Visitors listening to a Māori guide at the summit of Parihaka, overlooking the Whangārei city centre. Photo / Jeff Wood
Visitors listening to a Māori guide at the summit of Parihaka, overlooking the Whangārei city centre. Photo / Jeff Wood
OPINION
It’s no secret that the visitor industry has taken a few big knocks in recent years. When times are tough, travel is usually one of the first things people pull back on, and we have all experienced first hand the impact that global pandemics or significant weather impacts can have.
This has made considering a job in the tourism industry risky and difficult, as uncertainty coupled with challenging conditions for tourism operators has made job security, and jobs as a whole, more difficult to come by.
My career in the visitor industry started back in early 2008 at an agri-tourism attraction in Rotorua, which was heavily reliant on the international market. At the time, the world was on the precipice of global financial collapse, and I was not sure whether I would last a few weeks in the industry, let alone still be here 15 years later.
Amy Simpkin presents at a Responsible Tourism Workshop in Whangārei, one of the many initiatives underway to support development of the visitor industry. Photo / Supplied
During my time in tourism, I have witnessed the effects of pandemics, earthquakes, floods, the incident where someone put a digger through the jet fuel line, yet another significant global pandemic, and, most recently, cyclones.
Throughout this period, the visitors have come and gone, there have been quiet days and working-to-midnight days, there have been cancellations, and yes, there have been redundancies and job losses — and I have not been immune. It has been hard, and sometimes justifying staying in this industry has been even harder.
But through it all, my love for the tourism industry has never wavered. So aside from the excellent crisis management skills I have developed, why is working in tourism still the best job in the world?
Tourism is an industry that brings people together in the best way possible. The industry opens your eyes to people and cultures you may never have the opportunity to meet, and we have the opportunity to learn from them while sharing our own unique Kiwi stories in our place.
We are interacting with people when they are at their best, most relaxed, and even at their most inquisitive. Through these interactions, we build connection, and cultural competency, and grow understanding of a world outside of our immediate community.
I believe the people you work alongside are what contribute to the enjoyment of your role. Working in the visitor industry invites you to become a part of a family that will stick together for many years, and many of the people working in the industry across Aotearoa New Zealand are a testament to that.
I recently visited the agri-tourism business where I started my career. Even though it closed down during the pandemic, and even though it had been over a decade since I last worked there, the same people welcomed me back.
Even those who had left tourism for other roles during the pandemic border restrictions have returned to be part of the tourism industry, which has been like family to them.
Amy Simpkin, destination management plan portfolio support at Northland Inc. Photo / Supplied
Jobs in tourism have longevity. Our very own Taitokerau Northland Regional Tourism Organisation is a great example of this. Collectively across a team of four, we have about 45 years of experience in tourism, and are still relative spring chickens by industry standards!
In addition to this, the central government is investing in our visitor industry, in particular the workforce, through the Tourism Industry Transformation Plan. Projects underway will elevate industry standards, look at new ways of working to combat seasonality in jobs, provide better opportunities for professional development, and investigate ways that technology can help improve our visitor industry.
This means for those coming into the industry or already a part of it, there will be greater opportunities for learning, career development, and even job stability.
Through my 15 years of experience, I believe tourism still is and will remain the best job in the world.
Amy Simpkin is destination management plan portfolio support at Northland Inc, the region’s Economic Development Agency
