Josai International University's School of Tourism, which is working on practical tourism education in the travel industry, has partnered with Hankyu Travel International Co., Ltd. to launch a travel business support program. Participants will work as tour conductors on "Trapics" tour products operated by Hankyu Travel International Co., Ltd., and will develop hospitality and business execution skills.
旅行業務サポートプログラムは学部2～3年生の希望者を対象に2023年度試行的に実施しており、2024年度から本格的に開始した。2024年度は2年生3名、3年生5名の8名が参加した。
The students are preparing to make their tour debut in September, the season for autumn leaves, by participating in in-house training from May, training for trip management supervisor qualifications from June, and practical training in August, all in preparation for their trip management supervisor qualifications and training. In May, they accompanied a bus tour to observe the work of a professional tour conductor. In a review meeting, they shared what they learned from the observation and discussed how they should approach their work.
In the program, students are paid and are expected to provide high-quality service to general customers, so I discussed with the faculty, Hankyu Travel International, and group companies how to improve the quality of the service we provide.
Students who participated said, "What impressed me most was that the tour conductor had a smile on his face the whole time and spoke from his heart. (Omitted) I thought he might start to show signs of fatigue towards the end, but I was impressed that his smile and polite attitude remained the same," and "I had the image of a tour conductor as someone who manages the tour to make sure it runs smoothly. But after actually participating in the tour, I realized that it's important not only to ensure the tour runs smoothly, but also to come up with ways to increase the excitement and sense of security of customers."
The School of Tourism has already launched a hotel scholarship program, implementing a program that allows students to gain work experience in a hotel while studying at university. In the future, the school will support students' careers in the travel industry by implementing a similar dual education program.
