PERSONALITY TRAITS

The ideal students must:

  • Have a passion for traveling
  • Be diligent and hardworking
  • Be a people’s person
  • Enjoy reading, especially about places of interest

Career Oppurtunities

  • Opportunities are available in the following areas:
  • The travel agency
  • The travel consultancy
  • Tour guidance / operation
  • Hotel reception
  • Car rental agency
  • Public Relations within the tourism sector
  • Tourism Information Centres
  • Guest houses and lodges
  • Ground staff at airports

Admission Requirements

  • Grade 12, or Level 4 National Certificate (NQF) or an NC(V) Level 4 certificate
  • The ability to communicate well in English is an essential prerequisite for this course.
  • Background knowledge of the following areas is highly recommended:
  • Geography, History, Accounting, Business Economics

Duration & Registration

  • The duration of each level (i.e. N4 to N6) is six months.
  • Therefore a semester time table is followed, enabling the student to complete the qualification in 18 months. Registration takes place twice a year, in January and July.

Qualifications

  • After successfully completing the N6 course and an 18-month experiential training period in the tourism sector, students can apply for the National Diploma in Travel and Tourism.

Assessment

  • Students are required to meet the following pass requirements for the different subjects:
  • Travel Office Procedures N4 – N6 50%
  • Travel Services N4 – N5 60%
  • Travel Services N6 – 70%
  • Tourism Communication N4 – N6 50%
  • Tourists Destination – 50%
  • Hotel Reception – 50%
  • External examinations are written at the end of each level, June and November.

Travel Office Procedures

Exposes students to:

  • Knowledge and skills necessary to do filling and indexing on all systems in a tourism undertaking
  • Basic principles and procedures of banking and different means of payment in the tourism industry
  • Understanding South African law relevant to the requirements for a valid contract, the contents of contracts and contract of purchase and sale
  • Marketing and sales focusing on business traveling and incentive traveling
  • Introduction to public relations

Travel Services

Deals with some of the following aspects:

  • Bookings and reservations for accommodation, car hire, tours and theater tickets
  • Airport facilities, in-flight facilities, baggage requirements
  • Tour planning and budgeting
  • Fares and ticketing within Africa
  • Foreign currency
  • Travel insurance

Tourist Destinations

Includes the following aspects:

  • Thorough knowledge of tourist destinations in South Africa and the rest of the world
  • The usage of different maps and compasses

Tourism Communication

Helps improve the students’ ability to:

  • Express themselves clearly, correctly and concisely in oral and written communication
  • Deal with enquiries, complaints and conflicts
  • Use the voice effectively
  • Be good listeners
  • Use graphic and audio-visual aids for effective communication