The tourism industry – hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic – can either be regarded
as a sinking ship or a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Many would see the sinking ship, with tourism practitioners being the band that
continues to play in perfect harmony as the ship submerges. The musicians are the
ones serving the academic needs, the hoteliers in the service needs, the tour
operators in the planning needs, the policy makers, and all the gate keepers of
travel adventures.
But it is tourists who hold the golden key to unlock these dreams in order to make
these adventures a reality.
So where do we go from here as new variants of the virus are predicted? The answer
is simple and lies in the pristine beauty of our gems. These are all here to stay – a
domestic trip to a game reserve to have an elephant interaction; a picnic basket of
home-made delicacies in the rolling green meadows of the Midlands Meander or a
hike up Oribi Gorge are still very much available for us to indulge in.
When we were in harsh lockdowns, the dolphins and swans came out to play in the
least expected places, the carbon footprint decreased and we learnt to embrace
the free and natural things in life. Less was more, we got in touch with our souls and
learnt how to appreciate the sunrise and watch planets at play. This new form of
tourism is exactly that; we stay safe in open, private spaces and revitalize our souls
and save the planet in the process. Who could ask for more?
Kanandree Pather of GET Africa Travel, a tour operator dealing with natural African
experiences, said: “I do believe that a positive change for the sector will soon
approach. Internationals are ready and geared up for new adventures and
experiences – people want to travel now and see the world; they want to move
ahead with their travel journeys, tick off bucket–list destinations and have that
once-in-a-lifetime family holiday.
“On social media we see the disappointment people feel when they cannot travel
due to restrictions and flight cancellations. So, this gives us a clear picture that there
are people out there who definitely want to move forward with making travel
memories.
Southern Africa is ready to welcome these guests from around the globe and we
have excellent tourism people on the ground to make our guests feel safe.”
students will register for their newly–launched tourism programmes as tourism revives
itself very quickly.
MANCOSA is not preparing students for today but for the future; by the time they
need for professionals to serve this industry.
People love travel and dining and lazing around in resorts not knowing the time of
day or day of the week. We need professionals to serve these people and who
better than you? Where else do you get to take a working holiday?
Sharon Classen, a former tourism student, says that studying tourism teaches you
how to create added value, not only in the product that you are putting out, but
also in your employability.
Classen was retrenched during the first wave of COVID-19 infections but her solid
grounding and life skills learnt in her studies allowed her to bounce back – she is now
employed as an assistant lodge manager for Rhino River Lodge in Manyoni which is
well known for their Big 5 safaris.
She adds that, diversity in skills and upskilling oneself is the only way to remain
employable.
“Of course, maintaining an impeccable work ethic goes without saying, but I have
found that the broader your spectrum of skills, the better your chances are at getting
back into the workplace and how better than to acquire these skills through tertiary
studies in tourism.
“No longer are employers looking for a one trick pony; more and more
establishments are looking at employing versatile team members. As tourism begins
to adapt to the new way of travel, travel industry tradesmen need to learn to adapt
and develop skills to meet and exceed expectations of travellers,” she said.
Tourism awakens dreams, etches memories and stimulates the senses. Once you
catch the travel bug, you cannot get rid of it. And why would you want to? After all
it is a never–ending story where all fairy tales are brought to life.
