Planet Travels & Tours

Placement organization

Name of organization: Planet Travels & Tours
Town/city: Dubai
Country: Verenigde Aribische Emiraten
Website: http://www.planettours.travel

Student

Name of student: Charlotte Brosse

Specialist area: ITTI
Placement period: 2012-2013

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: DMC
Organization’s activities: Full Destination Services for FIT, Leisure Groups, Cruises, MICE and VIP Individuals
Target group of the organization: Up-market customers from CIS, China, Taiwan, Europe, Latin America, GCC
Company culture: The atmosphere is quite casual, everybody is called by their first name except the chairman who is addressed more formally
Number of employees: >100
Dress code: casual
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? Yes

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working? Contracting, Groups Department, FIT Reservation, Leisure (=inbound tourism), Accounts, Outbound Travel, IATA, GSA. I worked in Groups Department and Product Development
Brief description of your daily activities: Prepare group quotations, negotiate rates with hotels, design promotion flyers, contact with overseas tour operators and agents, site inspections at hotels, taking care of visiting overseas tour operators (e.g. press trips), participation in exhibitions
Brief description of your company assignment: Writing a business plan for the development of the German market
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: The Contracting Manager is my supervisor and I met with him on a daily basis to discuss the issues of the day and my tasks

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? You have to work very independently, be able to stand some stress, be representable for example at business events and exhibitions and be a team player, able to work in a group
Additional company requirements for this placement? Very good knowledge of Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Internet! Photoshop and Adobe are an advantage but no must
English: Advanced
Spanish:
French:
German: Advanced
Italian:
Other languages:

The trip

Mode of transport to reach your destination: Airplane

Accommodation

How did you arrange your accommodation? I had company accommodation in a shared apartment with own bedroom and own bathroom and shared kitchen/living room
How did you go to work every day? Rent-a-car

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? Yes
Do you need a work permit? No
How did you arrange the necessary documents: Upon arrival
How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents?
Did you need certain vaccinations? No
How long in advance?

Language course

Did you take a language course before you started your placement? No
Would you recommend to have a language course prior to this placement? n/a

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € 600,00
Accommodation (monthly): € 0,00
Local transport (monthly): € 300,00
General costs of living (monthly): € 350,00
Costs of visa: € Visa upon arrival free of charge, monthly visa exchange trip to Oman
Costs of work permit: €
What did the company pay for/to you? Financial compensation of EUR 400,00 per month, accommodation (shared appartment) and EUR 60,00 for local transport

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
Some reading
Did the culture of the country influence your performance during the placement in any way? Not necessarily the culture of the country but the mix of cultures that is present in Dubai with employees from so many different nations

Future students on placement

Future students are free to contact me for further information: Yes
My e-mail address: 102266@edu.nhtv.nl

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: Respect the islamic culture of the country (respectful clothing in shopping malls etc., no alcohol in public…)
Enjoy the diversity of the country and the possibilities offered

Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: Beach, Pool, Shopping Malls, Skydiving, Dune Bashing, Ice Skating, Skiing, Hiking, Surfing, Kiting, Excursions to neighboring countries (Oman, Qatar…), concerts, restaurants, sports events, bars, nightclubs…

Media

Youtube link Youtube placement video link