Having fun is just part of what one will experience in tourism; commitment is essential if one wants to pursue a long-term career in this industry.

Not Just for Fun
Ms Cindy Lui, Human Resources Manager of Hong Thai Travel Services, says, “Some candidates apply for a job as a tour guide because they just think that traveling to other countries is fun.” She advises job seekers that a commitment to the job in this industry is essential. Tour guides do not simply travel with the tour members; they have a responsibility to take care of the members and to handle emergencies.

“Having a passion towards one’s career is so important. Imagine that when others are on holidays, it is usually the busiest time of tour guides. They have to work non-stop at least for a few days in a tour.”

Personality More Important
Therefore, when selecting suitable job candidates, Ms Lui looks for people who are customer-oriented, outgoing and have a sense of responsibility. For front-line staff including tour guides and ticketing officers, Hong Thai hires both form five and university graduates. “Comparatively, personality is more important than qualifications,” she says.

In job interviews, Ms Lui would test candidates’ language ability. “Candidates with good language skills can take long-haul tours after training.” Situational questions will be asked, testing candidates’ logical thinking and ability to handle emergencies. They will also find out if the candidate is passive or active, patient or not, and whether they can communicate effectively.

Booming Tourist Industry
According to Ms Lui, the prospect for tourism in Hong Kong is promising in 2008. “Nowadays, business is good throughout the year since people travel for a few times instead of only once every year.” That is why Hong Thai has planned to increase manpower in the coming year. The company has 1,100 staff now and will hire 50 more in 2008.

Since talent competition is keen in the market, Ms Lui reveals that they need to attract talent by providing comprehensive pre-employment training for front-line staff. “Tour guides will receive one-week training, while ticketing officers will be trained for two weeks. Afterwards, on-the-job training will be provided.”

Social Responsibility
For front-line staff, Hong Thai also hires graduates who have had a placement in the company before. “We have close connection with schools such as IVE (The Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education) and we provide placements to students every year. In 2007, we offered 110 placements with full training.” Even though not all students return to work at Hong Thai after graduation, the company provides such placements as an act of social responsibility.

Moving Up
For promotional prospect, those without experience can start as branch assistants. After getting relevant tour guide and insurance licenses and receiving training, they can begin leading tours. Staff can advance their career from junior tour coordinator to tour coordinator to senior tour coordinator. For senior staff, they usually lead long-haul tours as well as work as branch supervisors. Ticketing staff can begin their career as an assistant ticketing officer and then move up to ticketing consultant and then supervisor. Ms Lui says that promotion depends on staff’s work performance, job knowledge, and work attitude. Training will be offered to supervisory staff. Hong Thai usually looks for internal staff to fill up promotion positions before advertising these posts to attract talent from outside.

Ms Lui comments, “Tourism is an energetic industry. If one is willing to learn, engaging in this industry allows you to broaden your horizons and enrich knowledge of other cultures.”