New tourism show ‘The Itinerary’ features ITC CEO Claire Huxley as special guest
ITC CEO Claire Huxley (centre) shares her insights about tourism education in the time of COVID-19.
The Itinerary is a brand new Go With Tourism show about all things tourism – and ITC’s very own CEO, Claire Huxley, was a special guest on the first episode.
This is “a show that will delve into the infinite universe that is tourism,” says host Megan Alatini.
“Each week I will be joined by a panel of industry experts.”
The first episode is called State of The Nation and focuses on the industry’s response to disruptions due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Claire spoke about ITC’s quick response to the crisis, which included moving all ITC training online within one day of New Zealand going into Lockdown.
“Our students were brilliant. They were really resilient, they were really positive, and they all worked during Lockdown,” says Claire.
“On the day we locked down, they all went online. They literally had a day to get themselves sorted, and we went straight to an online platform.”
Claire added that although the industry is facing a lot of uncertainty and change, overall students seem to be upbeat and positive, and open to new ways of working.
“We need to remember that this [to study tourism] is their decision and their passion, and this is what the industry needs – students that have got such resilience,” she explained.
When asked what advice ITC is currently giving students, Claire said “don’t be disheartened”.
“We’re really focused on saying to students that have always had an interest in tourism: it’s still an industry! 90% of our students are in tourism-related work roles and domestic tourism is going really well,” says Claire.
The other expert panelists featured on this episode spoke about many of the same themes – looking to the future, being adaptable, and being open to new ways of thinking and working.
In addition to a panel of experts, the episode also featured a Strengths Coach (Jason Biggs) and a Senior Consultant from Madison Recruitment (Kate Godfrey).
All in all, the episode is jam-packed with messages of hope and resilience.
Host Megan Alatini sums it up nicely: “There’s a bug that is much stronger, and more resilient, than that coronavirus – and that’s the travel bug”.
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