This might be the perfect year to make your move
Newfoundland and Labrador has something the rest of the world wants.
Our coastlines, culture, food, music, and stories attract visitors from across the globe to experience what many Atlantic Canadians grew up taking for granted. And behind every one of those experiences is a person who chose a career in tourism.
College of the North Atlantic is now accepting applications for two tourism programs: the two-year Tourism & Hospitality Management diploma, offered in-class at the Prince Philip Drive campus, and the one-year Tourism & Hospitality Services certificate, available entirely online. Whether you are ready to dive in full-time or want to start with a flexible online credential, there is a path designed to fit where you are right now.
Tourism is big business, and it starts with you
Tourism is not a niche sector. It is one of the largest, fastest-growing economic drivers in Canada, supporting one in 10 jobs nationally and employing more than 1.5 million people. Right here in Newfoundland and Labrador, tourism generates more than $1.4 billion annually and employs tens of thousands of people from Labrador West to the Southern Shore.
And it is only getting bigger.
“Graduates of our programs benefit from a wide range of career opportunities across all industries of the tourism sector here in Newfoundland and Labrador, with many student success stories currently shaping the local workforce,” says instructor Kate Furey.
Furey says if you are the person at every gathering who lights up the room with stories about this place, imagine turning that gift into a career as a tour guide, an experience designer, or a cultural ambassador.
“Do you spend your mornings out picking berries, foraging, or exploring trails most people never find?” she adds, “Imagine sharing that with visitors who have travelled thousands of kilometres for exactly that experience. Have you spent years managing teams, juggling logistics, and keeping things running smoothly? Imagine doing that as the manager of a boutique hotel or a major tourism event.”
Instructor Susan Daw, who has guided tourism students at CNA for many years, sees the opportunity clearly.
“With ongoing workforce demand and pathways for growth, the opportunities in tourism are truly endless,” Daw explains, “Whenever I speak with a prospective student, whether they are fresh out of high school or have been working for years in tourism and hospitality and now want to pursue a management role, I always emphasize the fact that a career in tourism is not a single thing. It is hundreds of things. Tourism is the sector that lets you make what you love into something the world wants to see.”
A world of opportunities
When people think of tourism jobs, their imagination sometimes stays confined to the front desk and the dining room. And yes, those roles are often the heartbeat of the guest experience. But tourism is also the chef who turns a local dish into a culinary experience guests will always remember. It is the event coordinator who pulls off a festival that puts a small town on the map. It is the marketing strategist who convinces someone in Tokyo that Newfoundland and Labrador is the trip of a lifetime, and it is every person in this province who helps deliver on that promise. Tourism is accountants and tour operators, storytellers and sustainability experts, destination marketers and small business owners.
It is one of the most human industries in the world, because at its heart, it is about creating moments that people carry with them forever.
If you think that sounds like your kind of work, graduates of CNA’s tourism programs say you might be right.
Katelyn Budgell graduated from the Tourism and Hospitality Management diploma program and today serves as Managing Director of Cruise Newfoundland and Labrador. She credits her work terms with shaping the direction of her entire career.
“For my first work term, I worked with the Department of Tourism, and that experience truly shaped the direction of my career,” Budgell says, “I got to see how our province shares its story with the world, and it made me fall in love not only with tourism marketing, but even more with the place I’m from.”
Her advice to prospective students: “Lean into every opportunity, especially your work terms. Be curious, ask questions, and stay open. You never know what experience is going to inspire you or shape your path.”
Current students see the success of the program’s graduates and look forward to entering the workforce. Second-year student Ayomide Alabi says she has gained a strong knowledge in hospitality operations and the importance of sustainability in tourism, and adds, “I have secured my final placement in the accommodations sector with the opportunity to continue working after graduation.”
Two programs, one seamless path
This year, something particularly exciting has aligned for prospective students: if you register for the online Tourism and Hospitality Services certificate starting September 2026, you can seamlessly transition into the final year of the in-class Tourism and Hospitality Management diploma program when it begins in September 2027 (pending seat availability).
“It is a flexible, forward-thinking pathway that reflects exactly what CNA’s tourism programs are all about,” Furey explains.
Daw adds, “The sector is growing. The diploma program is nationally accredited. The career paths are varied, exciting, and genuinely limitless. And right now, you can start on your terms. If you have ever looked around your corner of our province and thought, ‘someone should share this with the world!’, maybe that someone is you.”
Choose your path and get started today:
- Tourism & Hospitality Management-College of the North Atlantic
- Tourism & Hospitality Services-College of the North Atlantic
