Applicants Working in DC’s Tourism Industry

Summer seasonal workers play a key role in the tourism industry in DC, and Jubilee Jobs applicants are an important part of it. Our applicants talk about how they enjoy working downtown in the summer and meeting people from all over the world, as well as being around all the activity and special events.

So far, we have placed 25 people in seasonal jobs, including cleaning jobs at Nationals Park and Audi Field, sales jobs at Lowe’s Home Improvement, food service jobs at Landry’s Restaurants at Nationals Park, as well as jobs at several larger restaurants that cater to tourists, such as Cuba Libre and McCormick & Schmick’s.

Last summer, the pandemic shut down many employers in the tourism industry, so we helped applicants try to find jobs elsewhere. Typically, we place applicants at additional employers, but several of our regular employers are not doing as much hiring this year. They include the Smithsonian (food stand attendants at the National Gallery of Art’s Jazz in the Sculpture Garden and event staff at the Folklife Festival), Big Bus and Old Town Trolley Tours (ticket takers), and the Golden Triangle BID (cleaning the downtown business area and acting as information ambassadors for tourists).

We are pleased to be able to place applicants at Hornblower Cruises (runs Odyssey and Spirit of Washington cruises) again, as they were forced to shut down last year. We have been placing people at Hornblower since 2018 in all restaurant positions (host, busser, server, food prep, cook, and dishwashing), as well as deck hands and ticket takers.

One such person we placed is Michael, who has been working as a deck hand on the Odyssey since early June. “I’m lovin’ it!”, Michael says. “I love being on the water and it gives me peace of mind. And Hornblower asked me to do double shifts last weekend and then gave me a gift card in appreciation.” 

It is fitting that Michael has a job on the river. He is a native Washingtonian and grew up fishing in the Anacostia River and is an expert swimmer. After the cruise season ends, Michael will focus on returning to his long-time field as a building engineer in the real estate industry. 

We look forward to when the tourism economy fully opens so that we can place more people in all its vital jobs.