Without a doubt that the impact of COVID-19 on the tourism industry is significant. Yet we should be grateful that the situation in New Zealand is largely contained and our economy is able to start the recovery process sooner than most countries in this world.
With the borders being closed to international visitors, the immediate focus is on the domestic market. As an institute that provides training in tourism and hospitality, we would like to contribute and play a part in the recovery process. It is understandable that many are concerned about the prospects of tourism. We strongly believe that tourism will bounce back and that it will still be an industry that offers exciting and promising careers, thus we decided to host a series of Professional Development trips to Queenstown for high school teachers and career advisors.
The first trip took place on 10 – 11 August. Where the representatives of 12 schools from Auckland got the opportunity to witness the resilience of the industry. They met with and heard from leaders and senior executives of reputable organisations, such as Ramada & Wyndham Hotels, iFLY, Study Queenstown, Remarkables Park, Destination Queenstown, Go with Tourism, Skyline and Gibbston Valley Winery. We were also honoured to have Jim Boult, Mayor of Queenstown-Lakes, as a guest speaker.
The teachers and career advisors that went on the trip were very impressed as they all wrote thank you notes to our guest speakers (as seen in the image below).
For more information about our Professional Development trips and initiatives, please visit:
