_{Go with Tourism's previous Project Coordinator, Leticia Smith, completed the GTTP's Passport to the World online course in 2019, while undergoing an internship at Go with Tourism. She answers a few interviews questions, to tell us her experience of taking the course:}

Having just completed your Diploma in Travel and Tourism, what did you think of the Passport to the World course?

I enjoyed it as a refresher course, given that I had just covered the same topics in my recent studies and I would recommend tourism professionals who have been in the industry a long time, to gain a broader understanding of how we define tourism, these days.

I also see real value in the Passport to the World course being offered as an introduction to the industry, especially for those who are new to tourism (maybe they’ve just entered the workforce or have transitioned from another industry) or for those who may be thinking of studying tourism further.

I felt that there were a couple of people from my class who struggled, who would have benefited from taking this course. Our first assessment was about the ‘State of Tourism in New Zealand’ and I think this would have been a perfect segue.

Was it easy to complete because of your recent studies?

I think the Passport to the World course is great because it is very entry level and easy to follow. That’s why I would recommend it as a refresher/introductory course.

You famously finished the course in three hours! What time frame would you recommend people complete it by?

To be honest, that may have been because my mind was already on tourism, thanks to my studies and it will very much depend on the individual person. I believe the course is very easy to complete within the 8-week timeframe but my suggestion would be to do a couple of hours a day and get it done within two weeks.

What was the most interesting part of the course?

I enjoyed learning about a global perspective and seeing how tourism is done throughout the world, as we mainly focused on national examples during my studies.

What was the least interesting part of the course?

The quiz; if you got a question wrong you could keep selecting until you got it right. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it will help people learn the correct answer but I like the satisfaction of getting a good result after going through a course like this.

Overall, would you recommend the Passport to the World course to others?

Absolutely! As I’ve said before, it’s a great way to introduce the industry to those who are just entering it, or want to study it further. I could see this being a great course to complete in high school tourism classes.