The most growth was seen in accommodation, and food and beverage serving activities, which both witnessed a 15 per cent increase, the equivalent of more than 220k jobs.
The figures also show 90 per cent of tourism workers hold permanent positions, while five per cent are casual employees and the remain five per cent are in other forms of temporary employment. The profile of tourism workers is younger, with 26 per cent of employees in the industry aged between 16 and 24, compared with 11 per cent of non-tourism jobs.
Tourism Minister, David Evennett, said: "Our tourism industry makes a huge contribution to the UK economy and this impressive jobs growth is great news for the sector and the country on the whole.
"Attracting and keeping the best talent is key to the Prime Minister’s vision for tourism, which is why one of our priorities is to increase the number of apprenticeships in the industry and to champion careers in tourism."
VisitBritain director, Patricia Yates, said: “This growth in jobs is really fantastic news for the UK economy and echoes the record-breaking figures we are seeing in the growth of international visitors to Britain, especially given the fiercely competitive global environment we’re operating in.
“Tourism is a rapidly growing industry and we’re working hard to encourage visitors to explore all of Britain’s nations and regions to ensure that the economic growth from tourism and the jobs that the industry is continuing to deliver are spread right across Britain.”