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Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Celebrate Unique Hawaiian Holidays

Christmas time is undoubtedly the most crowded season in Hawaii. Thousands of tourists take advantage of the long vacation and head off to one of its exquisite islands. Visitors would find Christmas here to be somehow different from what they are used to. Since Hawaii is a melting pot of various cultures and races, the real meaning of Christmas would truly be seen and felt here. Different people of diverse nationalities and religions celebrate this special occasion together. They usually have gift-giving, the ever famous Christmas tree, and the carefully designed Christmas ornaments displayed almost everywhere.

Following the Christmas holiday, New Year in Hawaii is something tourists should not dare to miss. Amazing firework displays are shown on the Eve of the coming year. Visitors would absolutely be astonished by these sparkling lights, which are said to drive away evil spirits according to Chinese culture.

Another exciting annual holiday that both the tourists and locals look forward to is the famous Lei Day, which is celebrated on the first day of May. An array of interesting activities is lined up in the whole stretch of the Hawaiian Islands. In Honolulu, all the people are encouraged to wear the Lei, a traditional Hawaiian flower necklace. They celebrate Lei Day with music, hula, and exciting lei making contests.

The entire month of February is dedicated to Hawaii's famous humpback whales. Maui Whale Festival is another must-see event that is particularly held on the island of Maui. Originally coming from the Alaskan frigid waters, these 40-ton colossal mammals take a yearly trip to the moderately warm waters of Hawaii. A marathon for the whales, a parade in honor of whales, special seminars and shows are just some of the activities done on this day.

The Honolulu Festival is an added treat for tourists who are visiting Hawaii on the month of March, which lasts for 3 days. It is a festivity that imparts the rich heritage of different cultures with all the people in the world. Guests could watch several dance performances of different nations for free. The festival usually comes to an end with a grand parade.

In July, the Makawao Rodeo is enjoyed by over 350 cowboys from different parts of the world. It is considered to be the largest rodeo event in Hawaii. Cowboys experience the extraordinary rodeo style unique to Hawaii. The festival also features rodeo clowns, live entertainment and dancing that tourists could take pleasure in.

Halloween in Lahaina is totally opposite to being scary. Branded as the "Mardi Gras of the Pacific," more than 30,000 adults and children alike participate in this horror-filled event. A parade of kids dressed in different scary-looking costumes walk down on Front Street is the highlight of the evening.

There are more festivities and holidays celebrated in Hawaii that travelers could take part of. Being able to experience a holiday in Hawaiian style is definitely a treasured souvenir to bring home.

The Key Responsibilities of a Holiday Rep

The qualifications you will need depend on what kind of position you are seeking. As mentioned above the position of children's rep is one that often requires specific qualifications. Most reps need to be at least 18 and some positions require you to be 21. Formal qualifications are not generally required for the position of a holiday rep.

However, good GCSE grades / A-level grades or any qualification in Travel and Tourism will always help your chances of success. In addition to this, any customer service experience is also a valuable asset to have as it demonstrates a key skill the recruitment team are looking for. This can even be through a part time job while you were studying or part of your full time job that you do on a daily basis. There is also no requirement to speak a different language (although it will help if you do so make sure you mention it).

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AS A REP

Work to ensure that you consistently deliver an excellent level of service - Recognise every customer as an individual

- You should be the local expert for you customers by providing up to date and relevant information of the surrounding areas

- Obtain feedback from customers after they have been on a company excursion.

- Deal with all customer problems effectively and seeking guidance from Resort Team Manager / Leader where necessary.

- Ensure customer communication is delivered in line with company guidelines.

- Transferring holiday makers to and from the airport and hotel Accommodation Health & Safety Checks

- Complete Health and Safety checks and report concerns to Resort Team Manager.

- Report back to your team leader with your suggested improvements. This is key to improving the service you can offer your customers.

- Ensure any issues affecting customer satisfaction are brought to the attention of the Resort Team Manager

- Work alongside our suppliers to enhance the customers' holiday.

- Be responsible for the customers' hotel reservation ensuring correct room types and extras are delivered as booked.

-Conducting welcome meetings/selling excursions

-Provide targeted holiday information, while ensuring that customers are briefed on the excursions available to them.

- You will have to achieve sales targets through the selling excursions, car hire, telephone cards and other new products and services introduced by the company.

- Decide on which product(s) to sell to gain maximum sales and customer satisfaction.

- Possess a full understanding of every product and service that you sell to your customers.

- Recommend improvements to the Company excursions from the feedback from your customers

- Guiding your customers on the excursions/ trips you have sold them

- Collecting and balancing foreign money Completing paperwork

-Be responsible for the safe keeping of and account for all money collected

- Complete appropriate forms and reports

- Meet administrative deadlines