Working in Tourism

Like most service industries, tourism is labour-intensive; that is, it employs a high proportion of people in comparison to the number that it serves. The range of jobs is also very wide, from unskilled, like a dishwasher in a restaurant, to semi-skilled, like a waiter or chambermaid, to skilled, like a travel agent or a tour operator. In addition, tourism generates many jobs that are not usually considered to be within the industry itself – jobs in construction, manufacturing, and merchandising.

A majority of the jobs in tourism have one common feature: contact with the public, including both the positive and negative aspects of dealing with ordinary human beings. Anyone who has chosen a career in tourism should enjoy working with people and be tolerant, especially since the irritations of travel can bring out the worst qualities in some people.

In many jobs in which it is necessary to deal with the public, language skill is necessary or desirable. People who hold jobs of this kind include travel agency employees, ticket and reservations agents, airline flights personnel, front-desk employees in hotels, tour conductors or guides, waiters, barmen and so forth. The degree of language skill may vary from using special terms in catering service jobs to speaking fluently among travel agents and tour guides. The degree of language skill may vary according to the location of the job.

The tourist industry differs from many others as it employs more women than other kinds of business. Indeed, women are found at all levels. Many successful travel agents are women who have established independent enterprises after gaining experience elsewhere in the industry.

Experience is necessary for successful operation of a travel agency. It has been estimated that a minimum of ten years’ work in the industry is a prerequisite for a setting up an agency with the expectation of making it a success. There are many different ways to acquire the necessary experience. Some agents begin as clerical workers or secretaries in travel agencies or in the transportation companies. Particular jobs that provide useful knowledge include those of ticket agent and reservations agent for the airlines.

In addition to dealing with the public, the travel agent must deal with people who work for the other components in the industry. One of the most important aspects of the job is keeping informed of the highly complex pricing policies of both scheduled and non-scheduled airlines and the resort hotels as well. Even when help is available, the agent who can compute fares accurately has an advantage over one who cannot. The agent must also keep up with other developments in the industry – new resorts, changing travel regulation, new services, and so on.

The travel agent has some advantages. One of the most important is the economic independence that comes from owing and operating a small business. There is of course an element of risk. A change in the business cycle as a whole may cause a sharp decline in tourism, which is after all a luxury for most people. Another advantage is the opportunity to travel. The treatment that is given to travel agents on familiarization tours is often lavish so as to impress them favourably with the services that are being offered.

The tour operators work much more within the framework of ordinary corporate practice than the small retail agencies do. That is, they have the usual hierarchy of clerical workers and management personnel. Companies like Carlson Travel Network and American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. employ people in nearly all phases of tourism, ranging from the jobs that would be found in retail travel agencies to those that deal with packaging tours or establishing overall policy for the companies. They also employ a large staff to work on advertising and publicity. The large companies are an excellent place to gain experience. People often start with clerical work and later move on to more travel-oriented jobs.

Some institutes offer courses in tourism as a whole. People who get a higher school degree after completing such a program can be considered professionals in the field. They are particularly highly-qualified to fill positions with government tourist bureaus or with consulting firms. Their education is designed to give an overview of all aspects of the industry. It is particularly useful in research, planning and development.

Perhaps the most distinctive and difficult job in the entire industry belongs to the tour guide or conductor. There are in fact two types of tour guides, one in charge of local sightseeing, and the other accompanying a group throughout its travels and making all the arrangements for the group. The term guide is often used for the first of these jobs and conductor for the second. The sightseeing guide must of course be familiar with the points of interest that he is showing to the visitors. He usually gives a prepared talk that describes the points of interest, but he must also be prepared to answer a lot of questions. And of course he deals with any problem that occurs during the tour excursion. These may include bad weather, sudden illness, an accident – it would be impossible to name everything that might happen. A sightseeing guide needs two qualities above all – an outgoing personality and language skills.

The guide or conductor who stays with a group throughout its trip needs these same two qualities. He also needs to have a thorough knowledge of the workings of all kinds of transportation systems and of the regulations and red tape that the tourists will meet when going from one country to another. One of these jobs involves handling the baggage for his group; another concerns easing them through government formalities; and yet another involves making sure they get the kind of accommodation, food, and entertainment they have paid for. These are the aspects of travel that are likely to cause the most problems and create the most irritation when they go wrong. The guide often has to display the qualities of a diplomat, not only in dealing with the tourists themselves, but also with all the officials, baggage handlers, hotel clerks, and the many other people who are constant figures on the travel scene.

Another distinctive job in tourism is that of social director. Many resort hotels and nearly all cruise ships employ a person who is in charge of the activities that are supposed to entertain and amuse the customers. The social director not only has to organize these activities, he must also involve the willing and the reluctant guests in the fun and games. An extroverted person is essential to a job of this kind; a good social director should really enjoy the games and parties that are planned for the guests. In addition to social directors, resorts employ people to supervise activities in which the resorts specialize – golf and tennis pros, or swimming, skiing, and scuba diving instructors. These people, like entertainers, have talents acquired outside the field of tourism, yet their employment in resort indicates the wide range of occupations that tourism draw on for economic support.

Tourism is an industry that is still growing rapidly. It continues to provide people with the choice of a variety of occupations that require many different kinds of skills. No matter what aspect of the industry one may work in, the final result of the effort should be a satisfied customer who remembers his trip or his vacation with pleasure.

Task 5. Look through the text and find the English equivalents for:

наймати дороге задоволення

виробництво можливість

місцеві пам’ятки обслуговування

підготовлене повідомлення ознайомчий тур

створювати проблеми розкішний

відповідальний за культурно - викликати сприятливе враження

масову роботу в межах звичайної практики

не налаштовані на розваги формування туру

туристи рекламна діяльність

професійні гравці в гольф і великий штат співробітників

теніс створювати імідж

передумова вважати професіоналом

давати корисні знання надавати уявлення про щось

бути в курсі надавати вибір

цінова політика задоволений клієнт

чартерні авіарейси згадувати із задоволенням

бути в наявності володіти

перевага розраховувати вартість проїзду