Amy Norris

Amy is applying her theoretical and applied business knowledge, confidence and people skills to help tourism businesses plan for a more sustainable future.

After leaving high school, I was unsure about what I wanted my career to look like, however I knew I enjoyed travel and learning languages. I chose to study Tourism Management because it could be paired with a variety of other majors and had flexibility on elective subject choices. I had studied German at school so chose this subject as well as a variety of Marketing and Management courses.

I enjoyed the small classes and practical application of our learning. I got to know the lecturers very well which made it easy to ask questions if I was unsure about anything. At first, I found the theoretical aspects of tourism challenging as I had not encountered such a way of learning before however, I quickly was able to grasp the concepts when applied in a variety of settings. I was surprised at how much of an edge studying Tourism Management gave me with other subjects. Not only did I have in-depth knowledge about an industry, I also learned about management frameworks in practice.

My first tourism role was working at the Grand Mercure Wellington as a receptionist. I met the General Manager at a Tourism Careers in Focus networking event and she was keen to get me on board in a part-time role after seeing how enthusiastic I was about tourism. My previous work in supermarkets and as a Tourism Management tutor helped me to build the confidence and people skills needed to strive in the fast-paced and challenging environment of a five-star hotel. By studying Tourism Management, I actively showed my passion and commitment to learning about the industry. My studies forced me to think critically about tourist behaviours in New Zealand and even apply this to the type of service I provided to customers at the hotel.

A Commerce degree majoring in Tourism Management provides you with a great platform to develop skills and knowledge that are highly transferable to other tasks, subjects and roles. I have developed really important soft skills while also learning about relevant tourism theory. I have gained confidence in my ability to present information in written formats for a variety of audiences and speak in front of groups. I am able to critically analyse businesses and their policies and think innovatively about how they could be improved. I have also been fully supported to develop my understanding of sustainability in the context of tourism as well as research skills.

I am currently working at Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TIA) as a Project Coordinator for a Sustainability Pilot Project. The project team and I are working with 13 tourism operators in the Wellington Region with the goal of reducing carbon emissions and fostering holistic sustainability practices within their businesses. I play a supporting role in the project team where I regularly communicate with the tourism operators, the wider TIA team, WellingtonNZ and others with interests in the project. I conduct research to help find innovative solutions for the problems that these tourism businesses are facing and help to plan workshops on key themes such as waste management and carbon measurement tools. I have really enjoyed being a part of this project and seeing the fantastic results the tourism operators have achieved over the three-month programme.

The impact of COVID-19 has led to many tourism businesses slowing  down and reflecting  on their role towards a sustainable future. It has provided a great opportunity to develop businesses to be more sustainable, both economically and environmentally. This calls for students to be more aware of sustainability concepts, as there are also great opportunities in consulting, marketing, trade and more.

I would suggest to prospective students to dive into Tourism Management as a subject. There are so many practical skills to be learnt from a Tourism Management degree however, you must be engaged to learn. This major subject gives you an edge, especially when applying for jobs. For those about to graduate, I suggest being patient . Even if you start in a role that is not directly related to tourism, you will be developing skills that can be applied to tourism roles later on. Be open to new roles and opportunities and don’t feel like you must be in your dream role straight away.