Global Travel and Tourism Partnership: Teaching the next Generation
The Global Travel and Tourism Partnership (GTTP) reported in their 2022 - 2023 Impact Report significant successes of the organisation. The focus was on adaptability and progress by aligning its goals with the needs of students and educators. GTTP aims to increase access to education by concentrating on underserved communities including youth, women, marginalised and indigenous groups, providing free training in Travel & Tourism, and connecting students with industry leaders. Additionally, it is dedicated to teacher training, offering professional development opportunities to enhance teaching skills. It emphasises learning achievement by developing tailored educational materials suited for diverse learning styles. GTTP promotes community engagement through experiential learning that fosters collaboration between students, teachers, and industry professionals and focuses on impact measurement by collecting key indicators to ensure positive outcomes.
GTTP has achieved several milestones in 2023. They established a UK Advisory Council to help shape their global strategy and were featured in Marriott’s Serve 360 report. They launched a ‘Responsible Tourism’ course for GTTP students and a concierge course for the Saudi Ministry of Tourism. and joined the UNWTO as an affiliate member. GTTP also participated in major industry events, and produced a webinar with Amadeus aimed at recruiting mentors. They. connected African Directors with the Tui Foundation, plus signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the OMRAN Group in Oman for membership and training purposes. The organisation is in the final stages of acquiring UK charity status and has provided apprenticeship access through Northern Training Academy. Additionally, they engaged with the Indian government to expand school programmes across the country.
GTTP has engaged 4,500 schools, benefiting 650,000 students. They have facilitated 161 mentoring and internship opportunities, organised four exchange programmes, and hosted seven conferences and events. The organisation introduced two new courses, welcomed one new country into its membership, and conducted 16 teacher training events.
Looking ahead to 2024-2025, GTTP plans to expand its territories in Africa and the Middle East, and to grow its education networks in Nepal and Sri Lanka. They aim to increase partnerships with NGOs and foundations and to develop new courses in Responsible Tourism, Cultural Heritage, and Travel Tech, and have recently launched a new soft skills course, Workforce Readiness on their dedicated education platform. GTTP also plans to collaborate with the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), governments, and education departments to extend their reach.
Several lessons have been learned from GTTP’s initiatives. Access to technology is crucial for effective education, and tailoring content to local contexts enhances engagement. Community involvement is essential for programme acceptance and sustainability, and continuous support and training for teachers is important to ensure quality delivery of the curriculum in the classroom. Regular impact measurement allows for ongoing improvement, and adaptability along with sustainability planning is key. GTTP has learned the importance of empowering students beyond academics and ensuring cultural sensitivity to promote inclusivity.
An example of a successful programme is GTTP HUNGARY which is hosted by the Hungarian Travel and Tourism Association. The association recommends the Travel & Tourism programmes as an interdisciplinary subject to be taught in the last two years of secondary education as a supplementary subject, in vocational schools that specialise in teaching tourism and hospitality, also as a general subject in other secondary schools. The aim of the programme is to help Hungarian youth become cultured and discerning tourists and hosts, to increase the likelihood of students finding employment in the field of tourism and to provide a comprehensive overview of the key characteristics of the global & domestic tourism industry. Currently, students aged 14-19 are studying the subject of Travel & Tourism, as the curriculum "Passport to the World," in six Hungarian high schools. As part of the programme, students participate in professional excursions, field trips, visits to restaurants and hotels, tourism events, and competitions. Students receive a certificate on completion of the course, endorsed by WTTC, ITT and GTTP.
