UNIT 5

DEVELOP AND UPDATE

INDUSTRY KNOWLEDGE

Learning Objectives ……………………………..93

Introduction………………………………………….94
Seek Information on the Industry…………..95
Update Industry Knowledge…………………103
Job Role……………………………………………….107
Unit Summary………………………………………108
Points of Discussion……………………………..108
Multiple Choice Questions…………………..109

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After studying this unit, you will be able to:

 Seek information on the industry
 Update industry knowledge
INTRODUCTION

The tourism sector is a coming together of various suppliers of services to offer people a complete
tourist experience. Travel agents and tour operators play a vital role in the promotion of tourism. Today
the travel and tourism industry is one of the biggest and most dynamic industries in the world. If you are
planning to be a part of this dynamic industry then you are required to know more about the travel
agency operations than just what happens within the walls of the office.

This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to develop and update
current and emerging information on the tourism industry, including industry structure, current
technology and key environmental, community, legal and ethical issues that must be considered and
applied by tourism industry personnel in their day-to-day work. The unit focuses on the ability to source
and comprehend general tourism industry information and covers the initial and ongoing development
of a person’s required knowledge base. This information underpins effective performance in the tourism
industry.

The tourism industry is based on many different components and interrelated parts. For example,
transport, accommodation, attractions, activities, marketing and government regulation. Many
businesses span more than one sector and the impacts in one part of the tourism industry have
significant implications for other sectors.
The tourism industry includes:
1. Those sectors which enable the tourist to travel to and from the destination (for example
travel agents, airlines, bus companies, tour operators and rental car companies)
2. Those sectors which are part of the product at the destination (for example,
accommodation, facilities and attractions)
3. The human component of tourism (the labor force)
4. Public sector or government agencies, regional tourism organizations, professional
associations and industry training organizations.

SEEK INFORMATION ON THE INDUSTRY

Travel agents help travelers sort through vast amounts of information to help make the best possible
travel arrangements. They offer advice on destinations and make arrangements for transportation, hotel
accommodations, car rentals, and tours for their clients. They are also the primary source of bookings
for most of the major cruise lines. In addition, resorts and specialty travel groups use travel agents to
promote travel packages to their clients.

Travel agents are also increasingly expected to know about and be able to advise travelers about their
destinations. Tourism involves all activities that take people away from their usual place or residence for
any reason. Common reasons include holidays, recreation, business, visiting and experiencing new
cultures and to visit family and friends. Any business that is utilized during any part of travel is
associated with the tourism industry. Whilst the businesses incorporated within the tourism industry
will be detailed later in this manual, it is easy to understand the diversity of the industry. The tourism
industry is one of the largest industries in the world; it is not surprising to learn that they are the
numerous publications devoted to industry news, trends and statistics. Whilst most general media
sources will contain travel and tourism related information, there are many sources specifically focused
on the industry. There are a number of publications available to the tourism industry which provides
detailed updates on the events, promotions and concerns within the travel industry. These are available
both in printed format and electronically.

Information seeking behavior refers to the way people search for and utilize information. In the front
office services, it required skills and abilities like automated ticketing & reservation, sales & marketing,
information & customer service, administration & accounting and strategy planning.

Sources of Information on the Industry are Correctly Identified and Accessed

There are many sources of information that can assist you. Some of these sources are generic in nature
and others are specific to the industry. The idea of obtaining industry information is so that you can use
it for your benefit, the benefit of your organization and the ultimate benefit of the customers. It is
important in the travel and tourism industry to have up-to-date information so you can:
 Talk to customers about industry specific events, trends and happenings
 Plan your career as opportunities present themselves
 Know when you need to update your training (knowledge and skills) in line with
changes in legislation, equipment, trends and industry best practice.

Colleagues, Supervisors and Managers

These people are your first-line sources of information. You should feel free to ask them questions
whenever you need to find information. Get to know them actively seek out their opinions, experiences
and views. They can help you find out what is happening, where the business is heading, what they think
of the industry and its various stakeholders and what they intend doing personally. Talking to these
people demonstrates your interest in the industry and the more you talk to them the easier it will
become to ask subsequent questions.

Suppliers

Many suppliers have sales representatives who call on the business on a regular basis. Sales
representatives, known also as ‘sales reps’ or just ‘reps’, visit the business for public relations (PR)
purposes or to introduce new products. These PR calls are courtesy visits where they don’t actually ask
for anything but simply call in and ‘have a chat’. This talk can be useful in finding out what is happening
at other businesses, trends in the industry, new products, blackout periods and impending price rises.
They are an excellent source of information, certainly about their products, but also about the industry
in general because they visit so many businesses and speak to so many staff.

Developing your Own Industry Network

As a member of travel industry, it is vital to build your industry network. This involves reaching
out to all people in all aspects of the industry and discussing industry happening, trends and
current information. The more people you meet and the more people information you
accumulate provide you with a sound understanding of the industry and will help your career
progression. Make yourself known and visible and keep yourself ‘in the loop’ which means:
 You need to contact your network when you find out something you think they
might need to know. This highlights the two-way nature of the concept of
networking
  You need to occasionally contact them just to ‘keep in touch’ even when there is
nothing specific to pass on to them. Often they remember something they need
to tell you and your call demonstrates you value them as a contact.

Conferences and Seminars

You should attend these whenever possible and make an effort to attend a major one atleast
every two years. Let your employer know you are interested in attending and keep an eye in
media and trade publications about events that are coming up. Conferences and seminars are
extremely useful because they are:
 A great source of industry contacts. It is beneficial to begin ‘networking’ as soon
as possible
 Good sources of new ideas, new products and new industry thinking
 A good opportunity to share and test ideas. If you can’t attend them, then make
sure you read about them in the trade magazines or make contact with someone
who has attended.
Product Launches

You are in a good position to attend many of these by the virtue of being in the travel industry.
Sales representatives may give you invitation or an invitation may be given to all staff at your
workplace. These events are good networking opportunities and they also provide product
knowledge about the product being launched.
Other sources of information may include:
 Media: Local & national newspaper, trade magazines, food & travel program on
television and radio
 Tourist Office & Tourism Commission: It provides up-to-date information on
tourist & hospitality facilities & services.
 Books & eBooks: It covers any topic, well comprehensive or historical
information.
 Journals: Collection of articles written by scholars for academic users; covers
very specific topics for scholarly research.
 Trade magazines: Different sectors within the tourism industry will have their
own publications.
 Hotel School Publications: Tourism and Hospitality educational providers around
the world often have a dedicated research or on-line library containing latest
information specific to industry.
 Newspapers: Great sources for current, international, national, and local events;
includes experts and public opinions; but lacking in-depth analysis and studies.
 World Wide Web – Covers any topic; contains multimedia formats (text, sound,
images, videos); great for up-to-the-minute information on current events and
quick search for information. Quality and reliability of information varies greatly.
Information is unstable as it can be changed and pulled out without notice. For
 more reliable information, try to limit your search to Web sites from
governments and educational institutes.

 Article Databases – Collections of information in digital format, covers a good

variety of subjects for research; includes full-text scholarly journals, magazines,
newspapers, encyclopedias and even books.

Information to Assist Effective Work Performance

Work performance standards are required for all classified positions. The
supervisor is responsible for establishing the initial standards, but standards
must be reviewed annually and amended, as appropriate. Employees must be
given an opportunity to comment when standard are revised. Job performance
assesses whether a person performs a job well. Job performance, studied
academically as part of industrial and organizational psychology, also forms a
part of human resources management. Performance is an important criterion for
organizational outcomes and success.

POINTS TO REMEMBER

1.To develop a useful and representative network of contacts you will need to
make deliberate attempts to target and talk to people you respect within the
industry including owners, managers and others.

Competency-based assessments are becoming more and more prevalent in

organizations. Competencies are generally defined as knowledge, skills and
abilities exhibited by individuals as they work to accomplish key results.
Competencies may be specific to the individual job or may be applicable to all
employees in an organization. Competencies that apply to all employees in the
organization are referred to as “core competencies”. An example of a core
competency applicable to all employees in an organization may be customer
service or teamwork.

Information to assist effective work performance my include

 different sectors of the industry and the services available in each
sector
 relationship between tourism and hospitality
 relationship between the industry and other industries
 industry working conditions
 legislation that affects the industry
a. liquor
b. health and safety
c. hygiene
 d. gaming
e. workers compensation
f. consumer protection
g. duty of care
h. building regulations
 trade unions environmental issues and requirements
 industrial relations issues and major organizations
 career opportunities within the industry
 work ethic required to work in the industry and industry expectations
of staff
 quality assurance