The tourism industry has spent years talking about workforce shortages. But what if part of the solution starts with us?
Elizabeth Whalen believes that industry engagement is a critical part of cultivating new tourism talent. As a tourism professor at Middle Tennessee State University, she works every day with students who are interested in working in our industry. And she knows what a difference early engagement can make.
Elizabeth joins this episode of the podcast to explain how she prepares students for real-world tourism work and how the travel industry can help invest in tourism education. She also shares how we can better inspire our Gen Z and Gen Alpha team members. Plus, we have news about river cruise lines’ growing lineup of land tours, a special opportunity for NTA members and a Hot Minute about where our industry is failing in workforce development.
Podcast: Embed
Insights from Elizabeth
Elizabeth had a lot of great insight about what young tourism students are looking for — and how the rest of us can help. Here’s what she said about preparing students for the reality of tourism work:
“One of the things I tell the students is that we are not too good for any role in this industry. So if we’re not willing to clean a toilet, we’re in the wrong place. Sometimes you’re just gonna have to roll up your sleeves and do the dirty work and get it done. And so it’s about managing expectations on both sides and then preparing them to enter into leadership roles with best practices.
Plus, she had great perspectives on:
- How tourism companies can help mid-level staff members grow
- Building partnerships between schools and travel organizations
- How to connect with your local college’s hospitality program
Resources Mentioned in This Episode
Follow Elizabeth Whalen on LinkedIn.
Email Elizabeth Whalen at ewhalen@mtsu.edu.
Register for a Kentucky Nightcap at NTA at at ntatravelexchange.com/register.
Key Moments From This Episode
1:13 — Travel News: River Cruise Companies Are Adding Land Tour Products
2:40 — News From Us: A Kentucky Nightcap at NTA Travel Exchange
7:36 — Elizabeth Whalen’s journey from a dude ranch to academia
12:35 — Is the tourism workforce development pipeline broken?
16:29 — What are today’s tourism students looking for?
19:42 — How tourism companies can help their staff members grow
22:39 — Building partnerships between schools and tourism companies
28:21 — What tourism leaders need to know about Gen Z and Gen Alpha
32:45 — Finding a tourism program at a university near you
46:40 — Hot Minute: Hard truth about our workforce pipeline problem
Watch the Full Interview
See the full interview with Elizabeth on our YouTube channel.
About the Podcast
Gather and Go with Brian Jewell is a tourism industry podcast that helps group travel leaders plan, promote and lead better trips. There are also tips and insights for destination marketers and others who support the tourism trade. Each episode reaches thousands of professional tour operators, travel agents and the volunteer group leaders they serve. The audience also includes destination museum leaders, church travel leaders and other tourism enthusiasts around the world. Each show includes an interview with a smart travel pro or an insightful person from outside tourism who’s expertise can help make travel businesses better. You’ll also hear travel news, road tips and more. New episodes are released about twice monthly.
You can find Gather and Go wherever your listen to podcasts or subscribe by email.
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