REVIEW

UNIT 3 Working in Tourism

WORKING
customer-facing roles IN TOURISM behind-the-scenes roles

JOBS

tourist digital
information travel flight on a cruise event
guide centre in a hotel in a resort marketing
agent attendant ship planner
assistant assistant

bus tour guide, receptionist, social

holiday
sightseeing guide, administrative host, shore
representative,
museum guide, assistant, room excursion
entertainer
national park guide attendant assistant

SUMMARY: WORKING IN TOURISM

Jobs in the tourism sector can be divided into customer-facing roles where you have frequent contact
with clients in person, on the phone or through written correspondence, and behind-the-scenes roles
where contact with customers is non-existent or limited. Let’s look at some of the most common jobs.

Firstly, being a guide. There are different types of guide but in all of the positions you will be expected
to take charge of a group, describe the main features of a place in an interesting manner, and answer
any questions.

Tourist information centres can be found in towns and tourist destinations. Working as an assistant in
one of these centres means being in contact with tourists of different nationalities and giving them the
relevant information and help they need. You could also be involved in selling things like guide books and
souvenirs.

A travel agent, whether general or specialised in a specific area or type of travel, has to be able to
understand the client’s needs or wants, give appropriate advice and sell package holidays or individual
travel products. It’s important to stay up-to-date with what’s happening in the world of travel and
provide a very professional and efficient service.

Hotels offer positions which are both customer-facing and behind the scenes. A receptionist is in
charge of greeting guests and dealing with check-in and check-out procedures. In the back office, an
administrative assistant has little or no contact with guests and is involved in various administrative
or financial tasks to help with the running of the hotel. Being a room attendant is a physically demanding
job where you have to tidy and clean guests’ rooms quickly and efficiently.
In a resort, in addition to the jobs you can find in a hotel, there are also the positions of holiday rep
and entertainer. A holiday rep is usually in charge of collecting guests at the airport and accompanying
them to the resort, providing them with lots of information on the resort and destination. They also
have to organise and sell excursions and other activities. The role of entertainer is to ensure guests
are having fun on their holiday by organising entertainment and activities and encouraging them to take
part.

Being a flight attendant for an airline gives you the opportunity for travel. You need specific training in
order to do this job as you are responsible for the safety and comfort of passengers during a flight. You
also have to sell and serve food and drinks.

Working for a cruise company is another way of travelling the world. A social host on board a cruise
ship is a public relations role as you have a lot of contact with passengers and have to give talks,
arrange parties and make sure they are enjoying themselves. A shore excursion assistant has to sell
the excursions and other activities to passengers and accompany them on the trips on shore. They also
deal with administration and any problems that occur.

Marketing is an important and growing area for the travel and tourism industry. As a digital marketing
assistant you can be involved in designing and generating content for websites and social media
channels, analysing the competition and keeping track of new developments and trends.

As an event planner you could be involved in organising many different events such as weddings,
conferences and launch parties. You need to be able to understand your clients’ needs and come up
with interesting and suitable proposals. Before the event you have to organise all the details, and at the
event itself you are responsible for making sure everything runs smoothly.