About the course
SMEs make up 80% of all tourism businesses, but, at the same time, 20% of them fail within the first year of operation and only half manage to go beyond the five-year mark. These numbers become ever harsher in times of crisis, as seen during COVID-19. PATA’s goal is to empower tourism SMEs with the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively manage their finances and become more digital, to better adapt to the post-pandemic tourism era.
The self-paced course is available open-sourced and consists of two modules. The Finance Skills for Tourism SMEs module covers topics such as:
- budgeting, saving, record keeping and accounting;
- funding and loan options for SMEs;
- payment and banking services;
- how to manage a business’s cash flow and prepare financial statements; and
- how to calculate products and services break-even points.
The Digital Skills for Tourism SMEs module includes the topics:
- business digitalisation;
- digital marketing – including how to build a website, how to promote on social media, email marketing, Google My Business, digital advertising and paid ads;
- digital payment options;
- how to set up online payments; and
- how to stay safe online and prevent identity theft, frauds and other cyber crimes.
