Talking Point: Why the tourism industry still needs expert staff

Glenn Fulcher is Head of EIT's School of Tourism and Hospitality. Photo / Supplied

While the New Zealand borders remain closed for most international visitors, domestic tourists are venturing out and "doing something new", taking Tourism New Zealand's catchy new slogan to heart.

Hawke's Bay Tourism, for instance, announced a record visitor spend for July, August, September, and October. And, although cruise tourists won't be promenading through Napier this summer, I was thrilled to hear the Gannet Beach Adventure is back, and new hospitality businesses continue to open and flourish.

However, from an educator's perspective, the pandemic has posed serious challenges and affected the way people view tourism education. People wrongly believe that job prospects are limited. And, unfortunately, many parents are discouraging children from taking up tourism studies. I fear that this is a very short-sighted way of looking at the current situation – and into the future.

Every cloud has a silver lining and one thing is certain: Industry still needs staff. While migrant workers are not able to enter the country, tourism businesses are heavily and solely relying on well-trained and passionate local workers.

A NZ Herald article published in October examined the impact of Covid-19 on the tourism workforce. Despite having laid off an estimated 40,000 workers, some parts of the industry are struggling to recruit staff as business bounces back. In a nutshell, they are crying out for skilled staff.

EIT has been offering tourism qualifications from certificate to diploma level for many years. We pride ourselves on offering our students a practical, high-quality education.

Our graduates are work-ready and most of them have been employed on the spot. They are working at airports, i-SITEs, the National Aquarium of New Zealand, as tour guides, as well as in hotels and hospitality businesses.

Many also took the plunge to venture overseas. Under normal circumstances, needless to say, there is always a job for well-trained and willing individuals.

New research conducted by the Wellington School of Business and Government at Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington has revealed "tourism students are optimistic their tertiary tourism qualifications will become increasingly sought after as the industry works to reimagine and rebuild tourism in New Zealand".

Lead researcher Dr Ina Reichenberger said: "With the severe impact of Covid-19 on tourism careers, we were concerned the attractiveness of tourism education could be negatively impacted. However, we found most of the students we interviewed had a positive outlook towards tourism careers in the long term — not despite, but because of, Covid-19."

For us educators, the glass is certainly half full, not half empty.

Statistics from Tourism NZ show that, before Covid-19, 60 per cent ($23.7 billion) of New Zealand's tourism spending came from Kiwis travelling in New Zealand.

Kiwis also previously spent $9b on overseas travel a year. They argue quite rightly, that "capturing a portion of this spend domestically while our borders are closed will be critical to the sector's recovery".  But New Zealand still needs enough staff to service those domestic tourists.

That being said, I hope Kiwis acknowledge the opportunities that might have been pushed to the back of our minds during the pandemic.

According to Tourism NZ, before Covid-19, international visitors contributed $17.2b each year towards our economy, making tourism New Zealand's number-one export earner. I'm optimistic the country will bounce back as soon as the border restrictions ease.

At the Tourism Industry Aotearoa Summit on November 17, new Tourism Minister Stuart Nash expressed his ambition "that, once global borders open, New Zealand is considered by the world's most discerning travellers as one of the top-three places in the world to visit."

We don't know when the borders will reopen but we have to be ready for when it happens.

We have the once-in-a-lifetime chance to start afresh. Tourism graduates will be at the forefront of a new era of travel.

Creative minds and out-of-the-box thinkers will be the ones shaping the future of tourism. Now is the time to study and get the ball rolling.

Glenn Fulcher is Head of EIT's School of Tourism and Hospitality