When I decided to pursue the OTHM Level 5 Diploma in Tourism and Hospitality Management from a reputable university in the UAE, I expected that most of my learning would be from textbooks, assignments, and lectures. But I soon discovered that although these resources were crucial for learning, I learned some of my lessons better through travelling.
And I am glad that I travelled across the UAE because exploring the destinations helped me gain insights into how the tourism industry works beyond textbook lessons. By gaining firsthand access to customer behaviour, hospitality services, event management, and cultural diversity, I was able to connect theory with practice. Moreover, these experiences helped me navigate the complexities of my coursework more efficiently and with better application of real-world scenarios.
If you’re an OTHM student and are unsure whether travelling can actually help you improve your overall OTHM Level 5 study experience, reading my experience might help you make an informed decision. Here are 5 ways travel helped me in my Level 5 OTHM studies.
-
Understanding Tourist Behaviour in Real Life
A major benefit of travelling for me was learning how different tourists make decisions. During my visit to Palm Jumeirah and some heritage sites in Sharjah, I discovered the diversity of interests and expectations among them. For instance, some travellers wanted to explore local culture and history, while others preferred luxury experiences.
Apart from luxury and local experiences, I observed that:
- Some visitors preferred shopping and entertainment.
- Alternatively, others focused on eco-friendly tourism and adventure activities.
I also realised that tourist behaviour isn’t as complex as it seems, and I also learned important topics, such as market segmentation and tourism, more clearly. As a result, I was able to use real examples for my assignments related to customer profiles and destination marketing.
-
Improving My Customer Service Knowledge
As an OTHM Level 5 student, customer service was one of the most difficult topics for me to learn because I struggled to figure out ways to observe and understand how businesses interact with guests. Before travelling, I sought OTHM assignment writing help, and the experts offered academic support throughout my assignment-writing process.
When I travelled to the UAE and explored entertainment venues and tourist sites, I learned that:
- Quick conflict resolution and problem-solving can help maintain a positive experience
- Maintaining friendly communication can make the guests feel satisfied.
- Professional staff can help build business credibility and trust.
By viewing these practically, I was able to discuss these topics in my coursework more accurately.
-
Learning Event Management through Experience
Since the UAE is a hub for world-class events, festivals, and exhibitions, attending such events helped me gain insights into better event management. During the tourism exhibitions, I explored Expo City Dubai and many other spots.
There, I observed the criteria for how organisations plan and manage large events. I paid close attention to:
- The strategies for better crowd management and visitor engagement.
- The marketing activities and venue organisation strategies.
- I also noticed the transport planning and security measures.
Do you think that theory might have been sufficient? Well, I thought that. However, when I viewed event management beyond my textbooks, it enabled me to make my work more practical and detailed when I was completing my assignments that involved scenarios related to event planning.
-
Gaining a Better Understanding of Sustainable Tourism
As you know, sustainability is an important topic in modern tourism. So, I used travel for my benefit to understand this topic more effectively by visiting eco-tourism destinations, such as the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve. There, I learned simple ways people in the tourism sector can protect the environment while still providing memorable tourist experiences.
I learned that sustainability has a major role in long-term tourism development, and these types of experiences became handy, especially when I had to write reports and research projects without relying on my books or articles from the internet. Moreover, I was able to understand how social, environmental, and economic goals can contribute to responsible tourism.
-
Developing Cultural Intelligence and Industry Connections
Travelling around the UAE also gave me opportunities to experience multiculturalism and interact with people from different backgrounds, which made me understand that successful tourism was more than operational knowledge.
In addition, I got the chance to meet tourism operators, international visitors, hotel professionals, and locals. Through these interactions, I developed the following skills:
- Cultural awareness
- Better communication
- Professional networking
Since I had to learn international tourism and hospitality management, among other topics, for my OTHM Level 5 qualification, I gained practical exposure from these experiences rather than just theoretical knowledge.
Not only that, but I also availed the opportunity to connect with industry professionals. It helped me gain insights about tourism trends, hospitality operations, and industry challenges. With such conversations, I improved my assignments, coursework, and knowledge of my course.
To Sum It Up
When I was studying the OTHM Level 5 in Tourism and Hospitality Management, I realised that I could learn the most valuable lessons outside the classroom. However, you should understand that I am not saying that there is no need to attend lectures or learn from textbooks.
While these helped me learn the theory, I was able to discover how tourism concepts work in real-life situations, which enabled me to include real examples and observations in my assignments and other coursework. Moreover, I developed industry skills and insights into important technicalities of Tourism and Hospitality management that will be useful throughout my career.
If you’re studying tourism and hospitality and want to improve your understanding of the industry, you should also include travel experiences in your study strategy. This way, you can boost your OTHM Level studies as I did.
