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What is Tourism Industry

The tourism industry, also known as the travel industry, is linked to the idea of people traveling to other locations, either domestically or internationally, for leisure, social, or business purposes. It is closely connected to the hotel industry, the hospitality industry, and the transport industry, and much of it is based around keeping tourists happy, occupied, and equipped with the things they need during their time away from home.

Tourism and leisure include all the economic and social activities associated with traveling experiences, recreation, and the enjoyment of free time. Professionals in the field have the responsibility to maximize their clients’ leisure experience, either through direct contact or by efficiently managing the logistics and personnel involved in the leisure resorts or activities. They work in tourism and the travel industry, in organizing various events or in sports and health centers.

About the Course

Tourism and leisure professionals have a good understanding of sales principles, excellent communication skills, and usually speak more than one foreign language. Most are also trained in events, hospitality, sports management, and even in business administration.

Combining the art of relaxation with the competencies needed to manage the tourist industry, tourism is a popular applied science profession. Typically, academic degrees in tourism, hospitality, and leisure offer in-depth management understanding, implementation strategies, and even different languages. Examples of study programs include international tourism management and consultancy, attractions and theme parks management, and leisure and event planning.

Duties of Tourism Manager 

A tourism manager typically has a wide range of responsibilities, which can include:

• Selecting and hiring staff members based on their qualifications and experience levels;
• Maintaining knowledge about current trends in industry practices, laws, regulations, and technology in order to ensure compliance with standards;
• Establishing relationships with travel suppliers such as airlines, cruise lines, hotels, car rental agencies, etc;
• Managing daily operations of a hotel, motel, or other hospitality facilities, including hiring and training staff, developing budgets, and overseeing marketing efforts;
• Managing the marketing and promotion of tourism services offered by an organization;
• Reviewing incoming reservations to ensure that they meet company standards and requirements;
• Developing strategies to increase tourism to the area through the promotion of attractions, accommodations, events, or other offerings;
• Planning and preparing budgets for travel and tourism-related businesses such as hotels, resorts, airlines, cruise lines, or amusement parks;
• Identifying potential problems within an organization and developing solutions to improve efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Skills Required

Here are essential soft skills that a future tourism manager should master

• Customer service skills – it is essential that employees and managers succeed in satisfying and even delighting customers. Excellent customer service skills is all about understanding the customer’s needs and being able to deliver a positive customer service experience.
• Communication skills – exceptional communication skills are highly valued in most industries and the higher up one gets in the hierarchy, the more important they become. In the hospitality and tourism business, each day can involve contact with people of a variety of backgrounds, ages, nationalities, and temperaments. Thus, it is important to be able to communicate in a way that represents the business while at the same time speaking to customers in a way that they can understand and relate to.  
• Flexibility skills – compared to other professions, hospitality, and tourism jobs often demand that employees work odd hours like nights and weekends. It is also necessary to be able to switch rapidly from one task to another as the situation may arise. Thus, flexibility is an essential attribute to succeed in the hospitality and tourism sector.
• Organizational skills – organizational skills are at a premium in the hospitality and tourism trade. Given the need to multi-task and respond to spur-of-the-moment requests, it is necessary to maintain an organizational structure so as to be able to accomplish daily tasks in an efficient manner. One piece of advice: plan each day ahead keeping a checklist of things that need to be done. This will also help you develop strong time management skills. 
• Cultural awareness – hospitality and tourism enterprises are more likely than most to deal with customers of a variety of nationalities and cultural backgrounds. The ability to be culturally aware and get past one’s own cultural norms is crucial to building a successful career in this sector.

Career Prospects

Selecting a career in travel and tourism allows you to visit different places around the world, have memorable experiences, and meet new people on a daily basis. As a professional in the tourism industry, you cater to the needs of tourists and travelers

The travel and tourism industry is a rapidly growing industry that requires talented professionals who are passionate about travel. Some of the most popular careers in tourism and leisure include job titles such as travel agent, fitness instructor, hotel and resort staff, or tour guide; opportunities stretch as far as restaurant management or transportation professional.