TOUR 372-13 Summer 2019: Practicum Reflection Report on DNA

This report is a reflective analysis of a student's practicum experience within the tourism industry, specifically focusing on their role in the check-in department of Destinations North America (DNA), a cruise line service provider. The report details the student's job onboarding process, responsibilities such as guest check-in and providing directions, and the skills acquired through training, including customer service, communication, and software proficiency. It includes an introspection of the company, a SWOT analysis of the student's role, and the role of formal education in achieving career objectives. The student outlines their learning goals, steps taken to achieve them, and future career visions, including improving communication skills and gaining expertise in relevant software to advance within the industry. The report also includes references to academic sources to support the analysis.

Running head: TOURISM MANAGEMENT
Tourism Management
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:
1

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Executive Summary
The report focuses on the job role of a staff, working in the Check-in departmentof the cruises
line service providing organization. Destinations North America has been chosen as the
organization. This is the cruise ship organization, providing best hospitality service to the guests.
This is a reflective file, presenting the experience of a staffs, who is working in the check-in
department of DNA. The career goal of the staff has been presented. Formal education has
played a very important role for the staff to play, his assigned task of checking the staffs, with
utmost efficiency.

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Table of Contents
Introduction:....................................................................................................................................4
Part 1................................................................................................................................................4
1. Overview of Destinations North America (DNA):..................................................................4
Part 2................................................................................................................................................6
2. Job onboarding:.......................................................................................................................6
3. My experience of working in the organization:......................................................................7
4. Introspection of the company:.................................................................................................8
5. Role of formal education received at Cap U in achieving career objective:...........................9
Part 3................................................................................................................................................9
6. Vision about reaching career goal:..........................................................................................9
Conclusion:....................................................................................................................................10
References:....................................................................................................................................11

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Introduction:
With the rapid development of travel and tourism across the world, the range of
businesses related to tour planning is increasing drastically (Pham, Andereck& Vogt, 2019).
Present paper will put forth the discussion regarding the experience of staff in working at a
company, who is working in a cruise line company. Destination North America(DNA) has been
chosen in the company. Brief overview of the company will be given. Mission, vision and
interview process of the company will be discussed. This paper will also shade light on the
career vision of the staffs, working in Destination North America.
Part 1
1. Overview of Destinations North America (DNA):
Destination North America is one of the leading organizations in the travel and tourism
industry, offering the travellers with high quality of cruise line with that of shore excursion
service and thereby keeping them delighted (Zhang &Cobanoglu, 2019). In addition, being the
service destination management company, DNA is highly committed towards assisting the cruise
line partner is the entire visit. Empowering the knowledgeable workforce is the key strategy
followed by DNA, through which they are becoming able to integrate innovation in their internal
business process and thereby attain long term success from business (Linkedin.com. 2019).
Effective interview process is being followed in the company in terms of hiring skilled
and resourceful human resources. Conduction of job fair is one of the major ways, through which
DNA recruits its staffs. Exploring the intensity of knowledge regarding the tour operation

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management is the most significant way, followed by DNA in order to hire staffs. In addition,
geographical awareness among the people is also being assessed in terms of recruiting the staff.
 Hierarchy of all other departments of Destinations North America:
Figure 2: Hierarchy of all other departments of DNA
 Hierarchy of the check-in department of Destinations North America:
Figure 2: Organizational chart of the Check-in department of DNA
Operational head
Operational manager
Shift Supervisor
Shipboard Human
Resources Department
Sales And Reservations
Department
Information
Technology
Department
General Maintenance
And Purchasing
Department
Documentation
Department
Ground Services
Department
Accounting/Finance
Department
Operation
manager
Shift supervisor
Staffs working in
the check-in
department

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(Source: Linkedin.com. 2019)
It is evident from the organizational chart of the Check-in departmentof DNA that, the
person working in the check-in department has to report to the assistant cruise manager.
The company puts utmost value towards organizational communication as they belief
that, it is the key way for planning and executing effective business plan and thus attain long
term success in the hardcore competitive business environment. The fundamental mission of the
company is to offer comprehensive cruise line guest experience with the assistance of local
expertise (Benckendorff, Xiang & Sheldon, 2019). The company provides utmost value to the
guests, who according to them deserve to acquire high quality of service. The core vision of
DNA is to offer best and most interesting side seeing experience to the guests by ensuring
availability of skilled and knowledgeable staffs.
Part 2
2. Job onboarding:
I am working a cruise line service provider organization. Being a staff of Check-in
department,I have to check-in the guests, arriving at the port of Vancouver. Giving proper
direction to the guests, who are arriving at the port of Vancouver, is another vitalresponsibility of
the staffs, working in the Check-in department of DNA. Custom is one of the most significant
factors of the port of Vancouver. It is also my duty to help the people of USA custom. I am
helping them to access the ESTA visa easily, which is very much needed to travel to Alaska.
Check-in the guests are one of the major role played by the staff of Check-in
departmentof the DNA. I usually evaluate all the details of the guests before check-in them. I

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check the valid ID proof of the guests, which is the key factor for checking (Jovicic, 2019). It is
my duty to perceive whether the ID proof is valid or not. My learning curve towards the job role
of the check-in the guests is as follows:
The cruise ship training has played a major role in terms of strengthening my skills and
competency level (Larsen & Wolff, 2019). With the assistance of the training, I have become
able to understand how to deal with the guests in an appropriate manner. The training session has
helped me to make cordial communication with the guests by using proper word and body
language (Lawet al., 2019). In the training session, I have learned a lot about Fidelio Version,
which is being used widely in the hotels in terms of, check-in the staffs. This is very integrated
software, being used wide in the hotels. The software is designed especially for the sake of
maximizing the competency of the hotel operation (Micros.rs. 2019). The jobs I have performed
were guiding people in the Taxi pickup area in the port, where my job was help the travellers to
pick up the right cab for the right trip. Even, I helped them with taking the shuttles form the port.

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3. My experience of working in the organization:
Being the staff of the Check-in departmentof DNA, I have developed certain learning
goals, which have helped me to satisfy my career objectives (Hung et al., 2019). My learning
goals are as follows:
 To improve my customer service skill and thus demonstrate demeanor in any kind of
emergency situation
 To be energetic, friendly and customer oriented
 To attain extensive communication skill and become a calm, confident and friendly
working professional
 To attain a senior check-in attendant position by demonstrating the ability to assist the
staffs in a professional manner.
 Helped me to learn new languages
I have taken several steps in order to satisfy my goals. I have executed several steps in order
to improve my customer skill. I have tried to acknowledge all the needs and requirements which
is the key of providing high quality of services and thus keep them happy and satisfied. I have
also put consistent effort in terms of strengtheningmy communication skill(Honey, 2019). I have
listened several conversations in you tube. Listening conversation in you tube has played a
critical role in understanding the proper usage of words at the time of making formal
conversation. Implementation of purpose, importance, preview (PIP) is one of the major ways,
through which the communication skill can be accelerated.Through this way, I can share the
importance of the presentation among the audiences. Practicing extempore is another vital way,
through which I have improved my communication skill.

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Consisted training session has helped me to strengthen my knowledge and skill. Thus, it can
be said that, I am working efficiently in accordance with the underlying philosophy of the
company. My supervisors are very much encouraging, through which I am becoming able to
complete my tasks with utmost efficiency (Ye & Wang, 2019).
4. Introspection of the company:
SWOT analysis of the staff, working in the Check-in departmentof DNA is as follows:
Strengths
 Good customer service skill
 Scope of career development
 Scope of accomplishing learning goals
Weaknesses
 Lack of ample resource
 Week presence in the social media
 Unfriendly official website
Opportunities
 Promoting the career
 Keeping the guests satisfied
 Scope of amplifying communication
skill
Threats
 Diverse range of requirements
 Guests from different cultural and
linguistic background.
Table 1: SWOT analysis of the position of check-in guests
(Source:Ahn& Back, 2019)
I would like to recommend this job to other cap U student, as it is the great job, which
can help in challenging the skills and competency level. In addition, this job will also help in
satisfying the career objectives.In future, I will help the students to explore more about the cruise

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industry. At the time of working in DNA, I have made several contacts of the employee of the
organization. These employees have supported me in order to explore the possible ways for
becoming the full time employee in the cruise industry.
5. Role of formal education received at Cap U in achieving career objective:
The inclusion of formal education has played a critical role in satisfying fundamental
career objective. Initially, the formal education has helped me to strengthen my communication
skill, which is the key of building cordial relationship with the guests (Zhang, 2019). The
education from Cap U has also supported in accelerating the communication skill, which is very
much needed in terms of dealing with the staffs from different linguistic and cultural
background. Cap U has trained me properly and enabled me to check the guests properly and
thus give best hospitality service to them. In the training, I have also learned about fadilo
software, which is the key of check-in, the guests in an appropriate manner.
Part 3
6. Vision about reaching career goal:
In order to satisfy the career goal, it is imperative for me to take several steps. By
reviewing skills, I have observed that I am lagging behind effective communication skill. Thus, it
is imperative for me to accelerate my communication skill. I would take special care in terms of
improving my non-verbal communication skill. In addition, I have to know the way of using
right words. In future, comprehensive knowledge regarding the Fidelio software would help in
pursues my career as the check-in agent in the hotels. In addition, through the Fidelio software, I
can also implement online booking process in the hotels. I would really like to thanks to the
trainer of the Cap U, who has helped me to implement and run the software properly.

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Conclusion:
Based on the discussion, it can be concluded by saying that, the job of the staffs working
in the Check-in departmentis highly challenging. The position of this job requires constant
modification of skill andcompetencies, which arethe key of approaching properly to the guests
and this, keep them happy and satisfied.

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References:
Ahn, J., & Back, K. J. (2019). Cruise brand experience: functional and wellness value creation in
tourism business. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 7(2),
89-120.
Benckendorff, P. J., Xiang, Z., & Sheldon, P. J. (2019). Tourism information technology.Cabi.
(URL:https://books.google.co.in/books?
hl=en&lr=&id=5iaPDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR5&dq=Benckendorff,+P.+J.,+Xiang,
+Z.,+%26+Sheldon,+P.+J.+(2019).+Tourism+information+technology.
+Cabi.&ots=cspveM6S-
O&sig=oFyqHk9C6UFh4J5FviBlOiqScns&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Benckendorff
%2C%20P.%20J.%2C%20Xiang%2C%20Z.%2C%20%26%20Sheldon%2C%20P.%20J.
%20(2019).%20Tourism%20information%20technology.%20Cabi.&f=false)
Honey, M. (Ed.). (2019). Cruise Tourism in the Caribbean: Selling Sunshine. Routledge.
(URL:https://books.google.co.in/books?
hl=en&lr=&id=x6eDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT12&dq=Honey,+M.+(Ed.).+(2019).
+Cruise+Tourism+in+the+Caribbean:+Selling+Sunshine.
+Routledge&ots=NF3sk9BYCt&sig=u2Vm0thXc8iNK6xZHKB-
qvt6tKM&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false)
Hung, K., Wang, S., Guillet, B. D., & Liu, Z. (2019). An overview of cruise tourism research
through comparison of cruise studies published in English and Chinese. International
Journal of Hospitality Management, 77 (12), 207-216.