Initiative to help the tourism and hospitality sector attract and retain staff

Make It Here campaign to help employers encourage more people to make a career in tourism and hospitality.

Tourism Northern Ireland's Make It Here campaign aims to change perceptions of working in the tourism and hospitality sector to help employers within this industry attract and retain the talent they need to succeed and grow.

Get involved and share your story

Tourism NI is seeking help from businesses in tourism and hospitality to contribute to its Make It Here campaign. Employers are being urged to use the creative assets from the campaign toolkit to promote on their own social media channels. Tourism and hospitality employers are also encouraged to share their upcoming vacancies.

To share best practices amongst the industry, Tourism NI also wants to hear from employers on the things they are doing to recruit and retain staff:

• Are you doing anything unconventional and innovative?
• Why are you a great employer?
• Have you recently introduced more flexible rotas, new training opportunities, or changes in pay, grading, or working conditions?

Resources for employers

Tourism NI is making a number of resources available to help employers make the most of the campaign.

• Use the Make It Here campaign assets on social posts, web pages, posters, etc. to tell people that you are supporting the campaign and encourage others to do so.
• Use #MakeYourCareer on any social media posts to amplify the campaign.
• Upload your job vacancy ads to any of Tourism NI's partner recruitment sites or advertise on your own channels like your website or social media channels.
• Access wider Tourism NI recruit and retain practical supports such as the people health check tool.
• Demonstrate your commitment as an employer by signing up for one of the industry charters offered by industry bodies such as the HATS Network and Hospitality Ulster.
• Jobs of the week - there will also be opportunities for employers to showcase live vacancies in the sector that are suitable for the target audiences mentioned above. Use the campaign as an opportunity to attract better candidates and let Tourism NI know about the opportunities in your sector.
• Tell your story - do you have fantastic employees? What are you doing differently in your business to attract, retain and challenge perceptions of working in tourism & hospitality?

How to get involved

See full details on Tourism NI's Make It Here initiative including access to the campaign toolkit, examples of social media posts, and how to contact Tourism NI to share your story and get involved.

You can also join the online information session at 2pm on Tuesday 24 October to find out more about the campaign, access to toolkits and how you can get involved. You’ll also discover how working with Tourism Northern Ireland can assist you better in recruiting and retaining staff.

First published 16 October 2023