What Is the Hospitality Industry?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the hospitality industry is part of the larger service-providing industry and is divided into two sectors: food and accommodation services and arts and entertainment. The hotel and restaurant industries are included within the food and accommodation sector. People who work at an amusement park are included within the arts and entertainment sector.
The arts and entertainment sector includes the following three sub-sectors: performing arts and spectator sports, museums and historical sites and amusement and gambling. Generally, establishments that produce live events or exhibits intended for public viewing are considered to be within the hospitality sector. Establishments such as museums, which exhibit and preserve objects of cultural interest, and places that provide services for recreational purposes are also considered part of the hospitality industry.
Within the food and accommodation sector, there are two sub-sectors: accommodation and food services and drinking places. Establishments such as hotels, which provide customers with lodging, and places that prepare meals, snacks or beverages for immediate consumption are considered hospitality establishments. Jobs within the food and beverage hospitality industry include hotel, motel and resort desk clerks, fast food cooks, restaurant cooks, waiters, waitresses and combined food preparation and serving workers.
