ITB Academy offers an innovative online course on how to make best use of social media in tourism – use of social media is crucial to achieving success in the tourism industry – eight key topics – successful participants will receive certificates
With its multi-session, free Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on social media in tourism, which is due to take place for the first time, the ITB Academy will be providing tourism professionals with the latest information and updating their social media knowledge. Together with Tourismuszukunft, the Institute for eTourism and the ITB’s partner responsible for content, the knowledge factory of ITB Berlin will have information on the role of rating platforms, how to measure success with social media and will highlight examples of best practices. The course, which will be held in English, targets everyone involved in the travel industry, regardless of whether they are managers of startups or work for large international enterprises. Registrations for the eight-part MOOC will be taken as of 1 October. Participants can organise their times as they wish and set their own learning pace. After successfully completing the course and relevant tests they can subsequently obtain a certificate. Dr. Martin Buck, vice president, Travel & Logistics, Messe Berlin: “The MOOC is a new training measure that enables participants to rapidly and efficiently acquire complex knowledge. Use of social media is crucial to marketing travel products, which is why we have decided to make this knowledge platform available worldwide.”
No previous knowledge is required for this online course. The individual course modules are carefully coordinated to enable participants to gradually build up their knowledge from square one, while advanced learners can enjoy a refresher course. The learning objectives comprise various elements of the most relevant aspects of social media. Those who complete the course will receive a wealth of important tips on how to make best use of social media. They will learn about the basics of social media, obtain an overview of different platforms as well as tips on how to best handle social media. Topics such as story telling, social commerce and the legal pitfalls as regards social media form part of the course.
The course will be held in English and features interesting lectures via video, informative learning material for studying at home as well as inspiring examples of best practices. Those wishing to obtain a certificate must successfully complete tests at the end of each module as well as a final test. Participants are free to work on individual modules at their own pace up to the prescribed time limit of the MOOC. Depending on its length a module should take between three and five hours to complete. Course registration is free and can be done online at http://www.itb-berlin.de/mooc. The fee for a certificate is 89 euros (reduced rate for students: 49 euros, plus VAT). More information can be obtained by emailing itb-mooc@messe-berlin.de.
