Tag: GTTP. travel and tourism

Inside Track – Tourism Education News from New Zealand

By Matt Stenton, Director GTTP New Zealand

Kia ora from New Zealand! The latest country to join the GTTP. The first ever edition of this newsletter is proudly brought to you by Matt Stenton, one of GTTP’s newest directors.  In my day-to-day life, I am the Programme Director for a government-funded initiative known as ‘Go with Tourism’, which launched in 2019 to build New Zealand’s tourism workforce. Education was always an important element of our programme, but it will almost become our sole focus over the next few months. Of course, GTTP’s Passport to the World course will play a big role. 

When New Zealand entered lockdown on 25 March 2020, many people were beginning to lose their jobs. Since this date, the education section on our website is our fourth most visited page! Additionally, we’ve had close to 1000 people view the Passport to the World webpage on our site. 

We know that New Zealand is on the bucket list for many people around the world. Therefore, tourism is still a crucial industry to be invested in; and now, more than ever, stimulating an interest in tourism education is a vital part of rebuilding our industry. As the New Zealand Director for GTTP, you can count on me to do my part. 

Go with Tourism 2020

Let me tell you what we have planned so far: Prior to COVID-19 we were working on delivering a national GTTP training programme for secondary school teachers and tertiary educators; now we’re working with the US Embassy to take it online. 

The Go with Tourism Education Programme will see our regional coordinators visit schools to conduct sessions on tourism careers with the students there, You can count on us promoting Passport to the World in these sessions. 

The Go with Tourism Expos will take place in four major cities this August and September and again, we will be actively promoting the Passport to the World course at these events. 

Hero Story

Go with Tourism’s Intern turned Project Coordinator Leticia Smith, shares her experience with the passport to the world program:

“I see real value in the Passport to the World course being offered as an introduction to the industry, especially for those who are new to tourism or for those who may be thinking of studying tourism further. I felt that there were a couple of people from my class who struggled, who would have benefited from taking this course. Our first assessment was about the ‘State of Tourism in New Zealand’ and I think this would have been a perfect segue.”  To hear more from Leticia – Read More

Now lets hear from from Anne:

”I am delighted to welcome New Zealand on board with GTTP.   With Matt’s energy and drive and a vision for how tourism will develop under the Go With Tourism banner, I feel very confident that new ways will be found to attract visitors your beautiful country.  Well done too on the fantastic achievement of having nearly 1000 people access the Passport course.   What a great start.  Welcome New Zealand to the GTTP family.”

GTTP students present a message of unity, diversity and multicultural cooperation

 

Between the 2nd and 6th of December, the GTTP (Global Travel and Tourism Partnership) welcomed students and teachers from around the world to our annual research competition and awards, hosted by Amadeus and Starwood, at the Amadeus Executive Briefing Centre and Meridien Hotel Nice.

This year’s theme – Heritage Tourism – honoured GTTP’s 20th Anniversary celebrations and looked at how Heritage Tourism can attract more visitors and enhance the tourist experience in their respective countries.

Twenty students were selected as the 2016 Student Research Competition winners from over 2,000 entries. Over the two days the students presented heritage tourism sites in their countries – Brazil, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Hungary, Jamaica, Kenya, Russia, South Africa, and Tanzania. Supported by their teachers the young people shared their research, little known facts about “off the beaten track” sites and their suggestions for improvements of tourism while also including interactive games to involve the audience.

In addition to the opportunity to represent their country, students met with peers from around the globe, experienced different cultures, benefitted from the facilities of Amadeus’ high-tech customer briefing centre and were also given a tour of a world class hotel where they learned first-hand about work in travel and tourism.

Michel Taride, Chairman of the GTTPAdvisory Board and Group President, Hertz International commented, “It was very inspiring for all the attendees – students, teachers, directors and Partners alike – to see all these young people presenting a piece of their cultural heritage with pride and passion as part of professional case studies.

This unique event gives great confidence in terms of the future talent that will represent or even lead the Travel and Tourism industry and I am very proud of the work that GTTP does to support these brilliant students.”

The GTTP research competitions are devised to encourage the development of skills these young people will need in their careers, including critical thinking, team collaboration, research, writing and speaking. In addition, they are required to explore and reflect upon topics important to the long-term development of the travel and tourism industry, such as sustainability and technology.

This event supports GTTP’s mission to inspire and enable young people to build careers in Travel and Tourism and we are proud to know that over 2 million students have participated in GTTP programs around the world.

As a GTTP Board Member, I was inspired by the professionalism of these students. The huge effort that went into their research projects was apparent and their ability to delight the audience with facts, animation and humour – not easy when not in your native language – was equally inspiring.

Six of the projects focused on the history of indigenous people from Tanzania, Canada, Brazil, Jamaica, South Africa and Kenya. The blight of slavery and apartheid is an important reminder for current and future generations. The Jamaican message regarding that island’s ethnic mix “Out of many one people” is a timely reminder that we all have a rich genetic history, an important lesson in today’s world.

A quote from the Russian team perfectly summarises a year of preparation culminating in an enriching four day event in Nice, “each place has a story to tell.”

Reprinted with kind permission from the Amadeus Blog.

 

 

GTTP Interview with Kingston College student Annabelle Lynch on her Hertz work placement

By Martin O’Brien
Former Programme Leader – Service Industries Kingston College*

Owing to our continued and supportive connection with the Global Travel and Tourism Partnership, Kingston College and Hertz Car Rental have been able to offer fantastic work placement opportunities to seven of the College’s students earlier this year.

Students worked in different departments of the Hertz car rental operations at London Heathrow Airport, with the support of staff members, and the feedback has been very positive. Kingston College asked Annabelle Lynch (Level 2 Travel & Tourism) what she thought of the placement and we were thrilled with her responses:


Annabelle serving at Hertz London Heathrow Instant Return

What did you think of the placement?

“It was a really good placement with friendly people. The support from the staff members was excellent with constant guidance that helped me in the week.”

What has the placement taught you?

“The main things that I have learnt relate to customer service and the importance of where a business is located. Throughout the week my confidence also grew.”


Annabelle works with the team at Hertz Instant Return to inspect rental cars on their return.

Would you recommend this placement to other students?

“Absolutely. I really enjoyed it, especially working in the returns department checking the cars that came back in.”

Anything else?

“I would like to say thank you to Hertz for hosting me in this placement, it was a great experience and I would love to have the opportunity to work there in the future”

Students have been given the opportunity to work in a number of different departments and have an insight into how a real travel and tourism business operates. Our students now have a greater understanding of how customer service can affect a business and the importance of establishing relationships with customers.

Kingston College would once again like to thank Hertz and the GTTP for their continued support and dedication. It is opportunities like this that enrich the journey of a student and helps make them more employable when they leave education.

* About Kingston College

Based in South West London, UK, Kingston College is a major provider of further education for post-secondary students. Its Service Department offers Level 1-3 travel and tourism courses aimed at students aged 16-19. The goal of the college’s work experience program is to expose students to a travel and tourism related working environment and to work as part of a professional team.

Kingston College has been affiliated with the Global Travel and Tourism Partnership for several years, and two of its students represented the UK at the 2012 GTTP Student/Teacher Conference in Monaco. The College works closely with the GTTP UK Director Claire Steiner to maintain their industry knowledge and relevance for the students.

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