5.1 Introduction
In this module, we are going to look at tourism management and the basic things that you need to know in order to excel within this particular sector of the industry.
It is best for us to state that clearly if you have some kind of managerial experience, then it is going to stand in good stead for this role, but even if that is not the case it is going to be relatively easy to pick up the basics you need in order to survive.
5.2 What We Mean by the Term Tourism Management
So, you may have previously heard the term 'tourism management' but there is a good chance that you have little understanding of what we actually mean by it.
In a nutshell, it refers to the planning and execution of plans and ideas associated with the tourism and travel industry. An individual that works within this role is going to have different responsibilities that will then lead to the tourists and clients having a better experience when dealing with the sector of the industry that they are involved in.
In all honesty, the term does cover a number of different facets and it is a term that is slightly misleading as it will often refer to the education that is required in order to really make your mark within this particular industry.
Tourism management can refer to the running of a travel company, a tour company, transportation company, or tourist destination - the list goes on and on, as it simply involves any kind of business that relies on tourism and travellers for even just part of their turnover.
There are a number of important points that must be mentioned as to the role that tourism management plays in not just the individual destination, but the industry as a whole.
Management is all about providing what the customer wants.
No matter which part of the industry you are working in it does mean that you have to be able to really provide the customer with what they want. We looked at the difference between needs and wants in an earlier module and that is something that you should revise. Within the realm of tourism management you need to think carefully about understanding the aims of your part of the industry and how to deliver.
Understand strategy.
Any business, or even those involved in the running of the business as an employee, has to be able to understand the strategy that is being put into place for that business to reach its targets. Being aware of the strategy for your particular industry and how to implement those plans is something that everybody should be aware of to a certain extent no matter the level they operate at.
For example
The manager of a tourist attraction has to know the strategy for getting people in the door and providing them with ample opportunity to have a great time. A worker has to understand the strategy in place to make sure that this becomes a reality from the perspective of their interaction with customers.
Understand how to evaluate things.
Within tourism management there is a very real need for you to understand how you go about evaluating the information that is provided to you by studying all of the facts, figures, and marketing or business plans that are associated with your industry. Being able to take this information mixed in with what to do with it, which means to achieve certain goals, is a key part of successfully running a tourism related business.
Being able to improve the business.
Tourism management is also connected to your ability to improve the business as a direct result of the various pieces of information that you have pulled together or been shown by those involved in marketing, financials, evaluators, or anything else that is related to key information connected to the business.
You cannot simply just ignore it and not know what to do with the information.
Being able to make things a success.
Finally, there is also a need for you to understand that you have to be able to make things a success no matter where you fit into the entire tourism industry. The only differences that you will find during your time working in the industry are that the level of expectation placed upon your shoulders, and the information that you have to use, are going to vary as you move up the career ladder. However, this is another reason why you have to begin at the bottom and work your way up as it does mean you learn from your mistakes and gain valuable knowledge on what to do in various situations.
As we said earlier, there are other points that are connected to individuals' industries, but as we do not know which area you will be working in there is a need to just provide you with these key points that can be applied across the entire travel and tourism industry rather than supplying specifics.
5.3 The Key Characteristics you will need to Succeed
After that explanation of what we mean by the term, it is important that we now look at the key characteristics that you as an individual will need to ultimately be a success within this particular career.
Clearly, as with every type of job there are certain things that you need to be good at, or at least capable of learning, to ultimately be a success.
In this instance, there are some very clear characteristics that will make your life so much easier when it comes to being a success within this field.
The key characteristics are as follows.
Be able to deal with people.
The first characteristic is a clear ability to deal with people and by this we do mean that you have to know how to deal with people on both sides of the industry. In other words, as you are involved in tourism management then you have to be able to work alongside other people, and even run them if you are in a senior position, as well as the general public. How much time you spend interacting with certain types of people will vary from job to job, but if you want to work in travel and tourism then this is one of the most important things that you need to be able to do.
Be able to problem solve.
It is fair to say that sometimes the arrangement of a trip or the running of a tourist location or company will not go as smoothly as you hoped. That means that there is a real need for you to be able to solve problems in order to get anywhere within this industry. You have to remember that you are dealing with people that have a range of personal requirements as well as likes and dislikes alongside them coming from different backgrounds.
Be able to absorb information.
Considering the amount of knowledge that you will require in order to succeed in this business it does mean that you have to be able to absorb information and to differentiate between what is important to you and those snippets that do not directly affect your job.
Be able to be organised.
This industry can be fast moving and will often result in you feeling as if you are being rushed off your feet dealing with various requests and everybody wanting to know, or have, something completely different. This means that there is a very real need for you to be organised at all times or else it can easily descend into absolute chaos. If you are not this type of person, then it is time you tried to learn as it will often be the only way in which you can ever hope to survive in this industry.
Be able to evaluate and review the situation.
An important part of tourism management is your ability to look at your destination or part of the industry and to then evaluate and review the situation as it is at that moment. This is the key to developing a tourist destination, or any business in the industry, in the correct manner. You have to be able to understand your situation at any given time and to know whether you are hitting targets or have to change your approach. By doing so, you will be able to improve the experience of your customers and in this type of industry that is the important part.
5.4 The Key Parts of the Job you need to Excel at
Next, we need to look more closely at the job itself to identify the key areas that you have to really excel at if you want to build a successful career within the field of tourism management.
The exact parts of the job may vary slightly depending on the sector of the market, but the basic principles are going to remain the same no matter which area you are ultimately going to be working in.
Understanding targets.
No matter which level of the industry, or indeed part of the industry, that you are working in, you have to be able to understand targets.
Travel companies have an understanding of what they have to sell on any given day.
Hotel companies know about the number of guests they should have. Transportation companies such as airlines have targets with the number of travellers that they need to get on board. Tourism management is all about getting the maximum number of customers through those doors or spending money with your company as possible.
Understanding your role in the industry.
How can you expect to provide a quality service if you do not understand your actual role in the industry? What is expected of you with the service you provide? Who are you selling it to? How is your industry expanding and what is your changing role in this process?
There are so many different things that have to be taken into consideration that you can understand why you need to have such an intricate knowledge of where you sit in the greater scheme of things.
Understand people.
We keep mentioning the role that people have in the industry, but it is obvious as to the reasons why this is the case. You need to spend time getting to grips with how people operate and what they are looking for within your part of the industry due to the clear connection between this part and the service that you provide.
For example
If you work within the aviation part of the industry, then clearly you understand that people want their flights to leave on time, arrive on time, their luggage to get there, the prices to be as low as possible, and basically for things to go without a hitch. You can only do this when you understand what people are looking for and if you are lacking in that, then life is going to be a bit harder for you.
Dealing with facts.
We mentioned dealing with targets at the beginning of this sub-section, but we must also mention that it is important that you are able to deal with facts on a day to day basis. For example, if you decide that working within the cruise industry and arranging exotic cruises is for you then you have to know the facts related to how the entire industry works. What do they mean when they list the various types of rooms on a ship? What entertainment is there? How does it work with visiting places?
Spend time getting to grips with the kind of questions that customers generally ask and then seek to gain even more knowledge in advance so you can hit them with facts. Not only will this be impressive, but it also means that they will be able to have the kind of experience that they were looking for in the first place.
As with other parts of tourism management, there is a very real need for you to understand that specific details are related to specific parts of each and every industry. However, you need to take these general points and tie them in with the information and details that are related to the area you are working. These basic steps and points will form the basis of how you tackle the industry as a whole with you being able to fill in the gaps as and when required to do so.
FACT
Travel agents starting out can expect to earn around £12k but working hard and getting some experience goes a long way in this business and more seasoned travel agents can earn anything up to £30k.
Source: Totaljobs.com
5.5 What is expected of you Within the Role?
If we look at the personal characteristics of you and the areas of the job you really must excel at, then we can begin to build a picture of what is actually going to be expected of you within this particular role.
By doing so, it will allow you to get a better idea of those areas within yourself that you may need to work on in order to reach the heights that you were initially hoping for.
Whenever we include the title of manager at any point in the job description then there are certain traits that are automatically attributed to the role.
In order to allow you to begin to develop certain key characteristics we will look at the top things that are expected from you when you are indeed working within this particular role.
You must be a fountain of knowledge.
As the manager it is reasonable to assume that you are the person that has all of the knowledge for whatever your industry may be. Look at it this way, whenever a member of staff is unsure about anything, then the first port of call that they go to is their manager due to their experience and knowledge. You really are meant to be the person that has all of the answers so there will be a need for you to spend just a bit more time studying your market and industry.
You need to be able to get people excited.
No matter which part of the industry you are dealing with, either the arranging of a holiday or perhaps just being a tour guide or working at a tourist destination, you have to be able to get people excited for whatever experience or adventure they are about to have. You must remember that it is the excitement of exploring new things that keeps the industry going as a whole, excluding those that have to travel due to business reasons although you should still make an effort with this part of the market. If there is no sense of excitement then customers or clients can easily walk away or downgrade and change their mind and this is certainly something that you do not want to happen.
You need to have a calm head.
As you are dealing with the public on a regular basis, it stands to reason that you need to have a calm head, especially as some individuals will often be infuriating with their actions or decisions. Having a calm head and then being able to resolve problems is going to allow you to get further than ever before in the industry.
Remember, it is a people based business no matter what you are dealing with and there will always be situations where there are issues to contend with. How you deal with them is important and can have a bearing on the entire process and the level of success that you go on to have.
You need to be able to think logically.
If you just act like a machine and follow things on a step by step basis, then you are not going to get too far. Instead, you need to be able to think about things in a logical manner and to also then be able to think outside of the box in order to resolve various situations and problems. Thinking of logical steps in a variety of areas, such as how to provide a better service as an example, will certainly make your time in the travel and tourism industry a lot easier to handle.
You have to deal with issues.
The final part that you need to excel at is to be able to deal with those issues. Remember how the industry operates and understand that an issue cannot be left alone as changes have to be made for it to then prevent the same problem from happening over and over again. Work at identifying the issue. Work at addressing it. Work at making sure that both you and anybody else involved in the business or area where you work understands what to do next and make sure that it no longer becomes a problem.
MODULE SUMMARY
In this module we have looked specifically at the idea of tourism management, including offering an explanation as to what the role is and also the kind of things that will be expected of you should you move into this particular area.
Remember that any form of management is going to bring with it a substantial amount of responsibility and you must be honest with yourself as to whether or not you are able to cope with this. If so, then it is entirely possible for you to have an extensive career at management level due to the sheer number of opportunities that are going to be out there.
In the next module we will look more closely at the reasons for the existence of the industry and how that will impact on your future career.
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