Next Stop, Georgia: The Future of Hospitality

As Georgia’s second biggest economic driver, the hospitality and tourism industry provides more than 16 million jobs in the United States. UGA created a new program to meet that demand in 2019, and it is quickly becoming a vital hub for future leaders in this thriving sector.

In Georgia alone, there are nearly 400,000 people employed in some segment of hospitality, from the lounge manager at your go-to airline to the owner of your favorite brewery.

John Salazar is the director of UGA’s new Hospitality and Food Industry Management program. He describes the hospitality industry as an “ecosystem” that offers a broad set of career opportunities and avenues for economic growth throughout the state.

When Salazar was brought on by the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) to launch the hospitality and tourism program, he set out to answer a pivotal question:

What if we could better prepare the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs who will transform Georgia’s economy?

Advancing Georgia’s #1 Industry

Everything about UGA’s hospitality and tourism major—from the classes to experiential learning opportunities—is designed to engage students in the learning process.

The hospitality industry includes a huge variety of careers, and UGA’s program allows students to customize their courses based on their career goals. Students can prepare for careers in public relations, revenue management, law and liability, and more, even on a global scale. They learn wine cultivation directly from the vines in Cortona, Italy, and tour farming communities in Havana, Cuba.

The program’s study abroad and hands-on learning opportunities also offer a unique opportunity to strengthen Georgia’s No. 1 industry, agriculture.

“Agriculture and hospitality are inextricably linked,” says Salazar. “Hospitality interacts with agricultural economics, food science and production, horticulture, viticulture, and so much more.”

Liam Dennis, a recent graduate of the program, learned about agribusiness in Spain during a study abroad program through CAES. Dennis, who has worked with food since he was 15, plans to open a culinary business in the future. He studied Spanish agricultural systems, food production, and specialty winemaking in the heart of Granada, Spain, and brought everything he learned back to Georgia.

Salazar also worked with UGA Cooperative Extension to develop an agritourism workshop for farmers wanting to maximize land profitability and develop hospitality operations. Agritourism may not be a term you hear often, but Salazar describes it as “extremely important to rural communities and the state of Georgia.”

Apple picking in the fall. Wine tastings at a vineyard. Picking out your own Christmas trees. The UGA Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development Farm Gate Value report shows a nearly one-third increase in agritourism-related revenues between 2018 to 2021, and that number is expected to grow.

Agribusiness and agritourism are two focus areas that students can concentrate on, but graduates of the program are exposed to a broad scope of hospitality through placements ranging from wineries to resorts to theme parks.

Fueling Georgia’s Workforce

Many students in the program are training to be the next generation of hospitality leaders right here in Athens. As a functional conference center run by the university, the UGA Center for Continuing Education & Hotel operates as a hands-on learning lab for students where the customers are real and the stakes are high. More than 60 students have completed hospitality internships with the Georgia Center.

Jay Lavender came to UGA specifically because of its Hospitality and Food Industry Management program. As a double major in Hospitality and Food Industry Management and International Business Management, Lavender worked as a concierge at the Georgia Center.

“It’s very fulfilling because everyone gets to be a part of something that’s bigger than themselves,” says Lavender. “We provide great customer service to guests at the Georgia Center, but our work also helps attract more visitors, and UGA continues to have a big economic impact on Georgia.”

Connor Logan, the food and beverage operations manager at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel, says that his internships within the hospitality and tourism program helped build up his confidence and gain experience with industry professionals.

“Internships are a great way to see what goes on day to day in an actual work environment,” says Logan. “Theory and practice are completely different in any field, and hospitality is no different.”

Because of partnerships with organizations like the Georgia Center, students in the hospitality program graduate with 400 to 600 hours of industry experience, which explains why 78% of program graduates from the class of 2023 are employed full-time. From the Atlanta Country Club to Lake Lanier Islands, students from UGA’s hospitality and tourism program are reinforcing Georgia’s workforce.

“When our students are being hired right out of the gate for management positions, that’s how I know what we’re doing is working,” Salazar said.