Tourist informations centers (TICs) provide information and advice about visitor attractions, events, accommodation, transport and other facilities in the local area and nationwide. The managers of TICs are responsible for the recruitment and training of staff, purchasing items for sale and smooth running of their centre. They must be good at planning and predicting travellers needs. They are responsible for dealing with enquiries in person, by post, e-mail and phone, gathering information about visitor attractions, keeping up-to-date with changes in tourist events, coordinating the staffs work, identifying commercial opportunities to earn money, control the centre's budget, implement health and safety regulations.
QUESTIONS 1. Name some professions in tourism. 2. What are the principal tasks of a tour guide? 3. What personal characteristics must a tour guide have? 4. What kind of knowledge must a tour guide have? 5. Which special skills are required for this job? 6. Name some responsibilities of a travel agency manager. 7. What information does a travel agent provide for travellers? 8. Which personal characteristics must a travel agent posess? 9. What are the duties of amusement and recreation workers? 10. Why is the job of a cruise reservation agent still necessary today? 11.What must a cruise reservation agent be like? 12.What information do tourist information centres provide? 13.What are their managers responsible for?
HOTEL INSPECTOR CAREER
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Competition in the hotel service industry can be brutal. So how does a hotel manager or owner successfully gather data in order to propel the hotel status to a superior rating? By hiring a hotel inspector who provides invaluable feedback, recommendations and insight. A hotel inspector career requires discretion, exceptional communication skills and attention to detail, while enjoying hotel perks such as spa treatments and great restaurants.
Hotel Inspector Details
1. A career as a hotel inspector can be fun or frustrating depending on an individual's ability to be ready to travel, detail oriented, able to write comments about services and understand the business needs for a hotel. While this type of career can sound exciting because of the perks such as running up hotel tabs, ordering room service and enjoying hotel services, a hotel inspector is working while at the hotel. Careful attention to details, for instance how long the room service takes, must be captured during the stay. Another aspect of a hotel inspector career is creating an effective summary or report regarding the visit, identifying issues and providing solutions for improvement.
Employee or Contractor
2. A hotel inspector may be an employee of a large hotel chain or can be an independent consultant servicing various hotels. A hotel inspector employee will typically have an understanding of company policies, procedures and business strategy, then will compare a visit with the company goals. The company decides on hotel visits, required reports, next steps and responsibilities for a hotel inspector employee.
A hotel inspector consultant is contracted by someone at the hotel the owner or manager and then anonymously checks into a hotel and begins to review details about the hotel. After information is gathered from the hotel stay, the contracted hotel inspector will provide a detailed report, service scores, narrative comments, photos and other details regarding hotel operations and potential improvements.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
3. A hotel inspector must have knowledge of the hotel service industry. Additional knowledge includes business savvy, service levels, customer expectations and company branding. Attention to details and strong communication skills are critical for success. Abilities also include active listening and issue resolution.
Not Just an Opinion
4. A hotel inspector must be able to provide detailed feedback and recommendations that are based on specific facts. Typically this career leaves little room for personal opinions and preferences unless specifically requested by the provider. Unlike a "secret shopper" that is hired to give feedback on an individual experience, a hotel inspector is focused on the hotel service industry standards and how an individual hotel operates.
Education
5. Most hotel inspector positions require a bachelor's degree. However, extensive hotel experience and senior management experience--five years or more--can be an exception to formal education. A hotel inspector needs to be computer-literate and have outstanding communication skills. An understanding of hotel standards, service practices, love of traveling and people skills are helpful.There are courses and training options on hotel inspection. A hotel inspector employee position can be competitive to obtain, so reviewing qualifications and considering additional training may be helpful.
Associations
6. Hospitality associations provide education and training regarding the hotel service industry. In addition, hospitality associations tend to keep up with the latest trends, policies and procedures, which are helpful to a hotel inspector career
Appendix II
TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION
I AM A STUDENT
My name is ___________, my surname is ___________.
I am a freshman (sophomore, junior, senior).
I am a student of the (Humanities) department of the Rostov State Transport University.
My speciality is (Tourism/ Hotel Management/ ____________).
I go to the University every day, except Sunday. Our studies begin at 8.20 in the morning. We have 1 or 2 lectures and some practical studies every day. We stay at the University till 3 or 5 p.m.
We study many general and special subjects such as….(History, English, Russian, Maths, PT, Introduction into Speciality and …).
My favourite subject is …… because ….
The most difficult subject for me is ….
The academic year is divided into 2 terms. Each term ends with an examination session. We have to take several tests, credits and exams. At the end of this term we will have 5 or six credits and 5 exams.
The course of studies lasts 4 years. After passing our final exams successfully we will get the diplomas of the (bachelors, specialists, engineers) in the field of (social work / tourism). Our graduates can work at different Russian and foreign enterprises and offices.
2. ROSTOV STATE TRANSPORT UNIVERSITY
Rostov State Transport University (RSTU) occupies a prominent position among the scientific and educational institutions of Russia.
It history dates back to the 20-s of the 20-th century. On the first of October 1929 the Rostov Mechanical Institute of Transport Communication Engineers (so RSTU was called then) was established. 292 students were accepted to its three departments: Railway, Water Transport and Road Construction. They were lucky to attend the lectures of the outstanding scientists (D.D. Mordukhai-Boltovskoy, D.N. Goryachev, E.V. Bogoslovsky, N.N. Dyakov and others) whose names are known far beyond Russia.
During the years of the World War II the Institute was evacuated to Tbilisi. But during these hard years the education and science research didn’t stop.In August 1944 the faculty and the students returned back to Rostov. They were struck seeing the ruins of the main building, Electro-Mechanical Department, Hostel # 1 and other buildings. They managed to restore everything and then constructed new buildings and the campus.
During the last decade the Rostov State Transport University has become one of the largest and the most prestigious higher educational establishments in the South of Russia. Now it is a vast scientific and educational complex, comprising 9 departments, 42 chairs, Postgraduate and Doctorate Colleges, Computer Centre, Virtual Railroad Complex, Experimental-Testing Plant, Engineering Centre of Postgraduate Professional Education. Its main departments are the Humanities; Economy, Management and Law; Power Engineering; Electro-Mechanical; Railway Management and Operation; Railroad Construction; Railroad Construction Machines; Information, Telemechanics and Control.
The University has branches in the towns of the Northern Caucasus: in Tuapse and Miniralnie Vodi.
The University faculty exceeds 800 teachers, including about 200 Doctors of different sciences, 150 professors, 500 candidates of science, more than 30 members of various Academies. The Rector of the University is professor Vladimir Vereskun. The President of the University is an academician of the Russian Academy of Science Vladimir Kolesnikov. He is one of the leading world scientists in the sphere of tribology.
At the present moment more than 20,000 students study at the departments and branches of the University. They have the opportunity to work in the modern library, equipped with computers and Internet facilities. For those students who don’t live in Rostov there are three comfortable hostels on the territory of the campus. Besides studying students actively participate in social life, charity actions, sport competitions and cultural programmes. Many potential applicants study at the Lyceum. The university teachers conduct the lessons in it.
The campus of the University occupies 22 hectares. It is a beautiful park all the year round. There are four academic buildings, three hostels for students, a canteen, a large sport complex with many gyms and a swimming pool and a wonderful students’ club on its territory. Students’ cultural and social life is various and interesting. They take part in traditional conquests, concerts, and parties. They also have an opportunity to perfect their knowledge of the modern languages, take part in the scientific students’ conferences and make many good friends during the years of their studying.
| Department | Speciality / Educational program | Qualification | Place of work | |
| Electro-mechanical Department | Railway rolling stock | Locomotives | Engineer of railway communication | At the railway stations (junctions) At the locomotive workshops At the mechanical shops At the carriage shops |
| Carriages | ||||
| Electrical railway transport | ||||
| Engineering of environment protection | Engineer-ecologist | |||
| Equipment and technology for wear resistance improvement, machine parts and apparatus restoration | Engineer | |||
| Power Engineering Department | Power supply of railroads | Engineer of communication | At design and research offices At industrial and transport enterprises | |
| Industrial heat-and-power engineering | Engineer | At power stations At repair inspection shops | ||
| Electromechanics (electrical engineering, electromechanics and electrotechnocs) | Engineer | |||
| Department of Automation, Telemechanics and Communication | Automation, telemechanics and communication on the railway transport | Railway engineer | At industrial and transport enterprises At design offices At research offices | |
| Computers, computer complexes, systems and networks | Engineer | |||
| Multiple-channel telecommunication systems | Engineer | |||
| Information systems and technologies | Engineer |
| Department | Speciality / Educational program | Qualification | Place of work |
| Construction Department | Land cadastre | Engineer | At railroad construction sites In the workshops At industrial and transport enterprises |
| Railroad construction | Bridges and transport tunnels | Engineer | |
| Railroad construction, road and railway equipment | |||
| Department of Railroad Construction Machines | Exploitation of trans-shipping equipment of ports and transport terminals | Engineer | At the railway stations (junctions) At the locomotive workshops At the mechanical shops At the carriage shops |
| Service of transport and technological machines and equipment | Engineer | ||
| Tribology | Engineer | ||
| Vehicles and transportation management | Engineer | ||
| Lifting and transport, construction and road machines and equipment | Engineer | ||
| Department of Railway Management and Operation | 1. Transportation and transport management (railway transport) 2. Logistics and supply chain management | Engineer of communication | At the railway stations, junctions, terminals At the industrial and transport enterprises |
| Economy, Management and Law | 1. Law 2. | Lawyer | At the industrial and transport enterprises |
| 3. Finances and credit | Economist | ||
| 4. Business accounting, analysis and audit 5. | Economist | ||
| 6. Economy and management at the enterprise | Manager-economist | ||
| 7. Taxes and taxation | Taxation-expert | ||
| 8. International economics | Economist |
| Department | Speciality / Educational program | Qualification | Place of work |
| Humanities Department | 1. Social and cultural service and tourism | Specialist in the field of service and tourism | At the tourist agencies and bureaus, hotels, tourist enterprises |
| 2. Social work | Social work specialist | ||
| 3. Scientific discipline of documentation and documentation securing of management | Scientific discipline of documentation expert | ||
| 4. Management 5. | Manager |
