Report: Tourism

1.Introduction. 

　　Lots of people think that engage in tourism is a pleasant job, since they can travel around the world without paying money, even can earn salaries through the process. However, do people truly understand what those who participate in this job are actually doing? Unfortunately, most of us hold a wrong imagination about this job. 
　　Tourism in fact includes several aspects, such as domestic tourism, inbound tourism, outbound tourism, and so on. And it can also be divided into several different duties; for example, tour leader, tour guide and travel clerk, etc. Each of them are in charge for distinct areas in a travel agency, and all play important roles to fulfill a travel plan.
　　Tourism has become an important source of income for many areas and even whole countries. The 1980 Manila Declaration recognized its importance as “an activity essential to the life of nations because of its direct effects on the social, cultural, educational, and economic sectors of national societies, and on their international relations.” (Reference 1 -Significance of tourism)
　　Through providing costumer services and goods, tourism can bring a large amount of income, since 2011, it has accounted for 30% of the world's trade in services, and 6% of overall exports of goods and services. (Reference 1) Thus, tourism nowadays plays an important role all over the world.

2.Jobs Description. 

　　As I just mentioned, there are many jobs involved in tourism, here I am going to introduce the main ones individually.

• Tour Guide

　　Tour guides are people who are responsible for taking foreign travelers to visit famous landmarks in their own country or specific regions. They need to possess the entire knowledge of the places where they offer introduction, including features, history, entertainment, origin, and so on, so that they can cooperate with local travel agencies to design a travel plan. And they also have to pass the national exam, and then need to undergo pre-serve training. After all the process, they can eventually get the license and the official identity as a tour guide.
　　Tour guide can be divided into Chinese tour guide and foreign-language tour guide. The former one can lead people who speak Chinese to travel in their country, while the latter one takes people who use foreign languages. Moreover, the foreign-language tour guide can be assorted to eight categories of different languages.
　　About the requirements, they need to own the professional licenses, great communicating skill and good memory to memorize all the information of their introduction. The work content includes leading customers to look around and introduce the tour spots, serving customers, solving emergency situations and remind customers to prepare the necessary documents to go abroad.
　　As for the income, including four main sources: salary, service fee, commission and rebate. Salary is the basic income that is paid by the company which they serve. Service fee is the extra fee given by costumers, which is common in European and American areas; however, some particular countries regard this behavior as a bribe; thus it is totally forbidden. Commission is the referral fee, if they introduce a store or a shop to customers, they can gain the payment by the owners. Commission is to draw part of money when the clients buying goods in the specific shopping spots.
　　The salary will gradually increase along with the seniority. (Reference 2) And it also will be influenced by education background. (Picture 1)

【Picture 1: Tour Guide and Tour Leader - The average salary.】

• Tour Leader

　　Tour leaders are people who are in charge of taking their compatriots to travel abroad, and they need to deal with all the trivia when the tour group are oversea. No matter solving emergency situations, negotiating with the shops or hotels, helping customers to check in, etc. In other words, when travel groups are abroad, almost everything should rely on tour leaders to handle. Therefore, to make sure the qualities of them, they also must participating national exam to get licenses.
　　Tour leader can be divided into Chinese tour leader and foreign-language tour leader as well. The former one can take customers to visit China, Hong Kong and Macao areas. As for foreign-language tour leaders, they can take clients to almost worldwide, and can be classified into five different categories of languages. As the foreign-language tour leader need to in charge of all the communication when they are oversea; thus, the most significant requirement is language abilities.
　　Since tour leaders must go abroad, they definitely require the capacity to communicate with foreigners. Because the clients not likely all possess the capability to speak foreign languages, the duty of essential conversations are all fall on the tour leaders. Therefore, if people cannot speak languages fluently, or too shy to talk to strangers, they might not be the one who suits this career.
　　Tour guide and tour leaders actually have similar nature; therefore the job content and the sources of income are basically the same. The very difference is that tour leaders don’t have to introduce the tourism attractions to customers since they are essentially foreigners as well. (Except those who hold concurrent posts as tour guides. Generally, we call them “through guides,” and they can get both the salaries of tour guide and tour leader). As for the salary reference is same to Picture 1.

• Travel Clerk

　　Travel clerks are the staffs who specially focus on dealing with various affairs, and this job mostly no need to handle outdoor matters. Yet, this job actually can be differentiated into some distinct positions, and each of them have to process different parts of a travel plan. For example, the ticketing is in charge of everything about the tickets; the route control is responsible for designing new travel routes; the tour control is for dealing with all the trivia of the travel groups when they are abroad, and the operator is for all the documentary stuffs of the customers.
　　This career relatively focuses on writing skills more than speaking skill since they need to process the data and material which they have collected and make them into a travel plan. But it doesn’t mean that they don’t need to own a well communicating skill because they still need to negotiate with other related businesses such as the tour bus company to get a satisfying price or pattern of their cooperation. Moreover, they have to get accustomed to use the Cowell system to manage all the ongoing travel plans and handle every tiny stuffs of their travel agencies.
　　Unfortunately, since travel clerks do not own the national licenses, and also won’t go out to meet the customers to get extra fees; therefore their income is hardly possible as much as the tour guides and tour leaders. (Picture 2)The only way to get more earnings is the increasing of seniority and the well performances. Although each of the duties more or less earn distinct salary, the difference is quite small.

【Picture 2: Travel Clerk- The average salary of the first year.】

3.The Advantages and Disadvantages of Engaging in Tourism. 

　　People participating in this industry actually can possess several benefits. First, they can have the discounts when they are going on a trip. Second, they can learn other countries’ cultures and special customs, also can own the chance to taste the exotic cuisines. Last but not least, they can get the latest information and knowledge of travel; moreover, if their relatives are going to make a tour plan, they can definitely provide the various recommendations to them. Also, if they want to be a backpacker or to go on a self-guided travel, their professional knowledge must can give them much assistance as well.
　　However, there are always two sides of a coin. When they are enjoy in these privileges, they also need to take on the troublesome sides of this industry. First of all, they don’t have private time to take rests when they are on duty, especially for tour guides and tour leaders. Whenever their customers demand an assistance, they must go to deal with the situations immediately. Next, they might lose the time to stay with family and friends, because they need to go on the trips irregularly. The worst matter is that they should serve any kind of clients, no matter how terrible they are! Even though they understand that some of the customers are picking quarrels deliberately, they cannot fight back but just keeping a smile on face.

4.Who Suits This Job? 

　　This industry is fairly attached importance to three characteristic: passionate, patient and responsible. Actually, lots of people who still engage in tourism emphasize that if people don’t have enough passion to serve clients, they had better never try to enter this industry. Since job is a long-term matter, and it cannot be given up easily; therefore, if people don’t hold a firm determination, it is difficult to hang in this industry.
　　As for patience, because they need to handle the whole problems come up with the customers; thus, the patience is pretty important when they are serving others. Last but not least, they definitely need to be completely responsible. If they don’t be so, they will harm the right of clients and also will damage the credit of their travel agency. Thus, these three qualities are necessary to those who are in this industry.

5.Long-term Career Development. 

　　Actually, there are a large numbers of people cannot bare the tired duties, and they will quit this job after doing a short period. The average working period for those people are about 22 to 25 months; thus, it shows that how difficult these jobs are. (Reference 2 & Reference 3) 
　　But if people can insist to keep working in this area, the salary will get higher and higher along with the seniority, specifically for tour guides and tour leaders. Along with their working experience increasing, their salary will be raised quickly. Moreover, when they accumulate enough knowledge, they can even run their own travel agencies. As for travel clerks, to be honest, they cannot get the position as high as tour guides and tour leaders, because their duty is about deal with documents; therefore they may easily be replaced by others.
　　If they are truly get exhausted with this industry, after leaving this field, there are still some careers are suitable to them. Some of them will become salespeople since they are accustomed to serve every kinds of clients. And some of them will transfer into being teachers. In case they possess those specific expertise, and also pass the teacher education program, the departments of related area will fairly welcome them to be a teacher in their schools, whether senior high schools or universities.

6.How to Become a Tour Guide/ Tour Leader/ Travel Clerk? 

　　When it talks to become a tour guide or tour leader, the most essential thing definitely is the national license. In Taiwan, if people who didn’t pass the exam and possess the license, they in fact cannot be tour guide or tour leader, or it is illegal! But the good thing is that these job does not focus on education background that much. Although it will influence the price of salary, as long as people are able to hang in this industry for years, they still can earn quite much salary per month.
　　As for travel clerk, this job doesn’t require a high entrance standard to participate in, but again, to understand the Cowell system is completely important. As people who responsible for deal with whole documentary affairs, getting accustomed to the system which is helpful to handle the entire information about their own agency is fairly significant. Unfortunately, if you don’t comprehend it, the opportunity to enter the travel agency you preferred may be lower than those who have already gotten accustomed to it, since the senior in the agency won’t spend much time on teaching freshmen this kind of basic things.
　　No matter which of these jobs, most of the famous travel agencies may demand the interviewees to have great English ability. And they also prefer to those who already owned related experience in this industry. Except working from the bottom level, and keep insisting for years, or it is really difficult to be successful in tourism.

• References

1. Tourism – Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism
2. 導遊／領隊／導覽在做什麼 – 1111職務大辭典
https://event.1111.com.tw/careermaster/detail/270303
3. OP／票務人員／旅行社人員在做什麼 – 1111職務大辭典
https://event.1111.com.tw/careermaster/detail/270304
4. "Travel Clerk" Job Description - Duties and Tasks
https://job-descriptions.careerplanner.com/Travel-Clerks.cfm

My Interviewee: Cleo’s Mom.