match him or her with open positions. It also allows potential employers to connect with prospective employees through a search function.
Just two months after the website’s launch, Ellis says he has been impressed with the response.
“Our virtual ribbon cutting ceremony had a live audience of 300 and a simulcast on Facebook Live that reached 18,240 people,” he said.
Currently, there are more job seekers than potential employers registered through Tourismo Jobs, which Ellis says “is only to be expected given the current situation.”
However, the idea is that businesses register now in preparation for the industry’s return, as the website could be the perfect place for such companies to “look for experienced staff in one place while hopefully reducing recruitment time.”
“I appreciate that some major hotels and attractions only use the big job posting websites, but I would ask that they consider Tourismo Jobs,” he added. “It is completely free, and the driving force is to help the travel industry.”
The Details
Tourismo Jobs
www.tourismojobs.com
