If you love travelling, and you have an aptitude for business, why not combine both and break into the world of tourism business management? All youll need to do is enroll in a diploma program.
Designed to give students all the knowledge they need to be successful in the travel industry, tourism business management diplomas are comprehensive, but also relatively short. Most programs are approximately 1,000 hours in duration, spread over 46 weeks. This means that students can look forward to graduating and entering the work world in less than a year.
Not surprisingly, tourism management courses focus on the business aspect of the travel industry, and graduates complete their studies with a strong understanding of the economics of the travel world.
Courses typically cover the following topics:
- Introduction to travel and tourism
- Accommodations basics
- Introduction to ground transportation
- Marine transportation basics
- Organizing tours
- Managing client bookings
- Understanding the airline industry
- Basics of airline fare structures
- Total client management 101
- Learning professional selling skills
- Designing group travel
- Marketing in the tourism business
- Tour guiding
- Business communications essentials
In addition to these courses, students are also exposed to the technology systems that are an integral part of tourism management, such as:
- Apollo Live GDS: the system used to manage flight, car, and hotel reservations
- SABRE: the system used to manage airline reservations
Instructors at most
tourism business management schools have years of experience in the field. Since the classroom environment is very open, students have the opportunity to ask any question of their instructor in order to further their knowledge of the leisure and tourism field. Many schools also offer students a practicum. This part of the program is 160 hours of hands-on training in an actual tourism management environment. This allows students to apply their knowledge in a real-life setting, and in that way, learn more about their chosen career path.
Before you choose a
tourism management school, do your homework. Ideally, your school should be an International Air Transport Association's (IATA) authorized training centre (ATC). It should also have an endorsement by the Canadian Institute of Travel Counselors (CITC). Finally, it should offer a curriculum based on the Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council of Canadas national occupational standards. In addition to this, you should research the school in order to find out what kind of reputation it has, and what employment help it provides to recent graduates. Its also a smart idea to visit an open house to see the campus and talk with teachers in order to get a feel for the schools philosophy.
If you love tourism, and you want to combine that with business, consider enrolling in a
tourism business management school. It may be the best move for your career
