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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