CAREERS IN TOURISM

CAREERS IN TOURISM

PRE- READING

Answer these questions.

Have you ever stayed at a five-star hotel in this country? Abroad?

What kind of special services do hotels offer to their customers?

READING

Like most service industries, tourism is labor-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 a chambermaid, to skilled, like a travel agent or a statistician. In addition, tourism generates many jobs that are not usually considered to be within the industry itself: jobs in construction, manufacturing, and merchandising.

Tourism is not a single industry, but rather a group of related enterprises that are joined together in the common purpose of providing services for the traveling public.

Among them are the transportation companies: air, rail, ship, and bus; the accommodations companies: hotels, motels, camping grounds, and marinas; catering services: restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and food stores; and the wide variety of stores and entertainment that contribute to the amusement of the tourist.

A majority of the jobs in tourism, regardless of which part of the industry they concern, have one common denominator: contact with the public, including both the positive and negative aspects of dealing with ordinary human beings. Openly expressed resentment of tourists has caused a decline in business in some resort areas. Anyone who has chosen a career in tourism should enjoy working with people and be tolerant of their failings, especially since the irritations of travel can bring out the worst qualities in some people.

Tourism is an industry that is still growing rapidly. It continues to provide people with the choice of a variety of occupation 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. 

POST- READING

1)     Read the definitions and choose the correct term from the box.

Ticket agent; ¨Entertainment; Tour guide; Social director; Front-desk employee.

a)     Person in charge of a tour or an excursion.

b)     Hotel personnel who register or give information to guests.

c)     Airline employee who sells tickets.

d)     Activities programmed for the amusement of the guests.

e)     Person responsible for these activities.

2)     Decide whether the following sentences are TRUE (T) or FALSE (F)

(……….) The proportion of people employed in tourism is low compared to the number of people served.

(……….) All jobs in tourism require either no skill or just a very low degree of skill.

(……….)  The tourist industry is made up of different kinds of businesses that are connected with travel.

(……….)  Very few people employed in the tourist industry have any direct contact with the public.

(……….)  Language skills are usually more important for tourism employees in destination areas than in market areas.

(……….)  A person who does not like fun and games would be an excellent choice for a social director at a resort hotel or on a cruise ship.

(………) The key to success in tourism is the satisfaction of customers´ needs and expectations.

3) Answer these questions.

a) How is tourism similar to other service industries?

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b) Do all the jobs in tourism require skills?

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c) Does tourism ever create jobs in other businesses?

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4) Determine whether the underlined words in the following sentences mean the same as in the text. Write down “Yes” (Y) or “NO” (N).

(………….) Most Venezuelan hotel workers like foreigners who come here as tourists.

(…………) Another guest used my room number at the hotel restaurant and his expenses were charged to my account.

(………….)  I was among the passengers of flight 847 that were stranded at Miami International airport for 48 hours last week.

(………….)  The package includes a guided tour of the city in addition to airfare and accommodations at a five-star hotel.

(………….)  Skilled workers constitute the most important asset of any enterprises.

5) Translate into Spanish the following paragraph.

In many of the jobs in which it is necessary to deal with the public, language skills are necessary or desirable. The degree of language skill may vary, from using special terms in catering service jobs to speaking fluently among travel agents and tour guides.

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