Pretty in pink: ITC raises money for breast cancer

Staff and students at the International Travel College participated in the NZBCF’s Pink For a Day campaign to raise money for breast cancer.

Students at ITC always love an opportunity to dress up for college – especially if it’s for a great cause. Last Wednesday everyone ditched the smart black and white dress code in favour of pink, pink and more pink to raise money for the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation (NZBCF).

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #22

In this week’s Industry News Bulletin, we take a look at tourism in the South Island, with both Queenstown and Christchurch experiencing growth and forecasting a busy summer season.

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Christchurch CBD Awakens

As construction projects inch closer to completion and companies begin to return to the CBD, the Christchurch business community is enjoying ‘a renewed sense of optimism’, the New Zealand Herald reports.

In this in-depth feature article, the Herald interviews a series of Christchurch businesspeople about the current climate, five years after the 2010 earthquake.

Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce general manager Leeann Watson told the Herald that businesses are now beginning to return to the CBD.

“All businesses had to move out of the central city because it was closed down for a considerable amount of time, so they didn’t have any choice but to go and set up elsewhere,” Ms Watson said.

“What we’re seeing now is those businesses have come back and are coming back.”

Christchurch’s regeneration is a positive sign for the tourism industry, with more people visiting the Garden City each year. Christchurch and Canterbury Tourism chief executive Tim Hunter is expecting this summer to be another busy season.

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ITC graduate lands dream job with Aerocare

ITC graduate Jacinta Nelson recently started working with Aerocare as a check-in agent for Jetstar. She is a wonderful role model and a shining example that it’s never too late to pursue your dreams.

The team at the International Travel College of New Zealand (ITC) is incredibly proud of graduate Jacinta Nelson, who recently started her dream job working with Aerocare as a check-in agent for Jetstar.

Aerocare is Australia and New Zealand’s leading ground handling company. It partners with airlines to deliver exceptional customer service and support to passengers.

Jacinta has long had her eyes set on a career with Aerocare and was overjoyed to be offered a job. A mature student, Jacinta is sharing her experience to show others that it’s never too late to follow your dreams.

“I believe everyone – at any age – can fulfil their dreams and achieve their goals,” Jacinta says.

“To all current and future students: don’t give up too easily. Keep going until you reach your dream.”

Jacinta joined ITC’s Botany Campus in April 2015 and completed the New Zealand Certificate in Tourism with a strand in Aviation. This 21-week course is an ideal introduction into the world of aviation and covers topics such as check-in, aviation security, flight attending, international travel documentation and more.

Many students who complete this course go on to work at airports or for airlines. It’s a great course for anyone who is passionate about air travel and wants to work in this exciting industry.

Jacinta is a shining example of how with hard work, determination and the right qualification, you can achieve your career dreams.

“We are so proud of Jacinta – she is a role model to all students, past, present and future,” says ITC Botany Head Tutor Cathy Alder.

“She said a couple of years ago that she thought she could never do it. Well, now here she is: she has proved that she can! It’s never too late to starting learning and never too late to gain your dream job. Congratulations Jacinta – you’re a super star!”

ITC is enrolling now for 2016 courses – get in touch today for a friendly, no-obligation chat about how we can help you achieve your career goals.

ITC Industry News Bulletin #21

Air New Zealand dominates headlines this week, reporting strong growth and winning national recognition at the Tourism Industry Awards.

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Air NZ in its best ever shape

According to businessman Mark Lister, the head of private wealth research at Craigs Investment Partners, Air New Zealand is currently faring extremely well, despite increased competition, capacity increases and other challenges.

“There’s a lot of things that have just gone their way, in terms of fuel prices, tourism trends and the domestic economy,” Mr Lister told the New Zealand Herald.

“But they’ve also made some great progress themselves among the things they can control in terms of fine-tuning routes and making sure they’ve got capacity where they need it, improving the fleet and doing what they can about competition.”

Air New Zealand held its AGM in Auckland yesterday afternoon (Wednesday October 7) and is forecasting strong growth over the next 12 months.

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5 quick questions with ITC tutor Amy McPhail

ITC tutor Amy McPhail used to be a flight attendant for Virgin Australia – it’s no surprise that flight attending is her favourite subject to teach!

Amy McPhail is a tutor at The International Travel College of New Zealand’s City Campus. She brings a wealth of knowledge to the classroom. We asked her five quick questions about her passion for aviation, travel and tourism.

1. What sparked your interest in travel and tourism?

When I left high school I had no idea what I wanted to do for a job, let alone a career. One day I was at home flicking through a newspaper and I came across an advertisement for a travel course. As soon as I saw the picture of the Flight Attendant, I knew that was what I wanted to do. A week later I was enrolled and starting my journey towards a fabulous career in travel and tourism. Completing my Certificate in Travel and Tourism gave me a great foundation to launch my career and introduced me to the wide variety of work available in this exciting industry. I have since worked in a variety of roles in the tourism industry, including working for Hilton Hotels, as a flight attendant for Virgin Australia, for a travel wholesaler and as a travel agent.

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #20

In this week’s ITC Industry News Bulletin, the TIA commit to tackling challenges as the tourism industry grows, a Chinese celebrity fronts a new safe driving campaign and much more

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TIA: the pressures of tourism growth – riding the wave

The Tourism Industry Association (TIA) is committed to ironing out challenges as the nation ‘rides the wave’ of a huge tourism boom. In a statement released this morning (October 1), TIA chief executive Chris Roberts said the industry’s challenges will be a key agenda point at the TIA National Tourism Summit in Wellington this November.

“With growth come pressures. How can we successfully host thousands more visitors, spread them around the country and make sure they don’t all want to come in summer? How can we protect our natural environment and keep the goodwill of Kiwis? Where will the infrastructure investment come from? Can we attract the right staff? And how can we ensure we consistently deliver world class visitor experiences?” Mr Roberts said.

These challenges are likely to be on many people’s minds as we progress into this next period of growth, just ahead of what looks to be another record summer. The TIA Summit intends to generate discussion around these important issues. Registrations are now open for the event, to be held on Thursday 19 November.

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ITC students enjoy confidence boost with X Factor fun

Every year the ITC Botany Campus holds an X Factor style competition. This is a great way for students to practice their teamwork skills and overcome stage fright.

“The tourism industry is all about people.” This is something ITC students hear multiple times from their tutors throughout their studies. ITC places a huge emphasis on customer service skills, as there’s nothing more important in the tourism industry than being able to work with a variety of different people – all while maintaining a bright smile and friendly attitude.

For some people, great customer service comes naturally, but for others – especially those who are shy – it can be hard to talk easily to strangers. The ITC tutors do their best to give shy students a confidence boost, through effective training and support.

However, sometimes the best confidence boosts come through trying something a little bit different!

Every year the ITC Botany Campus holds an ‘X Factor’ style competition. This student event is designed to be a bit of fun, but it has the added bonus of helping people overcome their stage fright and learn how to speak with confidence in front of crowds – a skill that is invaluable out in the industry.

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #19

In this week’s industry news, New Zealand’s tourism outlook continues to go from strength to strength, we reflect on a busy winter season and much more.

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TIA: “It’s an exciting time to be in tourism”

The Tourism Industry Association (TIA) published another bright outlook regarding New Zealand’s booming tourism sector late last week, with Chairman Grant Lilly commenting “it’s an exciting time to be in tourism”. New Zealand is on track to achieve its Tourism 2025 goals and there’s no doubt the future is looking excellent.

However, Mr Lilly did acknowledge a couple of key challenges, such as attracting the right talent to the industry and ensuring businesses can cope with fast growth.

“The speed of growth is certainly creating some challenges for us, amongst them the persistent issues of seasonality, lack of regional dispersal, insufficient infrastructure investment and the growing demand for people and skills,” Mr Lilly said.

Mr Lilly added that the demand for trained tourism workers is especially important, as “many sectors are striving to attract more people and skills, so this is not a problem that is unique to tourism […] it does mean we have plenty of competition for the best and the brightest.”

The Chairman’s comments are a further reminder of the importance of quality tourism courses and training in New Zealand.

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Introducing Lara Penfold

Introducing Lara Penfold, ITC’s new Academic Services Co-ordinator

Originally from England, Lara Penfold recently joined the friendly ITC team as our new Academic Services Co-ordinator. She tells us a little bit about herself, why she moved to New Zealand, and what she hopes to bring to this role. 

I moved to New Zealand with my family in May 2015 from England after many years of wanting to experience living in another country. We looked at a few options, but the more we researched about New Zealand, the more interested we became in the country, the variety of cultures and the working opportunities available.

As a child I grew up in a guest house, owned by my Mum and Dad. It was always very busy with different guests coming and going, I remember helping out with serving breakfasts and dinners, checking people in, cooking and preparing for functions, cleaning rooms and helping guests with directions and information about the local area.

Having travelled to a variety of places throughout England and Wales, I have also travelled quite substantially internationally too, visiting places such as Thailand, Australia, New York, Germany, Spain, Portugal, France, Greece, Egypt and now of course New Zealand. In each place I have had unique experiences and hold wonderful memories.

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #18

In this week’s airline, travel and tourism news, i-SITEs around New Zealand are celebrated, the TIA supports the construction of a new hotel on Auckland’s waterfront, the Government opens a new round of tourism funding, and much, much more.

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Opportunities for tourism industry investment

The Tourism Industry Association (TIA) is pleased that a new luxury hotel is being constructed on Auckland’s waterfront.

According to TIA chief executive Chris Roberts, projects like the Park Hyatt development are exactly the type of investments New Zealand needs to stay on track to achieve its Tourism 2025 goals.

“To meet the goals of Tourism 2025, it is essential that we encourage investment to improve the quality of current infrastructure to meet rising visitor expectations, as well as creating a positive environment for investment in new facilities,” Mr Roberts said in a statement.

He added that new investment projects also create jobs, boost local economies and contribute to “building vibrant communities to live, work and play”.

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