THINKING OF A CAREER IN TOURISM?

The tourism industry offers a range of career opportunities. So what sort of person do you need to be to work in tourism? To begin with, you need to like people and enjoy the challenge of working in a customer focused environment and be prepared to face a huge diversity of tasks every day, from dealing with phone calls in different languages to making bookings for restaurants and other services.

My advice to anyone considering a career in hotels in not to be put off by thought of low wages at the start. Having the right degree or diploma is no guarantee of promotion, but the right attitude and good communication skills will get you a long way. But of course it´s not just about hotels, there are also restaurants that attract what is called the “gourmet tourist” whose holiday is never complete without the opportunity to try out the latest local dishes.

Have you ever thought about a job as a Tour Guide? If you enjoy communicating with large groups of people it´s a great job. A tour guide accompanies groups of holidaymakers on package tours. A tour guide also plays a central role in ensuring that people enjoy their holiday providing them with practical support and information throughout the trip. It is important to allow the people to do what they want at the same time making sure everybody is back on the minibus by the agreed time. Professional tour guides must know the history of places that are included on the travel package. Years back I was embarrassed when a holidaymaker spotted some incorrect details in a commentary I was giving. Since then I have managed to attend regular local history classes to make sure it would not happen again.

If the work as a tour guide seems a bit tamed, you can try to work as an Adventure Travel Guide. An adventure travel guide leads trips to exotic locations around the globe. I have to remind you that you need experience in a range of adventurous disciplines because people on those holidays are doing potentially dangerous activities, such as kayaking or scuba or free diving or even sky diving, it´s crucial to be able to exercise good judgment in difficult situations and be resourceful when dealing with the emergencies that are bound to arise. Once, I forgot to give one of my passengers a life jacket and something serious could have happened. This is a relatively new career, so educational institutions are only just beginning to offer programmes and qualifications.

If you´re thinking of becoming a travel agent, you may want to give this career choice a little more thought. The job outlook isn´t good right now because of the internet. It´s become much easier for people to make their own travel arrangements by themselves, though many people still need the advice of a travel professional. Unlike other tourist jobs based in an office, but you may get the opportunities or invitations to visit some destinations to evaluate the facilities on offer. I started by working as a reservations clerk in a travel agency, but my manager soon realized I had the skills to become a travel agent and later I started working as an international tour guide, after that I got another promotion to become a Tour Leader Junior, Senior and finally a Destination Manager. All the clients are well informed and they expect expert advice.

Tourism offers something for everyone, with varying degrees of responsibility. The nature of the job varies from working on a ski slope to hotels, air companies, tour operator offices worldwide or even developing marketing strategies preparing gourmet meals for great and famous restaurants. But for all tourism jobs you need to be adaptable, enjoy problem-solving, think on your feet and be realistic.

To sum up, my final tip goes for those thinking about tourism careers, you have to study as much as you can, prepare yourself with good qualifications and diplomas, try to be culturally sensitive, learn to communicate and be clearly understandable in different languages, politeness and of course, always keep in mind that working for the tourism industry is to work and serve, be helpful and always courteous, with no traces that it is hard work.