Meet the graduate putting a spotlight on tourism’s need for more accessible travel

Paralympian Michael Johnson spoke with ITC graduate Sinead McDonnell about tourism’s need for more accessible travel.

The final subject of the New Zealand Diploma in Tourism and Travel at Level 5 is tourism & hospitality research and analysis. As part of this subject, students must choose a topic to research – ideally one they have a special interest in.

For Sinead McDonnell, the choice was simple. Her own family history inspired her to take a closer look into the accessibility of the New Zealand hotel industry, and found real gaps in what’s currently available – and what could encourage more lesser abled tourists to explore New Zealand.

Read on to find out more about Sinead’s inspiration, project, thoughts, and future goals!  (more…)

Meet Tanika Rutson: The graduate on her way to Colorado!

Adventure-loving ITC graduate Tanika Rutson is set to head to Colorado for international work experience.

Tanika Rutson is a recent ITC graduate who has recently been accepted for a position at Cloud Camp in Colorado.

The team at ITC is incredibly proud to see her land such a wonderful role in a stunning location, and to be heading overseas to earn valuable experience in the international tourism market.

We had a quick chat with Tanika to learn more about her time with ITC, her career goals, and what she’ll be doing in her new position.

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Disney celebrating its 50th anniversary this year!

Walt Disney World in Florida is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

Walt Disney World is celebrating its 50^th anniversary, which is big news for the tourism industry, and for some of our wonderful ITC graduates.

The celebrations began in October last year, and will run throughout 2022 and into the start of 2023 as this beloved worldwide brand marks half a century of entertainment and joy.

Here’s a little more about the celebrations, and why it matters for tourism and ITC. (more…)

Read the inspiring speech shared for a recent ITC graduation by an industry leader

Haka Tours General Manager Eve Lawrence gave an excellent speech at a recent ITC graduation.

Eve Lawrence is the General Manager for Haka Tourism Group, where she runs Haka Tours, NZ Snow Tours, and ANZ Nature Tours. Naturally, she is an incredible role model for anyone aspiring to work in the tourism industry.

She recently shared the speech she wrote for our graduates.

With her permission, we are sharing some of the highlights of her speech, so you can enjoy her pearls of wisdom about tourism, travel, and making a career out of something you love!

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The Disney Cultural Exchange is relaunching!

The Disney Cultural Exchange is relaunching, and we couldn’t be more excited.

The Disney Cultural Exchange has long been one of the most exciting options for ITC graduates, and we have missed it greatly while it has been unavailable during the pandemic.

But now, we couldn’t be more excited to learn that the Disney Cultural Exchange is relaunching!

This is a very limited relaunch for now, so it is only available through partner providers such as ITC. Here’s a little more about what it all entails. (more…)

Enrol now for a chance to win an incredible Auckland tourism package!

You could win an incredible Sky Jump (and more) by enrolling now!

Have you been considering enrolling with ITC, or suggesting to a friend that they should enrol?

There has literally never been a better time than right now, because anyone who enrols between now and May 20 will go into the draw to win a phenomenal prize package in Auckland!

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The 2022 ITC famil another great success

ITC students recently visited attractions around Northland as part of their annual famil trip.

One of the highlights of the college year at ITC is the annual famil (familiarisation) trip. This is where students head off on adventures around New Zealand to get ‘familiar’ with some of the incredible tourism experiences on offer.

This gives them an insight into how it all works, and inspires them with areas they could work in once they graduate from ITC. And of course, it’s great fun!

Despite the challenges of 2022, the ITC famil still went ahead. This meant this year’s students get the most out of their education journey, going on an epic three-day adventure around Northland. ITC is one of few providers still offering such an amazing experience. (more…)

Meet Esther Fanene: The graduate who has seen NZ tourism bloom first hand!

Esther Fanene is a recent ITC graduate who landed an amazing role with Explore Group.

Esther Fanene is a wonderful ITC graduate who knew she wanted to be part of the New Zealand tourism industry from the outset.  

To do that, she enrolled with ITC, and the rest is history.

Esther has recently started a fantastic job with the Explore Group here in New Zealand. We asked her a few questions about her time at ITC, her new role, and her advice for anyone considering following in her footsteps. (more…)

Everybody loves ITC – What are you waiting for?

The results are in – everyone loves ITC!

The class of 2022 is off to an excellent start. They’re currently learning about travel and tourism, and taking on the knowledge and skills they’ll need to dive straight into an incredible career in the industry once they graduate.

They’ve only just begun, but we thought we’d check in and see how they’re finding it so far. And spoiler alert – a massive 100% of ITC graduates in 2020 and 2021 would recommend ITC to their friends (we’re particularly proud of that statistic considering the challenges of the past two years).

But without further ado, here’s some of the sparkling feedback we’ve received so far, and what you can get if you recommend ITC to a friend!

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ITC’s Business of Tourism Academy begins for 2022

The Business of Tourism Academy is kicking off again, and now available in South Auckland!

Despite all the challenges of the past two years, ITC has been running the Business of Tourism academy for two years now, and we’re excited to be launching our very first South Auckland academy this year.

Through the academy, students across Auckland and South Auckland can learn about tourism from a business perspective, giving them an insight into what it might be like to take these studies further and begin a rewarding lifelong career in tourism.

Here’s a little more about the Business of Tourism Academy and how you can get involved. (more…)