Can new tourists adapt? 79 people are applying for internships at the same homestay! Just starting out, facing the peak travel season at the school gate | tourism | homestays

The summer travel craze is on the rise, and a group of college students who have stepped out of school have become a new force in the tourism market. Some of them are junior students who intern to increase their experience, while others are fresh graduates who have just started working.

In the past three years, many tourism companies have experienced talent loss and layoffs, and are facing a shortage of manpower during the summer. Can these inexperienced college students make up for the manpower gap in tourism enterprises?

1/79 homestay intern

In mid June this year, He Miao, a 2019 undergraduate student from the School of Architecture at Tianjin University, became a "new summer farmer". He Miao is studying urban and rural planning for a 5-year program and is currently not in a hurry to find a job. Upon learning that Ctrip Vacation Farm was recruiting interns, she immediately submitted her resume: "I know this is a typical rural revitalization project, and it is highly related to my major. I am looking forward to experiencing the specific operation of this type of project in person.".

During the phone interview more than 20 minutes before the internship, the farm manager reminded He Miao three times: "It will be difficult for you to come here. You have to do things like sweeping the floor and wiping the table, which may be different from the internship you imagined." He Miao was very firm: "I do not discriminate against any profession, and sweeping the floor and wiping the table is not embarrassing. I can accept it." Later, she found out that the store manager received a total of 79 internship application resumes, and she was the only one selected.

On June 20th, He Miao arrived at the farm carrying a box. This is called a farm, but it is actually a high-end boutique homestay. The first phase of 10 rooms has been in operation for some time, and the second phase of 20 rooms is also about to be put into operation. Including He Miao and the housekeeper, there are a total of fourteen to fifteen farm employees, and He Miao is assigned to work in the front hall.

"Isn't this equivalent to the front desk of a hotel? It's not difficult for me," He Miao thought to himself. After putting herself into practical work, she realized that her role was much more complex, and helping guests check in and out was only a very small part of it. When guests arrive, they need to go out early to welcome them, and after checking out, they need to help deliver their luggage to the car. They are always ready to answer various questions such as "Where are the fun places around?" "Can you drive in the 27 models of mountain roads here?" Sometimes they also need to assist the store manager in checking whether the facilities in the guest rooms are working properly and whether they are clean enough... He Miao quickly realized that he is more like a "butler" of a homestay, wishing to have eighteen martial arts skills at once.

Once, due to the deputy store manager's illness, He Miao was temporarily sent by the store manager to receive several VIP guests. This is a family of four big, two small, and one from Shanghai who need to rent a car and drive to the farm after the high-speed rail arrives in Jinzhai. After confirming the arrival time and rental needs with the guests in advance, He Miao began to actively contact local car rental merchants to select vehicles and provide quotations. He also arranged in advance which nearby amusement projects were suitable for them, while maintaining communication with the guests. "Although I thought I was well prepared, I almost made a mistake. The local rafting project did not accommodate people over 60 years old, and I forgot to remind the guests that their elderly were 'over age'. In the end, due to the rain, the guests changed their rafting to playing by the nearby river to avoid this embarrassment."

Tourists playing in the creek next to the vacation farm

This summer, Wang Haotong, a junior student in the Tourism Management Department of Shanghai Jianqiao University, also chose to become a "new farmer". His internship location was in Tongren, Guizhou. Born and studying in Shanghai, Wang Haotong chose his internship unit in a mountainous area thousands of miles away because he wanted to "step out of his comfort zone and interact with more people face-to-face."

During his internship at the vacation farm for over 20 days, Wang Hao has to some extent fulfilled his wish. Every day, he faces a constant stream of guests, usually from Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai, as well as Beijing, Chengdu, Guiyang and other places. Before arrival, the guest called the farm, and Wang Haotong and his colleagues went out early to help pick up their luggage and lead the guest to the front desk. "When it doesn't rain here in Guizhou, the weather can be a bit stuffy. One afternoon, around 8 groups of guests arrived, and I kept going out to move their luggage and then helped them deliver it to their rooms. After finishing my work, I felt quite tired, but just took a nap and it was fine."

What further challenged Wang Hao was that he, who was considered a "treasure" by his parents at home, became the "child king" during his internship. Due to the large number of parent-child tourists, his farm has launched many activities suitable for children: searching for tree frogs, making ecological bottles by the stream, experiencing Guizhou tie dyeing, organizing fluorescent parties, watching outdoor movies, and so on. The children who participate in the activity range from four to five years old to seven or eight years old, some have high cooperation, while others are relatively mischievous. Usually, Wang Haotong needs to lead 11 children to complete the activity with another colleague, and it takes a lot of effort to make the children obey the command throughout the process. "Sometimes it is necessary to take photos during the activity. Some children may play in the water and refuse to come over, so we have to use verbal rewards and other methods to attract their attention. Parents will also assist us in completing the activity."

At present, 23 Ctrip vacation farms have been established in 11 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government in China, creating over 200 job opportunities for the local area. This summer, a group of vacation farms launched the recruitment of "summer new farmers" for internships, attracting the attention of many post-00s college students. The internship opportunities for He Miao and Wang Hao come from this.

Wang Hao helps clean the farm together

A lucky person who successfully joined the company

After a period of internship, fresh graduates Gao Tian and Yang Yuqin successfully joined Spring and Autumn Tourism, becoming the lucky ones among this year's fresh graduates.

Studying in the Department of Tourism Management at Tianhua College, Shanghai Normal University, Gao Tian had a clear goal upon entering university - to accumulate as much internship experience as possible and work in a tourism enterprise after graduation. "If you don't have rich internship experience and good work ability, it will be difficult to find a satisfactory job. Therefore, during Gaotian University, I tried my best to participate in internships and accumulated some practical experience.".

In May of this year, Gao Tian learned about the company's recruitment information from the Spring and Autumn Tourism official account and subsequently submitted his resume. During the internship interview, in addition to basic information such as self introduction, the interviewer also asked her about her views on outbound tourism and the entire tourism industry. A week later, Gao Tian became an intern in the Asia Pacific Department of Spring and Autumn Tourism, participating in the planning and adjustment of island tours.

According to Gao Tian's previous understanding of scheduling, this position is mainly responsible for planning, designing, and coordinating tourism routes. But in the spring and autumn, she was almost involved in the entire process from tourism product design to completion, including early market research, coordination and follow-up during the process, and after-sales service. "The entire process is very challenging. It requires both a holistic perspective and sufficient attention to detail, as well as familiarity with the destination and product process."

The actual work is complex and tedious. Often, halfway through a table, sales colleagues come to inquire about the departure schedule for a certain route, then answer a business phone call in the middle, and then proceed to create the table. After completing the form, it is necessary to carefully check the departure date, promotional discounts, and the number of reserved rooms, especially the numbers should not be incorrect. Gao Tian said that any mistake may affect the itinerary of tourists or the reputation of the company, and should not be taken lightly. "I used to make a promotional poster before, which was arranged according to the time of group outings on Tuesdays and Fridays, and included the schedule of September 29th. Later, the department head checked and found that classes would not start at the end of September because the 'Eleven' Golden Week followed closely, and the prices and plans for group outings would change."

Gao Tian in the workplace

Among the routes that Gao Tian is responsible for is Sabah Island in Malaysia. In addition to daily route operations, she also strives to understand the history related to Sabah and Malaysia: "Why is this island like this now? What was it like before? Why do people like to go here? Ordinary team operations can be boring, and a thirst for knowledge brings me more fun."

Yang Yuqin, who joined Gao Tian at the same time, is a graduate of Shanghai Tourism Vocational College. More than a month ago, Yang Yuqin began her internship almost in a state of anxiety and anxiety. According to school tradition, she and her classmates had many extracurricular practices and internships during their college years. However, during the epidemic, they not only took online courses for a long time, but also had almost no internship experience in tourism companies. "Our major usually requires taking the tour guide certificate exam, but the exam has also been postponed due to the epidemic. Now, only 3 out of 6 people in our dormitory have passed the exam. I still need to continue to work hard!" said Yang Yuqin.

After being assigned to the planning and adjustment position for Spring and Autumn Tourism as an intern, Yang Yuqin almost started from scratch. She is involved in the coordination of the Changbai Mountain market. After receiving the order, she needs to verify the specific check-in date, room nights, and total amount of the tourists and confirm them with the hotel reservation department immediately. At the beginning, many processes were unfamiliar, but Yang Yuqin prepared a small notebook to keep track of the words of the teaching teacher and occasionally flipped through it. Over the course of a month, I have become quite proficient.

Last week, Yang Yuqin and Gao Tian received a notice from the human resources department that they would become regular employees of Chunqiu. Gao Tian's first feeling was "very happy and touched! I feel like my efforts have been seen."

Postgraduate entrance examination, public employment examination, with different directions

During the "toughest employment season", everyone will also communicate with each other about internships and work destinations. Many of Wang Haotong's classmates have interned at hotels and travel agencies, while others have worked as staff at Shanghai Haichang Ocean World and Disneyland. "There are many people coming out to play during the summer vacation, and many grassroots positions in enterprises are lacking. We can also play a role in this."

After graduation, Wang Hao and himself are preparing to take the civil service exam, hoping to become a police officer. "The police also need to constantly interact with people. Regardless of whether I can pass the exam or not, I want to get in touch with more people through internships to prepare for entering society in the future."

There are many classmates around He Miao who are preparing to continue their studies, but she plans to work directly after graduation. "I have been searching for a direction in life and I am very eager for independence. Economic independence is a basic condition for independence, and entering society early is more meaningful for me. Moreover, I find it interesting to interact with different people. Everyone in school is too similar!"

Compared to the service industry, He Miao would prefer to work in creative fields in the future, such as becoming a content creator or entering related industries. If you want to work in the field of urban and rural planning, the prospect of pursuing a master's degree would be better, because "most planning institutes at or above the provincial level start with graduate students."

During He Miao's internship, he filmed the sunset in the mountainous area at the farm

Both Gao Tian and Yang Yuqin, who have successfully become regular employees, are willing to continue their deep cultivation in the tourism field. Gao Tian said that tourism products focus on spiritual comfort, mainly meeting the high-level emotional and self actualization needs of guests. "As a designer of tourism products, I also feel that my work is valuable when I see customers having fun and the products I design being needed."

As graduates of tourism related majors, Gao Tian and Yang Yuqin's classmates have different destinations. Most of them choose to continue their education, some are preparing to pursue a bachelor's degree, while others are preparing to take postgraduate entrance exams or pursue further studies abroad. "During the epidemic, I couldn't find any internship opportunities, and I didn't have much work experience before joining. It's quite difficult to find a suitable job, and choosing to pursue further education is the mainstream."

Can the talent gap of enterprises be filled

Over the past three years, due to a significant decline in business, many tourism companies have experienced personnel turnover and layoffs. Can newcomers who enter the workforce one after another during the summer fill the existing talent gap?

Wang Haotong and He Miao's internship period coincided with the peak season of moving in at the farm. Ran Minghui, the manager of the Tongren branch of Ctrip Vacation Farm, said that during peak check-in hours, 15 rooms will be fully booked, and the store, along with Wang Hao and a total of 5 employees, can basically handle it. There will be new employees joining in a few days. However, what the farm currently lacks the most is activity butlers. An excellent event manager should not only have affinity and patience towards children, but also have an outgoing personality and be able to effectively communicate with parents and children. "Our current event manager Yao Sha has worked in two of the most 'challenging' positions: sales and early childhood education teacher, so he is capable of this job. If he is a newcomer, it definitely requires a growth process."

From the perspective of the future development of the farm, retaining people will be a long-term issue. "The farm is about half an hour's drive from the city center, and it's not possible to go to the city every day. Many people can't help but feel lonely. The job responsibilities of internships are also quite complicated, and some interns just arrive on the first day and leave the next day." According to Ran Minghui's observation, if interns can persist for a week, they can usually stay for one or two months of internship. Relatively speaking, Wang Hao is one of the interns who has adapted well.

Tourists participate in the ethnic characteristic summer camp activities launched by the farm

During the Spring and Autumn tourism period, during the three years of the epidemic, there was a significant loss of some business personnel who had worked for a shorter period of time and had not yet taken root in the tourism industry, leaving behind more experienced and loyal employees. Zhou Shen, General Manager of the Human Resources Department of Chunqiu Tourism, told reporters that in the first half of this year, Chunqiu Tourism recruited nearly 30 new employees through society and universities, including many fresh college students. "The addition of fresh blood will bring new concepts and ideas to travel agencies, and bring new thinking and execution directions for the company's products and business."

However, for tourism companies that have experienced a significant loss of talent before, the addition of fresh graduates alone is not enough. Due to the pandemic, many college students have not experienced real workplace internships, and there is still a certain deviation between their speed of getting started after joining and the professional and proficiency level required for actual work. "In terms of quantity, the current human resource bottleneck problem of enterprises has been alleviated; from a quality perspective, the overall strength and depth of the talent pool still have significant shortcomings compared to before the epidemic."

Zhou Shen said that Chunqiu is still supplementing core business personnel and the new generation of interns. But after experiencing the epidemic, some unemployed individuals have a cautious and wait-and-see attitude towards the tourism industry, and will have many considerations for performance evaluation, income level, future development, and other aspects. Therefore, it is even harder for travel agencies to recruit suitable people now than before the pandemic. At present, enterprises are actively promoting the tourism industry through various online and offline channels to enhance their attractiveness to talents.

Tourism industry insiders say that in order to alleviate the "employment difficulties" at the root, in addition to the efforts of enterprises themselves to attract talents to join, they also hope that government departments, universities, media, and others can actively speak up and work together to create good social conditions for employees to understand and join tourism enterprises, so that college students, their parents, and the entire society can have confidence in the tourism industry.