Fundamental Characteristics of the Hospitality and Tourism - Book Report/Review Example

?Fundamental Characteristics of the Hospitality, Tourism, and Event Executive summary Hospitality, tourism, and event industries have witnessed a boom as a result of increased affluence and expansion of travel and business sectors. While hospitality deals with accommodation and food, tourism has a lot of things in its fold ranging from transportation, accommodation, leisure, and so on. Event industry is a relatively recent addition that is effectively used to promote tourism in an area. A look into the features of the three proves that they all are interlinked and mutually beneficial. So, a fall in one means a decline in other fields too. In addition, the study shows that all the three fields are service-intensive where the host-guest role play is strictly followed. In all the sectors, the quality of both tangible and intangible products is vital in making the customers satisfied. Table of contents Introduction The hospitality industry The relationship between hospitality and tourism The need for alliances in hospitality and tourism The event sector and its relation with hospitality and tourism Importance of quality of service and guest-host relations in the three fields Conclusion Introduction The term ‘hospitality’ has become increasingly popular in all fields of service ranging from commercial, industrial and public service spheres. According to scholars (Andrews, 2007, p. 17) hospitality has four essential attributes. Firstly, there is a relationship between people who are always destined to play the roles of guests and hosts. Secondly, this relationship is either private or social, and thirdly, its success is based on the degree of pleasure it presents to the guest. Lastly, it includes three processes of arriving, receiving service, and departure. According to scholars, hospitality is concerned with providing accommodation and catering for guests, though it also includes the total wellbeing and satisfaction of travelers; however, tourism refers to temporary stay away from one’s usual place of residence for purposes like recreation (ibid). According to Ritchie (1999, p.2), hospitality industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. Though tourism is slightly different, it cannot be separated form hospitality as hospitality plays a pivotal role in the success of tourism too. Though event sector is a relatively recent addition, this too, presently, plays a significant role in promoting tourism and hospitality industries. In fact, these three sectors are interlinked as they share a lot of common features, and as they have the power to influence each other in a significant way. The hospitality industry According to the definition as provided by the Oxford English Dictionary, ‘hospitality’ means ‘to receive and entertain guests with liberality and goodwill’. In fact, the word ‘hospitality’ has its birth from the word ‘hospice’ that means a house of rest for travelers and pilgrims. Thus, as Jones (2002, p. 3) points out, evidently, hospitality not only takes into account hotels and restaurants, but also considers other kinds of institutions that offer shelter, food, or both to people. Thus, hospitality includes bars, clubs, resorts and casinos. So, one can undoubtedly say that the important sectors that cannot survive without hospitality are food service, lodging, travel and tourism, and event industry. According to Barrows and Powers (2009, p. 25), it is a relatively recent trend among hospitality industry organisations to group themselves to offer better services. The reason for this grouping and specialization is the increasing demands from the part of the customers. The fact is that the present-day customers are not like the customers of the baby-boom who only looked for leisure. Now, the clients look for everything from transportation facilities, accommodation, food, attractions, and other activities. In addition, there are various specialized groups of customers ranging from the so-called green customers, the adventurers, the family travelers and so on. Satisfying the needs of all these people means to have alliances. The relationship between hospitality and tourism In fact, it is impossible to think about the survival of tourism without the component of hospitality. As Avdimiotis et al (2009, p. 29) point out, hospitality industry is a major part of the tourism industry, and has a number of sub sectors and activities. They include accommodation, catering, entertainment, attractions, and business hospitality. While accommodation includes hotels, motels, self-catering accommodation, camping sites, and cruise liners, catering covers restaurants, cafes, bars, clubs, fast food, outdoor activities and transport catering (ibid). So, in fact, hospitality is an essential element of tourism without which there is no survival of tourism. Here, it becomes evident that the recent changes in tourism are calling for a dramatic improvement in hospitality. To illustrate, the new customers want fresh destinations. Also the tour should be innovative, exciting, and cost-effective. Presently, the customers are the people who determine the product offerings based on their tastes and preferences, and the tour operators are mere suppliers. Thus, evidently, it becomes necessary for tour operators to depend on various hospitality components to see that their clients do not get dissatisfied during any part of their tour ranging from transportation, accommodation, food, and leisure activities. Because of this association between both, when there is a change in the demands of tourists, hospitality sector and tourist sectors respond in the same way. For example, the modern tourists want to remain in touch with their home and office through mobile phones, laptops and pagers. In order to meet this demand, one can see hotel chains getting ready to equip themselves with wireless, high speed, internet connections for guest rooms. In addition, there are personalized in-room guest portal service and improved portal videoconferencing services followed by virtual reality entertainment. Admittedly, hospitality is reliant on tourism and vice versa. The need for alliances in hospitality and tourism Crotts et al (2000, p. 7) point out that the development of alliances is critical in hospitality and tourism. They point out the fact that inbound tour operators often act as buyers for foreign clients in the local market. They usually make decisions for three types of suppliers; hotels, restaurants, and coach companies. Evidently, there are various travel segments ranging from the traditional cultural and heritage tourism, and the non-traditional tourism including birding, mountain biking, cruises, special events, and festivals. In order to meet the rising demands of these various groups, it is necessary for inbound tour operators to have strategic alliances with various suppliers. For sure, lack of hospitality will lead to a fall in the number of tourists, and this will, in turn, result in a fall in the local hospitality industry. A study reveals that about 26 inbound tour operators supplied about 800,000 tourists to Australia from Asia and Japan in a year. Indicating how conscious these customers are about the service they receive, Crotts et al (2000, p. 13) write that in Japan, it is common for tour operators to mention the hotels for accommodation in the expensive tour packages and for the less expensive ones, the itineraries will specify the grade of the hotel. There are three points that become evident at this juncture. The first one is that in the case of tourism too, customers are no less concerned about the experience of hospitality than about the places they visit. The second point is that tour operators play a crucial role in developing the hospitality industry of a place. The last point is that a fall in the quality of hospitality in an area will affect the tour operators. According to Kandampully et al (2001, p. 2), tourism has two elements; the movement element and the static element. While the movement element refers to the journey, the static element refers to the overnight stay outside the permanent residence. Admittedly, the static element of a tour is almost entirely dependent on the quality of hospitality. For example, the way the guests are greeted, the quality of accommodation provided, and the kind of food they are provided are all no less important than the beauty of the places they visit or the entertainment they gain from various activities. It is rightly said by Kandampully et al (2001) that tourism is an amalgamation of various sub-industries ranging from transportation, accommodation, attractions, amenities, catering, entertainment, eating and drinking establishments, shops, and activities (ibid). From this, the inseparability of hospitality and tourism is clear. The event sector and its relation with hospitality and tourism Damster et al (2006, p.4) point out that the event sector is a major element of tourism sector, though it is a relatively recent addition. Event tourism, in simple terms, can be defined as the systematic development, planning, marketing, and holding of events as tourist attractions. Presently, event tourism is used for various purposes ranging from creating a favorable image for a destination as a tourist attraction, expanding the traditional tourist season, spreading tourist demand evenly over a large area, and attracting more tourists. According to studies, event sector is responsible for 15-20% of the international tourism, a figure too big to ignore (ibid). Evidently, the event sector can play a crucial role in improving tourism and hospitality industries of an area, that too, in a more locally beneficial way. This is because many of the events are associated with local festivals, games, and rituals. The income from such events can be utilized to improve the local community. In addition, such events ensure the survival of local cultures and rituals for long. Anyway, there are certain factors that make event sector very important for tourism and hospitality. The first point is that such events make the events and destination synonymous. Thus, the place becomes a tourist attraction in the name of the events. As a result of this, there is a rise in the number of visitors, which automatically leads to increased demand for related services including hospitality. Moreover, such events attract funds to the region, and in total, they promote tourism and hospitality industry in the area. Importance of quality of service and guest-host relations in the three fields Admittedly, these three sectors have clients who are looking for leisure and enjoyment, and hence, all the fields are service-intensive in nature. Though the three fields have certain tangible elements, the intangible elements like service and atmosphere are either equally or more important. In other words, the customers’ opinion of the quality of the service is, to a great extent, influenced by the quality of the treatment they receive. Secondly, in all the three fields, there exists the guest-host role play where the guest operator is supposed to be highly vigilant to keep the customers satisfied until they return. Conclusion In total, hospitality, tourism, and event sectors are interrelated. They not only have many common features, but also are reliant on each other for survival. So, changes in one sector will have profound impact on the other sectors too. So, one cannot see them as totally independent fields. References Andrews, S2007, Introduction to Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, New Delhi. Avdimiotis, C et al Oct 2009, Global Swot analysis, Toureg: Innovating & Tourism Knowledge. Scribd, 1-139. Viewed 2 Aug 2011 http://www.scribd.com/doc/50341146/GLOBAL-SWOT-Analysis Barrows, C. W & Powers, T 2009, Introduction to the Hospitality Industry. John Wiley & Sons, Inc, New Jersey. Crotts, J. C et al 2000, Global Alliances in Tourism and Hospitality Management, Haworth Hospitality Press, USA. Damster et al 2005, Event Management: A Professional and developmental Approach, South Africa: Juta and Academic. Jones, P 2002, Introduction to Hospitality operations: An Indispensable Guide to the Industry. South-Western Cengage Learning, US. Kandampully, et al 2001, Service Quality Management in Hospitality, Tourism, and Leisure, Haworth Hospitality Press, US. Ritchie, C 1999, The Cogan Page Guide to Working in the Hospitality Industry: Catering, Travel and Tourism, Leisure, and the Licensed Trade, Cogan Page, London. Read More