Building a Future Through Tourism: Savannah’s Story

From Classroom Dream to Tourism Career: Savannah’s Journey

Savannah with her Academy classmates

Some journeys begin with a single step. For Savannah Jackson, her journey into tourism began with a simple school workshop and a dream that would eventually lead her to a career welcoming visitors from around the world.

Today, Savannah works at the iconic Hundertwasser Art Centre in Whangārei, but her path to success has been one of determination, passion, and perseverance.

A proud young mum to her son, Savannah has always understood the importance of creating opportunities for a brighter future. Her love for tourism was sparked during her school years when a Flight Attendant visited her classroom to share stories about the travel and tourism industry.

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ITC congratulates the Travel Agents Association of NZ (TAANZ) winners!

Congratulations to the 2024 TAANZ winners, and to the industry as a whole for its comeback!

One of the many reasons the International Travel College (ITC) is so good at providing qualifications and certifications to students across Aotearoa is thanks to our industry connections and involvement.

In other words, we don’t just teach travel and tourism – we live it.

That’s why we’re so excited to congratulate the recent winners of the Travel Agents Association of New Zealand (TAANZ) winners!

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ITC campaigns for tourism education and awareness at major industry event

ITC’s Key Stakeholder, Ceri Jenkins, speaks at the BYATA conference.

The Backpacker Youth Adventure Tourism Association (BYATA) recently hosted its annual conference, and invited ITC’s Key Stakeholder Manager, Ceri Jenkins, to speak at the event.

The fact that ITC was asked out of all the tourism education providers in Aotearoa is a testament to the reputation of our college. Ceri took this opportunity to speak on behalf of tourism education as a whole, and to raise awareness for the importance of strong qualification options for young Kiwis interested in the industry.

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Tourism to become an Achievement Standard subject from 2023

From 2023, tourism will be available as an Achievement Standard in New Zealand high schools.

In a massive, exciting announcement for the tourism industry, the Ministry of Education recently accepted tourism as an Achievement Standard subject, starting 2023.

This means that students will be able to earn Achievement Standards at levels 2 and 3 in high schools around New Zealand, and ITC couldn’t be more excited to see this pathway open up for young learners. In fact, we even had a hand in helping to make it happen.

Here’s a little more about the announcement and how ITC encouraged it to happen.

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Tourism update: How is New Zealand going with our travel bubbles?

It’s been over a month since the Australian bubble, so how is it going?

Thanks to our successful management of the virus, and that of our neighbours across the Tasman, we’ve been able to create one of the first quarantine-free travel bubbles in the world.

It has now been a little over a month since New Zealand’s travel bubble with Australia opened, and a week since the beginning of the bubble with the Cook Islands.

So how is it going? And what does it all mean for the tourism industry? (more…)

Could you be New Zealand’s next Top Tourism Star?

Are you ready to be a tourism star?

With an Australian travel bubble opening up and vaccines rolling out across the country and the world, there’s a definite, inescapable sense of excitement and positivity throughout the tourism sector.

Everyone at ITC, from our tutors to our marketing team to our students, can all feel the momentum of the industry as it really begins to pick itself up and look forward to a bright future, and we can’t help but want to share that with the world.

That’s why we’re in search of New Zealand’s Top Tourism Star – could it be you? (more…)

Fact vs fiction: Which tourism news stories are actually true?

New Zealand’s tourism industry is a topic of hot debate. But which stories are actually true?

As New Zealand passes its one year anniversary of closing the borders and locking down, the news has been spending a lot of time reporting on, and speculating about, the tourism industry.

Of course, with the borders closed and no international tourists coming in, tourism operators have not enjoyed the same level of business as they usually would. But that’s not to say tourism is dead, or that it will never return, or that those working in the industry are completely out of luck, or even that those who want to get into the industry should think otherwise.

There’s simply a lot of half-truths and overly negative press coverage at the moment, and we’d like to offer a more positive point of view and set the record straight! (more…)

Kiwis explore their new-found appreciation for New Zealand travel

The latest Tourism New Zealand webinar has highlighted how Kiwis have found a new appreciation for local travel.

Tourism New Zealand has been keeping a close eye on travel and tourism within New Zealand, and has recently released its latest survey findings on the attitudes and goals of Kiwis when it comes to exploring their own backyard.

The January webinar hosted by Tourism New Zealand to discuss their findings was exciting, enlightening, and educational, and an important roadmap for tourism operators around the country.

Here are a few of our favourite highlights from the webinar. (more…)

Work experience leads to tourism jobs for many ITC students

ITC arranges work experience opportunities for students at tourism businesses such as SkyJump (pictured).

When an ITC student goes on work experience, they could be meeting their future employer for the first time.

Many students who participate in work experience end up working for that employer later down the track – sometimes as soon as one week later.

For example, Brookglenn Olsen recently started a job at InterCity after doing work experience there in late November. She got a call one week after her work experience offering her a job. She’s now working part-time in the afternoons and will go full-time in January once she’s finished her qualification.

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ITC students visit tourism businesses in Christchurch

ITC’s Chch students recently visited two hotels and a Flight Centre to learn more about working in the local tourism industry.

Students from ITC’s Christchurch Campus recently visited local tourism businesses to see firsthand what it’s like to work in the industry.

They visited Flight Centre, Breakfree Hotel and Crowne Plaza in one epic, eye-opening day.

ITC Level 3 student Ja Kharkrang was really impressed with how much she learned on the site visits.

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