STUDENT VOICE Student Voice SPRING SUMMER 2017 | Page 48

Hope Scott on TRAVEL and TOURISM NC Travel and Tourism student Hope Scott has been taking part in a work experience placement in the College’s marketing department since December 2016. Here she speaks about her experience of the tourism industry and her time at the College so far. I have been on this course for just under a year now, but have worked in the tourism industry for close to six years. As a passionate traveller, with an endless enthusiasm for discovering new places and delivering a great customer service, I realised the tourism sector is the area in which I want to build an exciting career. For me, it all started when I was little, and I wanted to work as a steward for an international airline (British Airways to be precise!) and travel all over the world. Now I am looking into management options in the sector. The fact that it is a diverse sector with a lot of opportunities makes the industry so appealing. Travel and tourism requires you to work in a multi-cultural environment where you get to experience people from all over the world, which for me is exciting! Travel and tourism isn’t limited to tourist attractions - it involves hospitality, politics, education, leisure, hotels, historic sites and so on. It is one of Scotland’s largest industries. It encompasses the world and represents a huge range of cultures and nationalities. In the course we create travel itineraries where we match up products to create a tailored 48 Hope Scott (centre) with Principal and Chief Executive, Heather Dunk and Board of Management Chair, Willie Mackie package for specific clients, such as family, individuals, businesses, or leisure purposes. We also map locations in countries by researching their cities and landmarks, to identify places we can suggest in the package. We learn about the job roles in the sector such as travel agents, overseas representatives, and tour/ attraction guides in this topic. The course covers other topics such as marketing, selling, customer service, tour planning, tour guiding and Scottish tourism. My favourite part of the course so far has been mapping/locating countries and their landmarks, matching up products to create a tailored itinerary and going on study visits. We will soon be visiting the Isle of Arran. I have been on work experience with the College's marketing department since December 2016. It has been a great and rewarding experience working in marketing as this subject has been a bit of a challenge for me in the course. The placement has really benefited me, not only for my CV, but I have gained experience and broadened my knowledge and understanding about marketing. I see a degree in tourism as my next step in making my goal of a career in travel, tourism, and hospitality management become a reality.   “ it's a diverse sector with lots of opportunities That's why it's so appealing. ” THE STUDENT VOICE SPRING/SUMMER 2017