The present study aims to determine the importance of two elements as factors favouring social and occupational mobility in the tourism sector, namely family and the corresponding rate of local tourism development. The research methods employed were of quantitative and qualitative nature. Our analysis of intragenerational and intergenerational mobility focuses on the transitions effectuated from one type of tourism enterprise or occupational status to another. The conclusions point out the existence of familial professional strategies and a pronounced intergenerational professional heredity and underline the role played by the tourism labour market in the achievement of upward social and occupational mobility. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.