MEDIA CONTACTS: Melissa Dallas
561-297-3666, mdallas@fau.edu or
Kristine McGrath
561-297-1168, kmcgrath@fau.edu

FAU Assists South Florida's Booming Tourism Industry

BOCA RATON, FL (December 5, 2005) - The hospitality and tourism industry is critical to the economy of South Florida, which ranks second nationally in terms of total tourism receipts. In 2004 alone, Florida welcomed a record number of 79.7 million visitors, and realized approximately $57 billion in revenues from tourism according to VISIT FLORIDA research. However, finding enough qualified managers who possess the needed skills continues to be a challenge for area restaurants, hotels and resorts.

In response to this challenge, students from Florida Atlantic University's College of Business recently launched a new major in hospitality and tourism management to prepare students for professional and management careers in this vital industry. Undergraduates are required to complete at least 1,000 hours of field work experience before graduation. Because of this requirement, their work is providing the hospitality industry with a group of dedicated and focused employees. FAU's hospitality and tourism management students are already well represented in the local hospitality workforce.

Students are currently working at a number of area restaurants, hotels and resorts including Ruth's Chris, Houston's, the Boca Raton Resort and Club, the Breakers Palm Beach, Marriott Hollywood Beach, the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino and the Westin Hotel in Fort Lauderdale, to name a few. They also assist in running meetings and events for Office Depot, the South Florida Bioscience Consortium and the Millennium International Tennis Championships.

Many hospitality majors are choosing to remain in South Florida upon graduating with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from FAU's College of Business. This further helps fill the need for qualified hospitality managers who possess a sound business base combined with practical experience.

"The hospitality industry will continue to explode in this region," said John Offerdahl, owner of Offerdahl's Café Grill and a member of the program's advisory board. "FAU's students definitely help our industry as we continue to search for talented leaders."

In addition to coursework and field work experiences, students gain additional exposure to the industry through membership in the Hospitality Management Society. Ryan Kowadla, student president of the society, said that "such involvement provides us with an even richer educational experience to best prepare us for a variety hospitality-related careers."

For more information regarding FAU's Hospitality and Tourism Management major, contact Melissa Dallas at 561-297-3666 or mdallas@fau.edu.

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