The bar chart compares the number of tourism-related jobs available in one UK city across four different sectors from 1989 to 2009, at five-year intervals. Overall, the number of jobs in different sectors diverged considerably, with travel & tour experiencing the steepest drop, whereas the only increase was observed in restaurants – the largest employer. Notably, despite an initial increase, the number of jobs in hotels remained unchanged, whereas travel & tour became the smallest job provider by the end of the timeframe.
In 1989, restaurants offered employment for about 1100 people, closely followed by hotels at approximately 1050. While the former rose to around 1300 in 1994, the latter exhibited a more dramatic increase, surpassing restaurants at a peak of 1400. This increase, however, was short-lived, as the number of jobs in hotels fell back, and by 2009, had reached its initial level. Restaurants, by comparison, continued to rise, climbing to a chart-high 1600 in 2004. Although this figure had fallen sharply to the 1994 level by 2009, it remained the largest employer.
In contrast, sports & leisure and travel & tour lagged considerably behind, offering 900 and 800 jobs, respectively. In 1994, travel & tour rose to a high of 1100, while sports & leisure reached the same level in 1999, after a slight dip to 700 in 1994. From 1999 onwards, however, both figures registered a gradual decline, with sports & leisure decreasing to its 1994 level, whereas travel & tour became the smallest employer at a mere 400, halving its initial figure over the period.