Mr. Jackie Wong Managing Director Hong Thai Traval

Hong Kong's tourism industry is heading for a bright future, Mr. Jackie Wong, Managing Director of Hong Thai Travel says. It is because the number of mainland travelers is increasing day by day, and the Hong Kong government is taking every step to promote tourism. Mr. Wong invites young people to join the industry.

Tourism professionals will have better career prospects, says Ms Susanna Lau, General Manager of Hong Thai Travel, as the scope of travel agencies becomes larger. For example, Hong Thai Travel has expanded from just over 300 staff some years ago to the current over 1,000.

"In the past, travel agencies were usually family businesses. There rarely was any promotion opportunity. But now, many travel agencies are growing in scope and developing different divisions such as ticketing, hotel reservations, advertising, travel-product development and other frontline departments. Tourism professionals should see better prospects for promotion and career development than before," Ms Lau says.

Most openings presently available in travel agencies are tour guide, tour coordinator, branch and regional manager, etc. Ms Lau says people in these frontline positions have to meet customers frequently. Therefore, good service attitude and pleasant personality are primary requirements. Academic qualifications are only second to that.

Mr. Wong describes working in this industry like learning how to swim. To fully understand the operations of a travel agency, one must learn from practice. The company usually sends new recruits to consulates or airlines to learn how to handle customers' visas and tickets and get practical experience.

Secondary school education is usually enough for frontline positions like tour guide, and the pay is usually $5,000-6,000 per month plus commissions. It takes about three to five years to climb up to the senior tour guide position. Branch managers are usually required to have certain experience in the tourism industry, and the entry-level pay is about $8,000, but they may expect promotion to the position of regional manager in a few years.

In order to enhance service quality in the tourism industry, the Hong Kong government has approved legislation that requires all local tour guides serving incoming visitors to be licensed before 2003. Moreover, within two years the Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB) will make a $16 million fund available to subsidize 8,000 local tour guides taking a seven-day escort-training course.

Mr. Benjamin Wong, Lecturer of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, School of Professional Education and Executive Development (SPEED), says the government has started thinking about a licensing system for local tour guides several years ago. So the school has taken into account this factor when designing its tourism courses. Once the relevant legislature is enacted, the school will try to have these courses included in the licensing system as recognized courses.

In the first batch of the approved courses for the Continuing Education Fund (CEF), the Hong Kong Polytechnic University's School of Professional Education and Executive Development (SPEED), the University of Hong Kong's School of Continuing and Professional Education (HKU SPACE), the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology's College of Lifelong Learning (CL3), and the Hong Kong Baptist University's School of Continuing Education (SCE) offer tourism courses. Two-thirds of the courses are offered by SPEED.

These include recognized courses in tour guide training, tourism-related facts and information, Hong Kong tourism laws and regulations, how to handle difficult customers and crisis handling skills, etc.

Talking about the courses' characteristics, Mr. Wong states that courses under the CEF reimbursement scheme have a major emphasis on practical skills. Except the theoretical part on tourism laws and regulations, the courses consist mainly of practical modules that deal with daily operations.

"Tour guides may meet very demanding customers. Therefore, we'll teach them how to handle difficult customers and crisis-handling skills. Moreover, tour guides' work requires them to face crowds of visitors, and so, speaking and communications skills are also taught."

Apart from tourism-related knowledge, language ability is also important. Among the approved courses are tourism-related language courses. The "Certificate in English Communication Skills for Tourism" offered by HKU SPACE is one example. The course is specially designed for tourism professionals and focuses on occupational English required when reserving rooms, handling complaints and giving directions.

Taken from Career Times 2002/07/05