Bus tour trade for casinos grows annually. Each facility vies for customers by offering promotions, giveaways, and special prices for bus customers. Some casinos themselves own buses, which leave from a central location on a scheduled basis and bring excited guests to the facility. Many bus lines also work in conjunction with casinos, scheduling daily trips to the various casinos. Some groups of people and organizations charter buses for visits to the gaming area. The individual responsible for developing bus programs to attract customers to the casino is called the Tour and Travel Manager. Bus promotions have become very popular with casinos. For many guests, the bus is an ideal method of visiting a casino. To garner bus customers for their casino, Tour and Travel Managers must constantly create new promotions.
These promotions, for example, provide guests with some sort of monetary reimbursement, such as a roll of quarters or equivalent coupon to use for slots, food, or entertainment. They may also include coupons for reduced prices on meals in casino restaurants and entertainment in showrooms. In order to assure repeat business, promotions may also involve coupons for future trips. Some promotions involve contests, giveaways, or entertainment.
Promotions might include books of coupons for a wide array of items such as free souvenirs, slot machine pulls, or drinks. Most bus customers are slot players. Therefore, the Tour and Travel Manager also works with the slot and marketing departments on slot promotions designed to attract bus customers. Together the departments create, market, and implement bus tour programs. The Tour and Travel Manager may work with private bus lines as well as charter groups in order to develop new markets for service to the casino. With a successful bus program, the casino may have 100 or more buses pulling up to the facility daily. The Tour and Travel Manager must create a working operating system so that total mayhem does not occur at the casino hotel’s arrival and departure area. The individual must work out a reservation system for charter buses, as well as a timetable for daily scheduled bus lines. The Tour and Travel Manager must also develop procedures for bus drivers regarding discharging arriving passengers, loading them at departure time, and parking. Other duties of the casino Tour and Travel Manager may include:
Factors affecting earnings include the geographic location, size, and prestige of the casino, as well as the importance placed on its bus program. Other variables include the experience and responsibilities of the individual. Employment prospects for Tour and Travel Managers are fair.
Opportunities for Tour and Travel Managers can be found in casinos hosting bus programs. Areas with a large number of casinos hosting bus programs have more opportunities. These include land-based casinos, dockside and floating riverboat casinos, and Indian gaming facilities.
Advancement opportunities for Tour and Travel Managers depend to a great extent on the area in which the individual desires to work. Some Tour and Travel Managers climb the career ladder by locating similar positions in larger casinos or properties placing more emphasis on bus programs. Depending on career aspirations and training, the individual may also move into an administrative position in a marketing or convention sales department. A bachelor’s degree is usually required or preferred by most casinos for the position of Tour and Travel Manager. In some settings, work experience may be accepted in lieu of formal education. Good choices for majors include marketing, public relations, communications, liberal arts, or hotel management and administration. Courses and seminars on various aspects of casinos administration and marketing are offered in many areas hosting gaming.
Two to four years’ experience working in tour and travel or marketing, public relations, travel, or hospitality are necessary for most positions in casinos as a Tour and Travel Manager. Individuals must be creative with good marketing and communication skills. An understanding of the gaming and tour and travel industries is essential.
Those interested in learning more about careers in this area can obtain additional information by contacting the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AH&LA) or the human resources departments of casinos.
1. Many casinos promote from within. If you are interested in this type of job, see what openings exist in the department. Learn what you can and move up the career ladder.
2. Jobs may be advertised in the classified sections of newspapers in areas hosting gaming. Look under classifications such as “Casino/Gaming Opportunities,” “Casino Tour and Travel,” or “Tour and Travel Manager.”
3. Send, fax, or visit the human resources departments of casino hotels to inquire about job openings. You might also send or fax a résumé and a short cover letter.
4. Call casinos job hotline numbers. These offer current job opportunities available at the facility. You can call casinos directly to obtain their job hotline phone numbers.
5. Check out individual casino Web sites. Many casinos now list job openings on an employment page within their web sites.
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