A day in the life of Tessa Henwood – ITC’s Head of Academic Services

Head of Academic Services Tessa Henwood with ITC Managing Director Kerry Priestley at the 2015 Graduation Ceremony.

Known for her warm sense of humour, impeccable organisational skills, and infectious enthusiasm, Tessa Henwood is ITC’s Head of Academic Services. So what exactly does she do? Below she chats to Jess about her ‘not-so-typical typical day’ at work and shares some time management tips and tricks.

Describe your typical day

[Laughs]. I’m laughing because I don’t think I have a typical day! Every day is so random and different it’s crazy. Today, for example, I’ve got a half-eaten apple on my desk and a very cold coffee, because every time I go to do something there’s a student or tutor at my door. I love it though – and fortunately I actually quite like cold coffee. I’ve even been known to put ice cubes in it!

But there are some consistencies. I usually get into work at around 6:30am. Partly because I’m an early riser, and partly because I like to get in before everyone else. Generally that means I open the college, unlock all the classrooms and turn on all the lights. Then I get a coffee, turn on my computer, and check my emails. After that I check my calendar to see what I’ve got on in terms of meetings, and I use my calendar to plan my workload. I also have a written to-do list in my book. I would be lost without my to-do list!

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #61

In this week’s tourism news, Tourism New Zealand aims to attract more visitors in the off-season, visitor numbers to Gisborne may be even higher than expected, and more.

TOP STORIES

Off-peak arrivals remain a target for Tourism NZ

Last year, Tourism New Zealand focused on attracting tourists during off-peak seasons between summer and winter. The organisation has announced that they are continuing this campaign.

The move is strategic on many levels, namely that it benefits all involved parties. For example, tourists benefit due to fewer crowds at popular attractions, vendors benefit from more stable incomes, and Kiwis enjoy a stronger economy for the greater revenues brought in by visitors.

With events, conferences, special-interest travel, and other strategies, Tourism NZ has improved international holiday visitor arrivals by 18.4 per cent for spring 2015 and autumn 2016. The group is also confident that they can continue to grow these numbers with further promotion and investment.

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Want to study for free at ITC?

ITC is now accepting applications for its 2017 scholarships.

Applications for the 2017 ITC Scholarships are now open! You can now apply to receive funding for your studies at ITC in 2017.

All you need to do is ‘Tell Us Your Story’. Send us a letter, blog post, video, comic strip – anything that gives us an insight into who you are, why you’re passionate about travel and tourism, and why you want to study at ITC. You can find all the application guidelines, as well as entries from previous winners, right here.

Why apply?

You may be wondering – “Am I good enough?”, “Is it worth the effort?”, “What’s the point?”

Every year, we are blown away by the amazing scholarship entries we receive. And although we can’t award a scholarship to everyone, we promise you: every single entry is worth the effort. We love learning about your unique stories.

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #60

In this week’s industry news, Tourism New Zealand takes out a top PR award, June visitor arrivals are strong, Air New Zealand launches a new safety video, and more.

TOP TOURISM STORIES

June arrival numbers show great start to winter season

The June visitor arrival numbers have just been released, and they’re showing a strong start to the winter season with an increase of 16.1 per cent for the year ending June.

Tourism New Zealand is celebrating this news as it follows the biggest summer for arrivals ever, as well as bumper shoulder seasons through spring and autumn.

To put the 16.1 per cent increase into perspective, Tourism New Zealand general manager for corporate affairs Deborah Gray explained just how many extra visitors that meant and how much they each spend on average.

“Putting this into actual numbers we welcomed 15,000 additional holiday visitors to the country in June which, at a current average spend of $3,500 per visitor equates to an incremental $53 million for the New Zealand economy in June.”

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Highlights from Global Wednesday 2016

Global Wednesday 2016 was a day full of fun, food, and friendship.

Every year the International Travel College of New Zealand (ITC) celebrates cultural diversity with a fun student event called ‘Global Wednesday’.

Students are put into groups, and each group is assigned a different country from around the world. They are then tasked with teaching their fellow students about this culture through preparing traditional meals, wearing authentic costumes, and delivering presentations.

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #59

In New Zealand tourism news this week, Rotorua looks set to meet its tourism targets, and India may be the next big market for international visitors.

TOP STORIES

Rotorua on track to meet tourism targets

Tourism Industry Aotearoa recently released a Local Government Manifesto calling on communities around the country to make the most of the endless tourism opportunities currently arising in New Zealand.

According to the Rotorua Lakes Council, the Rotorua district is on the right track. The region hosts major events such as the mountain biking mecca Crankworx and the Rotorua Half Ironman, as well as offering a number of natural attractions.

Jean-Paul Gaston, strategy and partnerships group manager for the council, said that investment in the industry was ongoing.

“Tourism is at the forefront of our thinking when it comes to future planning, economic strategies, improvements and new developments, events, assets and the planning and/or improvement of infrastructure,” he explained.

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Behind the scenes at ITC

What is ITC really like? Find out by watching the below video, or visit the College on an Open Day!

Ever wondered what it’s really like to study at ITC? Well, now you can take a sneak peek!

Check out the below video to see our classrooms and hear from our students.

Or, even better, visit us in person! We have Open Days every few weeks (here’s a list of dates), and our next one is this Thursday (July 21). Pop in for a campus tour and to chat to our friendly staff. We’d love to meet you!

Transcript

“The reason why I chose ITC is because of the amazing supportive environment that you get here. It’s completely different from the university environment.”

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #58

In this week’s news, Tourism New Zealand’s annual trade event in India is a hit, travel spending is soaring throughout the country, and much more.

TOP STORIES

Kiwi Link India strengthens tourism relations in Mumbai 

Kiwi Link India, an annual trade event organised by Tourism New Zealand, has just taken place in Mumbai (July 11-13). The purpose of the event is to create and strengthen tourism relationships between trade operators in New Zealand and overseas travel agents, planners and product managers.

Over 30 New Zealand tourism operators attended the event, and met with 80 Indian delegates over the weekend.

Tourism New Zealand chief executive, Kevin Bowler, explains why events such as this are so important.

“Having a well-informed travel trade is critical to converting interest into bookings. This event provides an ideal platform for us to strengthen relations with our stakeholders in the Indian travel trade, supporting their ability to sell travel to New Zealand, particularly during the shoulder seasons.”

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #57

In this week’s airline, travel and tourism news, Air New Zealand wins big, Wellington prepares for a tourism boom, and much more.

TOP STORIES

Air New Zealand wins International Airline of the Year award

Air New Zealand won both International Airline of the Year and Domestic Airline of the Year at the Roy Morgan Customer Satisfaction Awards 2016.

More than 13,000 New Zealanders gave their opinion on brands and companies, which led to 21 businesses being awarded on the night. Air New Zealand was the only company to win two titles, continuing “its streak as the top domestic airline”.

Carrie Hurihanganui, the general manager for customer experience at Air New Zealand, says it’s great to see the airline’s efforts are being recognised by its customers.

“We have been very focused on enhancing our customers’ journeys, including making substantial investments in new aircraft, new and refreshed lounges, and innovative technology,” she explained.

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Introducing Daniel Maine

ITC’s new short course tutor, Daniel Maine, enjoying a holiday in Paris. His travel and tourism career has taken him all around the world!

Daniel Maine recently joined the ITC Tourism Education Team as a short course tutor. Below he tells us a little bit about his career to-date, and his healthy travel obsession. 

Travel, food, fashion, wine, culture and history are some of my greatest passions, and the reasons why I travel the world. Once I graduated with IATA/UFTAA and Travel & Tourism diplomas, I briefly moved abroad. I love travelling so can never get enough, and without hesitation I would pack my bags when an occasion arises. Luckily, I was able to visit my most favourite and exotic places that I once hung posters of in my room.

Returning to NZ I decided to pursue what I had studied for and successfully started my career with our national carrier, Air New Zealand. For the next 10 years I gained so much experience as a Senior Customer Services Agent in every aspect of airport life, from Check-In to Airport Operational roles. I enjoyed meeting new people, made great long lasting friendships, and am a proud Air New Zealander.

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