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Tourism Manager
Tourism managers promote tourism in their region through advertising campaigns and strategies, and provide assistance to tourists. They work with tourists of different cultures and traditions from all over the world and should therefore keep these different needs and requirements in mind.
Tourism is currently the fastest growing industry in South Africa and tourism managers have a key role to play in sustaining and increasing this growth through effective marketing of the South African products and services within their region. Part of tourism managers' tasks is to identify different target markets and to design appropriate packages to meet their needs. It is important that products attract people and persuade them to come back.
Tourism managers manage tourism information centres, including staff supervision and development, business management and office systems management. They need to ensure that quality services are in place by responding to day-to-day tourism enquiries. They regularly check and report to management on the status of the marketing budget for tourism. They make presentations on tourism awareness or of new initiatives, to industry, community or interest groups. They liaise and build close relationships with the media to promote tourism issues, and encourage community involvement and awareness.
Satisfying Aspects
- constantly meeting new people
- the challenge and variety of the work
- knowing your work significantly contributes to the country's foreign exchange reserves
- opportunities to travel
Demanding aspects
- dealing with difficult, unpleasant and over-demanding people
- working under pressure
- working long and irregular hours during in-season periods
Requirements
A tourism manager should:
- be able to work with all kinds of people;
- have good communication skills;
- have an excellent knowledge of South Africa's places of interest, its geography, its unique history, politics and flora and fauna;
- have organisational skills;
- be able to control groups of people and deal with unexpected situations.
School Subjects
National Senior Certificate meeting degree requirements for a degree course
National Senior Certificate meeting diploma requirements for a diploma course
Each institution will have its own minimum entry requirements.
Compulsory Subjects: English, Mathematics (for BCom degree)
Recommended Subjects: Tourism, Geography
Training
Degree: Tourism Management - Monash, UZ.
Diploma: N.Dip: Tourism Management or Travel & Tourism - NMMU, UNISA, DUT, CPUT, CUT, UJ, TUT, VUT.
Certificate: Tourism - FET colleges such as Boland, Ekurhuleni West, Port Elizabeth, Vuselela, Tshwane S, Northlink, South and Northern Cape, SW Gauteng and Umgungundlovu FET Colleges.
Employer
- Game farms
- Guest houses
- Holiday resorts
- Hotel groups
- Game lodges
- Entertainment places
- SA Tourism Board
Contact
Association of SA Travel Agents (ASATA)
P O Box 1234
Saxonwold, 2132
Tel: (011) 327-7803 Fax: (011) 327-7827
www.asata.co.za
Tourism Business Council (TBCSA)
P O Box 11655
Centurion, 0046
Tel: (012) 654-7525 Fax: (012) 654-7394
E-mail: tourism@tbcsa.org.za
www.tbcsa.org.za
South African Tourism Board (SATOUR)
Private Bag X10012
Sandton, 2146
www.satour.info