Information for Students

Endless Potential

Why Discover Tourism GR?

Discover Tourism GR was created to support and motivate students ready to start their professional career development in a growing industry – hospitality and tourism management (HTM). The career opportunities are vast, diverse and range from managing hotels, resorts, spas, restaurants and commercial food service; to operating transportation services, meeting and event planning, sports management, parks and attractions; to cultural tourism development and much more.

While hospitality and tourism has traditionally been an industry that emphasized hands-on experience, employers are now seeking ambitious individuals with a combination of experience and higher education to build successful management teams. It important that those seeking careers as successful hospitality professionals enjoy working with people, develop a strong foundation of business and customer service skills. If you are perusing a degree in HTM, business management, marketing, accounting, finance, communications, information technology or even engineering then this opportunity may be for you. Your interest in these careers play an integral role in promoting Grand Rapids as 1 of America’s Top 10 Cities To Start A Career (Wallet Hub 2018).

More importantly, the city of Grand Rapids want and need diverse talent to support this momentum. Let Discover Tourism GR show students like yourself what Grand Rapids has to offer.

Your Hospitality and Tourism Career Starts Here

Friendly, accessible and cultured, Grand Rapids is a community where you’ll very quickly feel at home. As Michigan’s second largest city, with a metro population of more than one million people, Grand Rapids is on an economic roll.

It was #1 in the U.S. for job growth in 2017, according to Headlight Data. It’s also leading the nation in lifestyle benefits important to young professionals:

• 1 of America’s Top 10 Cities to Start a Career (WalletHub, 2018)
• #1 Place that Millennials are Flocking to in the U.S. to Get a Job, Buy a Home, and Start a Life (Business Insider, 2017)
• #2 U.S. City that Millennials Can Afford – and Actually Want to Live In (The Penny Hoarder, 2017)

Beyond economic and development efforts, the people and places are what make Grand Rapids most vibrant.

This includes our trend-setting beer, food, art and music scenes as well as endless entertainment and outdoor recreation opportunities.

Come see for yourself what Grand Rapids is all about.

All it takes to apply is a submission of your resume and a short essay. The application opens on September 27, 2018. Applications are due October 6, 2018. Check out the 2018 Trip page to get started!