Tourism opportunities in South Africa are booming! International guests continue to flock to our coastlines and cities to experience a little ‘local is lekker’ and the 2010 World Cup is certain to keep them coming well into the second decade of this millennium.

If you have a love of travelling, passion for people and are a great ambassador for SA, tourism management is a worthwhile career option for you. So, how do you get involved in this hugely popular industry?

Quinton Meiring, Career Guidance Counsellor from INTEC College gives you the inside scoop on tourism management day–to-day:

Am I Suited to a Career in Tourism Management?

If you answer Yes to most these questions, you could have what it takes to be a successful tourism manager!

Do I have good oral and written communication skills? Do I have good management skills? Have I got a flair for marketing? Do I have an interest in the outdoors and nature? Do I enjoy working with people? Have I got a good geographical knowledge of SA?

Y / N Y / N Y / N Y / N Y / N Y / N

Do I Need Any Skills When Applying To Study Tourism Management?

Excellent communications skills, a love of SA and its culture will give you a strong advantage.

What Career Opportunities Are There For Me?

A career in tourism management can lead you into a number of different job opportunities where you will be responsible for maintaining a positive image and development of local destinations. You could look into working in a travel consultancy and arranging packages and holidays for international and local guests. Or you could work for the tourism information offices and assist people on their travel itineraries. A career as a tour guide may be more your thing and you could align with car rental groups and bus groups to take guests to exciting new destinations. Even consider combining your knowledge of tourism management with other areas in hospitality such as guest house management, wildlife management or event coordination, hotel management or even food and beverage related industries to achieve a comprehensive and thorough skills base to work across these careers.

What Will My Typical Day Be Like On The Job As A Tourism Manager?

• You could manage a tourism information centre which would include areas like business management, staff supervision and office systems
• You may be responsible for ensuring services are in place to respond to day-to-day tourism enquiries
• You may be required to check and regularly report to management on the status of the tourism marketing budget
• You may need to give presentations on tourism awareness or new initiatives on behalf of the employer to industry, community or interest groups
• You may assist in planning, development and implementation of the tourism marketing budget
• You may liaise and build close relationships with the media to promote issues, and encourage community involvement and awareness.
• You may act as the executive officer of the local tourism committee

Where Can I Study Tourism Management?

INTEC College is one of the recommended SA institutions where you can study tourism management and is structured according to tertiary level developments in tourism studies, universities of technology and colleges. You can enrol into the Certificate of Tourism Management or a National Diploma.

Both of these distance learning courses will allow you to study while you work, giving you the option of gaining some in-house practical training at the same time.

Areas of study in the tourism management field include:

• Introduction to tourism
• Tourism management
• Communication
• Marketing management
• Financial accounting