When the classroom comes out onto the waterfront: future tourism workers in direct contact with guests

Tourist Board of the City of Split, Tourist and catering school Split i Split-Dalmatia Police Department and this year they joined forces in a project that connects tourism, education and securityRecognizing the importance of investing in young future tourism workers, The Split Tourist Board financially supports the project and its implementation during the tourist season.

TUŠ students were with Mobile police prevention center on the Split Riva, where they were available to domestic and foreign tourists. They answered questions, provided useful information about the city and helped the guests to find their way around as easily as possible during their stay in Split.

A large part of tourists' questions are not related to safety, but to service information; how to get to the ferry port or airport, which bus to use, where a certain landmark is located, or how to find a certain service, the students say.

"It was precisely in such situations that the students, with their knowledge, familiarity with the tourist offer, foreign languages ​​and communication skills, were a valuable source of information for visitors," according to the Split Tourist Board.  

The presence of police officers on the Riva contributed to greater visibility and accessibility of the policeThe police provided tourists with information related to a safe stay in Split, provided access to the Safe in Dalmatia application via QR code, and took preventive measures to prevent criminal offenses and misdemeanors.  

The Split-Dalmatia Police Department highlights the large number of contacts made with tourists and praises the students' engagement, their motivation, interest, politeness and quality of information they provided.

For TUŠ students, the project represented valuable experience outside the classroomIn direct contact with guests, they had the opportunity to apply the knowledge acquired during their education, use foreign languages, and develop communication and presentation skills in real-life situations.

"Their engagement showed how much young people can contribute to the city's tourist life and its presentation as an open, safe and hospitable destination. Because the tourist experience is not only made up of sights, sea, sun and cultural heritage, but also the people the guest meets during their stay - their smile, kindness and willingness to help.", concludes the Split Tourist Board.

The project is another example of successful collaboration The Tourist Board of the City of Split, the Split Tourism and Hospitality School and the Split-Dalmatia Police Department, which, through joint action, contributes to the creation of a safer, higher quality and more hospitable tourist environment.

Such actions are certainly worth commending because they have double value.

On the one hand, they offer tourists concrete assistance and further build the image of Split as a hospitable and organized destination, and on the other hand, they provide students with something that no classroom can fully replace - direct contact with a guest.

It is through such situations that future tourism professionals can best understand what tourism actually means in practice. Not through theory, presentations and textbooks, but through real issues, different cultures, languages, needs and expectations of guests. This is live tourism and first-hand experience, and it is precisely such experiences that can be extremely valuable for young people in their future professional development.

That is why there should be even more such collaborations between tourist boards, vocational schools and the tourism sector. If we want better quality staff in tourism, then we must enable young people to experience tourism as early as possible where it really happens, which is in direct contact with the guest.

The engagement of police officers on the Riva continues until the end of September, which continues the practice of greater visibility and accessibility of the police to tourists and citizens of the city of Split during the final part of the tourist season.

Photo: Split Tourist Board