Resources
Useful Information Sources
Working on a research project? Planning a trip? This section of the web site will save you time. First, here are some useful sources of information if you are planning a trip.
- Airport and city codes are available at www.airportcitycodes.com, then click on ‘City Codes’ database. This site also offers airline codes, distance calculators, aircraft information and travel tips.
- Books: Do you want to find out information on a particular destination? Travel guide publishers that maintain useful web sites include www.fodors.com and www.lonelyplanet.com.
- Currency Conversion: What is your money worth when you visit another country? Check www.oanda.com/convert/classic before you go.
- Country Profiles: Do you want a quick overview of another country, with brief information about its history, politics and economy? Use the Internet to go to http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/country_profiles/default.stm and click on “Country Profiles.” WorldTravelGuide.net offers combined travel information and country profiles in its “World Travel Guide,” and offers an online version at www.worldtravelguide.net. Also useful is www.nationalgeographic.com, which has articles in different languages.
- Health information: The International Society of Travel Medicine maintains www.istm.org while the World Health Organization has www.who.int. There is also www.tripprep.com.
- International Weather: Is it sunny in Dublin or raining in Hong Kong? Find out at http://www.weather.com
- News: Want to find local news in another country? Try going to www.theworldpress.com which offers links to 5,204 newspapers in 192 countries.
- Maps: Need a map? For access to some 5,000 images of maps of countries, cities and other subjects, as well as a comprehensive series of links to other online map sources, go to www.lib.utexas.edu/maps. And for a truly original map of global tourist destinations showing each country drawn in proportion to the number of visitors trips to that country, click on www.sasi.group.shef.ac.uk/worldmapper/display.php?selected=19, created by SASI Group of the University of Sheffield and Mark Newman of the University of Michigan.
- Time: Is it too late to make that telephone call to your friend who lives far away? Find out what time it is right now, anywhere in the world. Check time at locations around the world at www.worldtimeserver.com.
- Visas: VisaGuide.World provides detailed information about worldwide visas for each country and offers the most recent news regarding visas and worldwide travel.
- And if you see a word or phrase that refers to the travel industry and you do not know what it means, try looking it up on www.traveljargon.org
For keeping Informed about the Travel & Tourism industry, visit:
Trends in Travel and Tourism
The following web sites contain information on trends and issues in the Travel & Tourism industry. There are also many industry association sites you can visit. Here are the key sites:
- World Tourism Organization (WTO) Represents governments of 139 countries and 6 territories around the world. Collects data, compiles reports, and helps develop policies related developing responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.
- The United Nations has a tourism-related initiative which works with tour operators to help them develop sustainable tourism (www.toinitiative.org)
- World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC): WTTC represents the major Travel & Tourism companies. WTTC conducts research on tourism and development, sustainable tourism, employment and a host of other important issues that governments and the industry need to know about. The WTTC web site has statistics on tourism (economic impact, employment, etc.) by regions of the world, and for many individual countries.
- To see videos on how technology is changing the travel industry, watch KDS TV, which is produced by our Global Partner, KDS. Here is the link: http://www.kds.com/kds-tv. You can also read about current technology trends at this e-magazine: http://www.tourism-review.com/travel-tourism-magazine-travel-technology-trends-apps-sites-and-mobile-devices-category2292
- Other useful association sites include:
The GTTP student case studies show how communities around the world manage tourism.
Internships
Internships, or work study programs, are an integral part of the GTTP because students need to experience the “real” world of work. For details, click here.
College Affordability Guide
This resource may help you find affordable hospitality management degrees, as well as info on the different types of hospitality management degrees and program accreditation. Click here to go to their website.
