What does a head of tourism do?

Provide a long term vision and goals, a phased implementation plan and then establish priorities for public and private sectors. Create an independent coordination entity between public and private entities in order to smooth the path. Ensure the setting of competent teams in all areas needed such as budgeting, planing,development, construction, marketing, implementation, compliance, control and communication. Ensure success measurement system and modification procedures in order to fully achieve projected vision and goals

You do not need a degree to do a job, if you have life experience. A head of tourism is responsible for overseeing tourism activities and operations of a city, region, country, or industry. He/she collaborates with stakeholders, government agencies, tourism boards, local communities, businesses, media, and travelers to create and implement tourism plans, and programs that align with a vision, goals, and values of a destination or organization. His/her duties, as head of tourism include conducting market research, match tourism trends and opportunities, managing budgets and resources for projects and initiatives, leading teams of employees and partners, establishing relationships with key stakeholders, and designing marketing campaigns.

I am going to confine my comments to destination managers. Essentially if you are heading up the management and marketing of a destination you need to be a collaborator in chief with all the key sectors which make up inbound tourism to you destination. These include airlines, cruise companies, accommodation providers, coach and car rental, event professionals, sporting groups, attractions, travel retailers (online and traditional), wholesale tour operators, tour guides and training providers. These are the natural allies for promoting the destination to both the travel trade and travel consumers. The destination leader needs to build trust with all stakeholders as integral to the promotion of the destination to all viable markets.

The role of a Head of Tourism involves overseeing and managing all aspects of tourism activities within an organization or a destination. They are responsible for developing and implementing tourism strategies, promoting tourism products and services, managing tourism budgets, collaborating with stakeholders, and ensuring the overall success and growth of the tourism sector. In short, they are in charge of driving tourism initiatives and maximizing the economic and cultural benefits of tourism for a specific region or organization.

The primary responsibility of the Tourism Head is to grow tourism-related revenues in a particular destination / country / area through the effective use of strategic planning, leadership skills, community assets, industry knowledge and relationships, and evolving tourism practices.

On one hand, the head of tourism in government should have deep insights into the travel industry; on the other hand, they should be a skilled businessman to understand how to create a business with the resources that the country or destination has.

They need to be knowledgeable about all areas and reach out and communicate with all stakeholders from all areas. Be open to feedback and new ideas from all sectors. It happens too often that the leaders elected, do not have the detailed knowledge and experience.

I believe being a hotelier requires a "personality". If you do have that smile and empathy that comes naturally, you can be a perfect candidate with or without degree. As a person who has a master's degree, I am telling you; if you are trained well by a a right person and if you get experienced in the field and if you have the right personality, you could be the one.

La titulación máxima de un profesional del turismo no la puede otorgar un Gobierno ni una Universidad, sino el reconocimiento de los viajeros en contacto con ese profesional. La evaluación docente o administrativa respecto a cada profesional del turismo irá evolucionando hacia el 'social scoring' de los huéspedes. Del mismo modo que las evaluaciones de los clientes ha prácticamente sustituido a las clasificaciones por estrellas institucionales.

In my view, the primary responsibility of a department head is to assemble a cohesive team, foster a shared vision for the company, and ensure that growth is occurring, propelling the company towards its objectives. Turning our attention to the head of the tourism department, the role inherently demands a connection to ongoing tourism activities, generating opportunities to attract and retain visitors who perceive value and are willing to pay. Additionally, it involves optimizing strategies to extract the maximum benefit from these activities. If the projects are big where investors and support from the departments are required, arranging these also can be their roles.

El mayor reto para un responsable turístico en la actualidad es llegar a conocer tan profundamente a los viajeros que incremente el valor añadido de la economía turística con la correspondiente hiperpersonalización del producto turístico.

Challenges are the salary compared to other industries and due to that to convince young people to become part of the hospitality world is getting very challenging. At the other hand I never experienced such cohesion as in the hospitality industry, I would say “one family” is something which no other industry lives this motto like the hospitality industry.

I would like to add some nuances to the original text. While it's accurate to state that dealing with complex and dynamic tourism environments and balancing the needs of different stakeholders are challenges, it's also important to highlight the importance of effective communication and leadership in navigating these dynamics. Effective communication is key in managing stakeholder expectations and ensuring everyone is aligned towards achieving the same goals. This involves clearly articulating the vision, strategy, and objectives of the tourism project, and regularly updating stakeholders on progress and any changes to plans.

The head of tourism would have to know how to mitigate the challenges of the particular area or sector they oversee. Tourism is cyclical in nature and they would need to understand how a negative event can effect tourism

Como chefe de turismo, o papel é repleto de desafios que envolvem lidar com ambientes turísticos complexos, equilibrar as necessidades das partes interessadas e gerenciar projetos sob pressão. Garantir a qualidade, segurança e sustentabilidade dos serviços é uma tarefa árdua. Manter-se atualizado com as últimas tendências é crucial. Apesar dos desafios, o cargo oferece oportunidades empolgantes, como viajar para diferentes destinos, impactar positivamente o setor, construir uma rede profissional sólida, adquirir novas habilidades e progredir na carreira. A dualidade entre desafios e oportunidades torna a função estimulante e dinâmica.

A progressão na carreira de um chefe de turismo envolve a busca constante por educação e certificações, assumindo projetos desafiadores, liderando equipes diversificadas e colaborando com líderes influentes no setor. Explorar oportunidades em setores relacionados, como hospitalidade ou eventos, e considerar empreender, seja iniciando um negócio próprio ou atuando como consultor, são estratégias adicionais para impulsionar o crescimento profissional de forma abrangente.

Work in pro of the tourism inline with the school and university in pro to educate from the kid in the school to the director of any company. Capacitate the taxi drivers, waiters and general staff to give them the tools to grow her career to one day be the director of tourism of any city

Un Jefe de Turismo debe: 1/ Manejo de Crisis: debe gestionar situaciones de crisis que puedan afectar al turismo, como emergencias sanitarias o desastres naturales, para minimizar su impacto en la industria turística. 2/ Desarrollar infraestructura turística. 3/ Promoción de atracciones y eventos: destacar y promover las atracciones turísticas de la ciudad, así como eventos culturales, festivales y actividades que atraigan turistas.

Hospitality more so than tourism (a lot of overlap) is one of the best industries to get into for career advancement or upward mobility. Even prior to the pandemic, hospitality was seen this way. With labor challenges in all industries, shrinking the talent pool in the industry only affords more growth opportunities. Few industries have such a clear pathway of how to learn the skills and gain the experiences to make the next leap or obtain the next promotion. Younger generations...patience! Work hard and good things will come.

This is very vide area to see but overall i can see - A Head of Tourism oversees the tourism department of an organization or destination. They're like the captain steering the tourism ship. Responsibilities include developing tourism strategies, promoting attractions, and managing staff. They work to enhance visitor experiences, boost local economies, and ensure the smooth sailing of tourism operations.

It might sound controversial, but for me, it is a fact: if a country or destination has few tourists, it means only one thing – the government doesn't have the right person in charge of tourism development. Experience shows that almost any destination can be attractive to tourists if there is the right person in the government's tourism development sector who knows how to create a tourism business in that country or destination.

Firstly a head of tourism must take a holistic view of the destination. Possibilities, existing facilities, potential for growth and most important sustainability Tourism is a long term game. The person must have a roadmap for the next 15-20 years Needs to take a collaborative approach with all stakeholders Must have a great plan to market the destination Liaison with authorities Plan events that promote the USP’s of the destination

When I think of tourism, I think of leisure travel. I think of people going on vacations, or people spending their own money and time on personal trips or experiences. I personally think we are seeing the peak of tourism. The demand is as high as its ever been. Individuals working from home or having an extra day or two at home is driving them stir-crazy. They are willing to spend that extra money they save on gas or child care to put towards a unique experience laden trip.

Many times such positions are filled as a political assignment, and not by professionals with skills and knowledge in this field . This should always be avoided

People visit destination because of what the destination has to offer, mostly its reputation. As we can all see with the media evolution, popularity of a destination can change rapidly with bad publicity. This why the sustainability aspect of a destination should be the top priority in order to preserve its ressources and becoming more resilient. With the climate change, the tourism industry is going through a quick revolution. Customers are expecting more and more sustainable practices, so governmental regulations. We need to go beyond traditional practices such plastic, waste, energy. We have to start to think of balance business instead of continuous growth. That requires thinking seriously out of the box and it is not easy but possible.