In many countries and cultures throughout the world, tourism is a large source of income for many individuals. Being able to support oneself and family through the education of tourists about their culture has to be a rewarding experience. Unfortunately, there are also people that are so eager to earn money that they exploit other individuals in their quest for money that massive damage occurs to the country and culture. This effect is increased when there is an indigenous culture involved. These cultures that are living by the traditions of their culture can be vulnerable to unscrupulous individuals creating complications within their culture and the very industry that requires that culture draw visitors.
The success of Indigenous tourism depends upon a tripod composed of the draw that the indigenous cultures have on creating a unique destination on a global scale, the government who balances the need for economic opportunities within these communities which allows the government to proportion its money in other areas with the third leg of the tripod limiting the amount of damage both cultural and environmental that the increase in tourism can bring to an area. Balancing these needs requires that compromises be made along each side so that the tourism that brings in much-needed revenue to these areas is not responsible for the destruction of the areas that bring the tourists to the area in the first place. Therefore considering the situation a win-win one is very optimistic, these three legs of the tripod end up competing with each other as they try to ensure that their individuals’ needs are met rather than considering what the effects will be on the industry as a whole.
The specific area of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) has increased in the level of importance throughout the last few decades due to the increased marketability of this area’s aboriginal culture in overseas markets. As the international exposure continued to grow the area received more revenue from the tourist industry but also has to balance the demands of tourism and the effect that the increased visibility from global exposure will have on their traditional lifestyle. There is a concern that the government’s use of the aboriginal arts and music to promote the tourist industry to Australia in general rather than to specific areas where the aboriginal art and culture is created in the ATSI area of Australia. Effects of this while it does increase the number of tourist dollars into the country there is only a slight benefit to the tourist business owned or operated by the ATSI individuals.
The relationship between government-sponsored tourism and indigenous cultures has the ability to either help or hurt the industry. In order to best promote these cultures, they must be given enough autonomy to protect their culture but combined with partnerships that are well thought out in enhancing the cultural history of the tribes while protecting that very same history. If the indigenous population becomes mainstreamed or destroyed in other ways the tourist industry will also be destroyed. The combination of using the indigenous cultures to increase the amount of revenue into the economy must balance the gains to the economy and minimize the damage done to the indigenous cultures.
Market and Indigenous Tourism
When the average computer literate individual searches for information on Australia on the internet there are several very good websites that are brought up. The first of this website is www.australia.com. The website is sponsored by the government of Australia so that the aspects of the culture that are most popular and therefore the most marketable are promoted. While the culture of Sydney, the Great Barrier Reef, and Melbourne’s culture there is also the promotion of the Uluru and Kakadu Aboriginal cultures. The website www.tourism.australia.com starts with a slide show of people enjoying the various cultural aspects of the country with individuals enjoying themselves. These two websites through operated by different organizations emphases the vast amount of experiences that a tourist can enjoy while visiting the country. This is also known as promoting the “Brand Australia” in a visually appealing manner so that more tourists will visit. These websites also promote the unique aboriginal culture that can only be found in Australia.
When going through these websites the images throughout the website depict the culture of the Aboriginals through specific individuals, their art, and their history. This promotion is part of a very smart campaign to convince tourists that they would not be able to get an experience anywhere else in the world like they would be able to get when they visit Australia.
The promotion of Australia through a specific brand was a unique concept that changed the way countries promoted themselves to individuals who wished to travel. By combining the characteristics of the country with the attitudes and various lifestyles was a departure from the traditional methods of attracting tourism to the country. By combining these characteristics there was a better chance of convincing individuals to travel to Australia since they would not find a similar experience anywhere else in the world.
The promotion of the Aboriginal cultures of Australia specifically the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders was helped with the creation of a Tourism Industry Strategy in 1997 which created several brochures that promoted the experience that could be had by visiting the various tribes with advice on behavior combined with focused information on different areas and offerings. These brochures were designed to enhance the desire to visit Australia in order to be able to experience these activities and the culture firsthand rather than merely reading about them.
This promotion of nations indigenous population occurs throughout the world as each country competes in a global economy based around tourism. These countries that have been blessed with an aboriginal culture use that culture to stand out from other countries to entice more tourist dollars into the country. While these promotions due increase the number of tourists who visit a country each year they also produced stereotypical images of the countries that continue throughout the world. Images of the outback and “Crocodile” Dundee are the images that most commonly come to mind when thinking about Australia. These images are an aspect of the promotional campaign put in place several years ago by the government. While this is not a bad image necessarily it is the stereotypical image of Australia and the individuals that live there.
Issues of Control in ATSI Tourism
Concern by the Aboriginals over the use of their land has led to more control being returned to the Aboriginals from the government. In several instances, the Aboriginals upon regaining this level of control enter into partnerships with their government in hopes that there the joint leadership over the land will help increase the revenue generated by the land. This joint leadership allows the indigenous people to have control over their land and activities but also the support in business matters from the government.
While this is happening in Australia it is also happening around the world. The indigenous population of Hawaii is allowed control over one of the islands and only native Hawaiians are allowed to live on that island. While it is a measure of control and they have the ability to live a traditional lifestyle on that island the other islands in Hawaii are marketed throughout the world as premier tourist destinations. The native Hawaiians have received a measure of control and protection of their way of life from the government but are severely limited in where that control is exercised.
This global phenomenon of the governments of the world using their indigenous citizens as a draw for tourists sparked a controversial debate in March 2002. Indigenous leaders from 19 different countries gathered in Mexico to discuss the opportunities and problems that result from ecotourism with specific examples from their own experiences. This meeting produced the “Oaxaca Declaration” which prompts the indigenous cultures around the worked to participate in the sharing of information that will allow other cultures to learn from the experiences of others so that the damage to the indigenous cultures around the world could be minimized while supporting tourism interest in their culture.
This meeting was a groundbreaking event for the indigenous populations due to the fact that there are many institutions that are working toward the creation of standards for certification of both ecotourism and sustainable tourism with very little input from the cultures that are at risk with these efforts. In order for true policies on ecotourism to be created the indigenous populations need to be a major participant in these discussions so that their traditional way of life receives the benefits of more exposure to other cultures but that the cultures that visit them limit the damage that they can cause to both the traditional culture and the environment that sustains that way of life.
I think that it is unfortunate that the indigenous people have to fight to regain control over their lands through the legal system and then once that control has been regained sign contracts with either individuals or government agencies that while they might want to help them become more self-sufficient also pose a threat to the survival of their way of life. Signing a lease for over 90 years is not helpful to the tribes but it is to the government that is using the same tribe as a magnet for tourism.
Ethical Research in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islands Communities
In today’s world, the standards for conducting research on humans are incredibly strict and the penalties for not following the guidelines and standards are severe. Unfortunately, this was not always the case and for cultures that pride themselves on oral traditions of history the word research drags up unpleasant memories and mistrustful feelings.
A lot of the early research among the aboriginal cultures was done in an effort to prove that they were an inferior culture that did not deserve the right to make decisions for them or own their own land. While these studies were done under the scientific guidelines of the times and in order to answer questions for the scientific community the results of the studies were also used to have the legal right to take away their land, culture, and heritage.
These studies included measuring the skulls of indigenous populations in order to prove that the size of the skull and therefore the size of their brain indicated that they were an inferior form of the human race and therefore unable to take care of themselves or their lands. While this was done under the scientific standards of the time and the expected result was expanding the research on the theories of race that were popular during the time of the experiment. Unfortunately, it is a common side effect that research done on indigenous populations during that time period resulted in negative consequences through changes in government policies such as land ownership.
The results of other studies have caused negative effects inside the tribe such as danger to the lives of the participants from other members of the tribe or the research gathered was the folklore and superstitions of the tribe with very little scientific validity. It was in response to the unintended consequences and collection of research that was not valid that brought about the changes to how the research was conducted among human subjects with emphasis on the indigenous populations.
When researchers of today go into these areas they need to understand that their relationships with the individuals of these cultures must be treated with respect and dignity and realize that responses and situations in the tribes will be in part based on the memories of past research expeditions. Even if those expeditions happened 50 or 150 years ago.
The standards that are in place currently include treating the individuals with respect and dignity, informed consent, and the creation of a formal document outlining the proposed research and the expected outcomes. These outcomes need to be relevant to both the scientific community as well as the native community for the research to be done with the respect and dignity that the standards demand but also human decency.
While it would be nice if the damage that previous research has done to the tribes; that is not a possible solution. Because of that, the best situation is for the scientists to go forward with the understanding gained from the previous research studies combined with the current standards on conducting ethical research among these communities.
If we analyze the hospitality market in Canada then we come to know that the National Hotel Chain named Signature Hotels, with 80 locations across Canada offering a blend of Urban, Resort, and Aiport locations. Signature properties are generally 4-star hotels with a relatively strong brand positioning in the Canadian marketplace. In Jan 2008, the Toronto signature hotel will open as a newly built hotel in a prime financial district of king and bay streets in Toronto. The leadership team at Signature’s corporate office has given the researchers the assignment of developing the 22008 advertising and promotions plan for this hotel. The corporate office sees an opportunity for fresh new ideas and perceptive from you and is looking for a formal business case, which will include a well-researched strategy, specific tactics, and a complete communication plan that will help this hotel achieve very specific and measurable business objectives.
Business Objective
The chief factors that engaged guests’ loyalty were hotel design and amenities. Moreover, the factor that caused guests to be most involved in the purchase decision and therefore more interested in the hotel was its employees. The study suggests that hotels should redirect so some of their frequent-guest expenditures toward strengthening human resources and toward improving the guests’ experience through design and amenities. The report argues that customer defection rates are high for businesses today. U.S. corporations routinely lose half their customers over a span of five years resulting in a 25 to 50 percent reduction in corporate performance.
Business objectives (signature hotel’s business objectives are):
Achieve 70% occupancy while maintaining price integrity.
Generate repeat business from 40% of new customers.
Achieve a #3 spot in hotel recall and as a preferred hotel in 2008 business travel study.
Core Strategies
Business in Toronto
According to the experts like Kevin (et all, 2006) have conducted research into the inventive practices used by hotels to gratify client needs and preferences, exclusively commerce travelers and also women commerce travelers who have augmented needs of safety and privacy. This particular research shows that the professionalism of front-line employees was rated as a top personage item with the uppermost level of agreement amongst managers in attaining and maintaining competitiveness. No doubt, as the nature of the hospitality industry is to offer service through people, front-line staffs, which have direct contact through customers, play a necessary role in delivering class service.
Strength
Networks between business encourage travel.
Increase in financial plan airlines.
Comprehensive rating structure across Toronto, Scotland, and Wales.
Diversifying service into other earnings streams.
Weakness
Profit has been minimized resultant from 9/11, July 7th terrorist attacks.
No control on outside factors e.g., FMD, SARS, Bird Flu.
Unpredictable British weather.
Opportunities
Growth in the domestic journey due to weakening pound against the euro.
Increase room charge to prior of 9/11, July 7th terrorist attacks.
More business from citizens with higher disposable incomes.
This hotel is absolutely unique because of the following major characteristics of services:
Intangibility.
Inseparability.
Variability.
Intangibility
In a national hotel, the customer may own a set of perceptions and expectations, opinions would be different regarding the value of practice.
Customer returns home by means of memory of the experience and gets hold of physical ownership.
Tangibility
Anything that can be obtainable to a market for notice, acquisition, use, or consumption that might gratify a want or necessitate.
Tangible assets in the room; seen, felt, tasted, or touched.
E.g. shoes, objectively evaluated before an actual purchase.
Take shoes home, have ownership and physical possession of a tangible object.
Hybrid Offer of nation hotel
Offer a touchable product by means of their service, service is still insubstantial since the purchaser is purchasing the service, not the high-quality
Inside the hotel restaurant, consumer are paying the restaurant to get ready the food for them
Assessment of service is based on how well the eatery prepared the food
To decrease intangibility, national hotel in Toronto feature touchable assets such as their food, room luxuries, and cupboard stuff, or other personnel in an advertisement
Inseparability
Refers to the service provider’s bodily connection to the service being offered.
Customer can show his or her participation in the service production process.
Service is carried out and consumed at the identical time, with the excellence of service highly dependant on the aptitude of the service. supplier and quality of communication among the service supplier and the purchaser.
Variability
Redundant at random levels of service excellence customers receive when they support a service.
Primarily caused by a human constituent, though machines may break down causing a difference in the service.
Various employees will carry out the same service in a different way and even the similar service.
Elements of Services for Customer
The Canadian hotel industry has more than a few branches of Signature which is complete up of numerous key group of actors, counting following aspects of National in Toronto:
Boutique.
Mid-range.
Budget.
Bed and Breakfast.
“Boutique” distinguishes itself as of better chain or documented hotel by as long as an exceptional and personalized height lodging, services, and amenities.
Mid-range is a standard room with extra facilities, usually secret with 3 or 4 stars.
Budget is on the whole purpose-built, recognized lodging component by a negligible of 50 rooms and normal low prices. Personage units are regularly recognized as lodges, inns, or – less more often than not now – motels.
Bed and Breakfast is a confidential house; several rooms of which are set sideways for overnight visitors whose paid accommodation comprises mealtime. (The American Heritage Vocabulary of the English Language)
Specific Tactics and Activities Support the Strategies
No doubt, an additional 50% of travelers these days to Toronto are commerce travelers. According to the expert analysis, Toronto is a huge city by means of vibrant, colorful nightlife, multiculturalism, and peace and prosperity this city shows towards the world but it is nothing contrasts to Hawaii or Walt Disneyland Land. The reason there are more trade travelers here in Toronto than spare time is since there is no scenic view that tourists come for.
HR managers of Signature have argued that HRM policies be supposed to be recognized as a source of spirited advantage. In recent years, according to the HR managers of National, 2004, strategic management strategy has partnered the expansion of strategic human resource management. This development has attempted to start a more planned move toward the management of the human resource before established as intrinsic to the success of welcome of this association (Adib, A. and Guerrier, 2001, 339-52).
Ambitious Gaining Plan
Canada center marketplace hotel brand, National Chain, is starting a luxury universal sister – Guoman, which is set to increase internationally. In order to produce the brand nationwide Chain intends to improve the number of existing properties in Canada and open an “ambitious gaining plan” abroad.
Reducing Experience
Whitbread has complete the decision to reduce their experience to (and finally exit from) the full-service hotels splitting up anywhere they are the Toronto operators of the Marriott brand, owing to the low returns from this franchised business. The corporation also obtains Prime Minister Lodge from Spirit Group for the strike; 505 million, and combining Travel Tavern and Premier Lodge and advertising them to the Canada customer under on make (Ackers, P. 2002, 2-19).
Violent E-Commerce Strategy
The national hotel has sketch around a violent e-commerce strategy since 2002 to construct a sequence of Web sites for its major markets including Canada, Germany, and Japan. The attempt resulted in the configuration of eight restricted Web Sites on behalf of seven, unlike language.
Target Customer Needs and Preferences When Traveling
According to the experts like Kevin (et all, 2006) have conducted research into the inventive practices used by hotels to gratify client needs and preferences, exclusively commerce travelers and also women commerce travelers who have augmented needs of safety and privacy. This particular research shows that the professionalism of front-line employees was rated as a top personage item with the uppermost level of agreement amongst managers in attaining and maintaining competitiveness. No doubt, as the nature of the hospitality industry is to offer service through people, front-line staffs, which have direct contact through customers, play a necessary role in delivering class service.
Furthermore, Choi (16 April 2007) has suggested that trade travelers try to fit in some delight along with the trade trip. The author has given details from the National Business Travel Association, which recommends that 62 percent of U.S. commerce travelers add a leisure constituent to at least one commerce trip every year and two-thirds said that they also bring along a family member of a friend to the journey.
The tourism industry is one of the major sources of proceeds for the provinces of Canada and as of the last few years has been distressed thanks to the added operating cost imposed on the tourists. No doubt, tourism is an industry for all of Canada; it stimulates local trade, financial expansion, etc. The confined community can arouse it by belong to the local Chamber of Commerce; create amusing magnetism for the tourist to visit, etc. But absolutely what has to be done to rouse the tourism industry is by trying to put a constraint on the further costs that are dumped on the tourist.
Current expectations
CNN (Chan, 14 August 2007) has accounts that there is a alter in the profile of the business traveler and this section includes women, solitary parents, twice income families, people who would similar to obtain their families, spouse or kids the length of and persons who look onward to combining a holiday along by means of the business trip. When populace come by means of their kids or other relations members, they are expecting a number of type of entertainment, sight considering facilities and those by means of young children wait for a small playpen, a decent bathe pool, and other such amenities. The article also maintains that almost half of all business travelers are women who travel alone and have particular needs for safety in their rooms, in the car parking area, the entrance hall, winch, restaurant, bar, and additional areas. Women need particular care to district off unwanted notice as they go into the hotel, have foodstuff or a drink, and hotel staff is taught to give them better-armed forces. Some hotels have shaped women-friendly armed forces with special floors wholly for women and check all move toward and exit points in the hotel.
A Signature hotel, according to the European Union’s studies, is distinct as ‘a communal somewhere to live enterprise, typified as life form prearranged in rooms more than a countrywide particular minimum and because providing normal services, counting room overhaul. Usually, the Canada definition is complete according to the asset of a license to sell liquid. (Lawson, 1998)
Degree of brand loyalty
Skogland (2007) has conducted into the family associate between make loyalty and repeat clientele. The firmly held doctrine that visitor satisfaction means do again business is called into query by the results of the explore in which 364 visitors of two alike big-city hotels were conducted. Analysis shows only a weak association between approval and faithfulness, which is a forerunner to repeat purchases. Examining such factors as the reason of travel and demographics, the be taught bare another finding that might give hoteliers pause – particularly bearing in mind the industry’s huge expenditures on frequent-guest agendas. Business travelers were among the smallest amount faithful of the company responding to the appraisal.
The ruler factors that engaged guests’ faithfulness were hotel plan and facilities. Moreover, the issue that caused guests to be the majority involved in the buy choice and consequently additional paying attention in the hotel was its workers. The learn suggest that hotels be supposed to forward so some of their frequent-guest expenditures in the direction of strengthening personal resources and toward civilizing the guests’ knowledge from side to side design and facilities. The account argues that customer defection rates are elevated for businesses today. U.S. corporations regularly lose half their clientele over a coldness of five years resultant in a 25 to 50 percent decrease in a corporate presentation.
Nevertheless, customer-loyalty programs are now life form heavily scrutinized to determine whether they are responsible for what they were future to do: add to customer faithfulness and construct proceeds
Problems travelers face (business and leisure)
Harris (March 2006) has reported about convinced factors and issues and troubles that travelers countenance and while a number of of them are further than the management of hotels, sure issues need to be looked into. While factors such as weather, belated flights, traffic overcrowding are a number of factors that hotels cannot control, factors such as hotel repair, food, restaurant, meetings, luxuries in the room, facilities in the hotel, etc. can be forbidden. Business travelers might sometimes miss flights due to an overcrowded route and may contain to use quite a few hours in the airfield waiting for the next trip out and this leads to a sequence of delays.
The author has also reported that overseas travelers, particularly from Asian countries such as China countenance harsh problems since some of them may converse only a small figure of words of English. Hotel workers who speak Chinese and other overseas languages are immense assets to a hotel. Customers of dissimilar ethnic origin may also face troubles of food since a number of religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism do not permit non-vegan foods to be inspired and they eat merely vegan food. Harris has also accounted about the physical condition and medical troubles that travelers face and even as facilities are forever obtainable for emergencies and accidents, small diseases such as colds, sore gullet, stomach distress, and other ailments reason harms.
Perceptions/Attitudes of hotels in Toronto (or 4-star hotels generally)
There are dissimilar categories of hotels in Toronto and they be able to be categorizing as 4 Star lavishness Hotels, Boutique Hotels, lavishness hotels in Toronto, and cheaper hotels. Room types differ from easy bed and breakfast type that present rooms costing concerning 100 $ per nighttime (Cheap Hotels, 2007) to lavish suites that cost a few thousand dollars per nighttime (LHW, 2007). Obviously, the choice of the hotel will depend on the budget and the money that the guest can spend. Many of the hotels frequently also hold foodstuff festivals where cosine from dissimilar areas are obtainable and guests can enjoy fine dining from the hand of master chefs. The Signature hotel has to expand a good collection on its menu items bearing in mind the irritating ethnic profile of clientele in the city. Many clientele who attend late nighttime theatre shows favor to have a quick swallow and eat something light previous to they call the shows and Signature hotel can believe of providing such quick swallow and smacks armed forces. Such clientele may not sit downward for a long time but might prefer to come to an finish off their consumption in a small number of minutes.
Key influencers of purchase
Tourism Exchange (2007) has accounts that 61% of travelers twist to the Internet to discover a good deal, locations, and features. User-generated content (UGC) or feedback and appraisal from users and clientele help to make a choice. 72% have said that customer reviews have prejudiced their travel choice, 15.3% state they forever use UGC for travel, and a lower 12% for non-travel foodstuffs such as music. The account also states that 63.8% populace infrequently use UGC in their buying series and this means a 79.1% populace have used customer reviews for travel previous to. UGCs need to be genuine and not complete up by fake posts and good UGC can be obtained only by as long as better services.
Charlwood (13 August 2007) has on paper that all-work and no-play business travelers are now dying and 68 percent of travelers want to slot in life-enriching experiences into their business trips. People favor taking pleasure in theater performances, well dining, sightseeing, leisure activities, educational experiences, etc. People who work out regularly favor a hotel that has a swimming pool, a jogging pathway, and additional such facilities, as they do not desire to skip their routine still when they are traveling. Hotels and travel agents also present services such as weekend travel plans, car rental, private tourism trips, spa treatments, mauve tasting, in space fitness plans, and other such services. The writer has suggested that such services frequently help to dish up as key influences of acquire.
Emotional drivers (what do they love and hate about travel)
Verma (2007) has on paper about customer’s preferences and have an aversion to and he argues that to a huge extent, the likes and dislikes depending on the clientele outline, age, civilization, and ethnic background. The writer has stressed that what one collection may find extremely pleasant will ‘turn off’ another collection. According to the writer, the younger age group of travelers likes to have an emotionally involved nightclub with noisy music and if there is some exit music in the eatery, they would prefer fast present music. On the other give, older customers would favor very little sound and would similar to have yielding traditional music organization in the background. A number of travelers like to approach the room and relax after a busy day and they favor having access to far above the ground speed broadband Internet so that they can right of entry mails, right of entry company websites, post information, etc. and many of them favor to remain closet in the room as other like to have a rapid rest and example the free time spots in the city. Verma has also reported that in the middle of some of the belongings that company like are sampling dissimilar cultures and visiting dissimilar populace, the chance to expand new contacts and rising one’s information.
Verma (2007) also speaks of factors that the populace does not similar to such as not receiving their money’s worth at what time they call hotels and restaurants and a sense that the price for the food is extremely far above the ground and the portion served is too little. Among other belongings that the company hated the most were ill-mannered and unpleasant hotel staff that was not ready to obey with basic needs. Excessive holdup in-room repair was also cited as one of the most reviled reasons.
Average frequency of travel
Accenture (Accenture, Fall 2006) has optional that the incidence of travel is predicted to rise by one third in the near prospect and this figure comprises free time and as healthy as business travelers. The account suggests that by means of the increase in business behavior and global outsourcing processes, additional and more populace would take up global travel and international company would also be pending in ever-larger information to Toronto.
Top hotel choices when visiting Toronto
More than 50% of travelers these days to Toronto are business travelers. Toronto is a huge city by means of lively colorful nightlife, multiculturalism, and calm and wealth this city displays towards the world but it is not anything compared to Hawaii or Walt Disneyland Land. The cause there are additional business travelers here in Toronto than free time is since there is no scenic sight that tourists approach for. There are no huge sunrises or sunsets similar to Hawaii; it’s a business-based city. Most of the main companies have their bottom here which draws in a lot of business clientele. So custody these in brain hotels are actually cautious about their business travelers. They attempt to go above and further to wrap their business travelers’ wants and needs.
Trends, Un-Met Needs
Signature Hotels be supposed to expand a robust IT system that would assist in identifying do again customers, optimizing its income, and increasing in order sharing crossways all its branches. Hallowell Roger. (29 June 2000) speaks of the Four Seasons hotels and resorts that shape the epitome of lavishness hotels and states that in such hotels, the organization takes active wellbeing in anticipating the wants of its clientele. The hotel maintains a folder of its clientele and the software knowledge uses higher algorithms to notice to identify the clientele even if they use dissimilar variations of their name such as Helen S, Smith H, Smith Helen, etc. In such luggage, the repeat customers are rapidly identified, their past favorites for a room, beverage, space linen, and other issues are quickly retrieved and the client is treated like an old buddy. Anticipating the unmet wants of customers and do again customers is one of the maximum challenges. For instance, if the hotel organization can know in go forward that the guest is pending with a baby then they can stay suitable toys, crib, and additional gear in the space so that the little one can play. Such practices give for very high client satisfaction and make good advertising.
Preferred Booking methods
A mass of the hotels in Toronto have websites and you can sight the somewhere to live and other amenities and still book reservations as wanted. Room types vary from straightforward bed and mealtime types that offer accommodation estimate about 100 $ per nighttime (Cheap Hotels, 2007) to lavishness suites that charge a few thousand dollars per nighttime (LHW, 2007). doubts can be done moreover online or by calling up the hotel and concerning 70 percent of the doubts are done online. As a matter of rule, the credit card figure has to be provided to confirm the qualifications but accuses are levied only at making sure out (Five Star Alliance, 2007)
Top experience or dissatisfaction issues
According to the investigation by Eic (et all, April 2006), a number of of the top displeasure issues create a bad knowledge for customers. Top in the middle of the reasons are bad repair in the form of rude and belligerent performance of the staff, favoritism they show towards insight of wealth of the clientele, late or belated room service, bad foodstuff, room not being completely up as necessary and incidences of robbery and embezzlement of cash or jewelry. The writer suggests that usual customers expect in the direction of being chosen a room when they go down in without booking a space and when they are twisted down, they move to a new hotel and turn out to be regular clientele of the new put.
Price tolerance levels
Learning by Accenture suggests that Price and site are the main two decisive factors that people think about when selecting a hotel intended for either business or free time. When the priority is reversed, then the nearness to the business s gathering places unspecified additional main concern. The study suggests that even as customers similar to keep a look at on the price factor, they would not actually like to wait in a hotel that was far off just because it was cheaper. Another account suggests that price makes dissimilarity for the budget client who might be working for lesser corporations. Such customers favor staying in hotels that fit their financial plan supplies and where they can hang about in agreement with the travel allowance that is recognized to them (Accenture, Fall 2006).
Recommended Solution and Justification
I would advocate continuing to create improvements to present slightly better excellence of rooms to commerce and traveler travelers. This can be things similar to an enhanced bed, beautify, maybe small chocolate machines in rooms, or smooth free daybreak muffins in the entrance hall. None of this is a full-service expenditure or obligation. It is additionally necessary by the information it can dish up together makes.
Conclusion and Recommendation
By analyzing the Canadian hotel sector, its marketplace future growth, and client trend, a conclusion can be sketched which is as follow:
The market’s division into the monetary plan sector and expensive division for exacting occasions are unsurprising.
There is quick enlargement and gains in marketplace share of the financial plan hotel division and this can provide details by the information that financial plan hotels provide the customer what he/she actually wants and wants and not anything more, thus economy on in service cost, which authorize the operator to blame a sensible, forceful cost.
However, the fame of Signature hotels tourist attractions the demand for the pinnacle end of the marketplace, consequences from the reply from people towards life form prepared to disburse additional for older quality, primarily for a particular time. When investing in trade, investors have to not only look at the market demand for that certain kind of trade but also require investigative into the monetary ratios of that trade, which would tax the business presentation from unrelated aspects.
The study found that beyond ‘price’, ‘convenient hotel location’ and ‘good service’ were the key factors influencing FITs in their final selection of the hotel. Business travelers tend to place more emphasis on their previous hotel experience; good service; convenience and company recommendation; whereas leisure travelers and those with a lower level of education valued travel agents’ recommendation. Repeat visitors valued good hotel reputation, while the impact of subjective norms on big spenders was high. Many regular customers to reputed hotels get turned off when they see a shabby crowd, ill-dressed and boorish customers who are attracted by lower prices and who indulge in loud and obnoxious behavior.
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Armstrong, M. (2000) ‘The name has changed but has the game remained the same?’, Employee Relations, 22, 6, 576-93.
Arrowsmith, J. and Sisson, K. (1999) ‘Pay and working time: towards organization-based systems?’, British Journal of Industrial Relations, 37, 1, 51-75.
Arrowsmith, J. and Sisson, K. (2001) ‘International competition and pay, working time and employment: exploring the processes of adjustment’, Industrial Relations Journal, 32, 2, 136-53.
Kohler Background, Kohler Co. website, 2002. Web.
Pearce, J.A. & Robinson, R.B. (2002). Strategic Management: Formulation, Implementation, and Control. 7th edition. New York: McGraw-Hill Primis Custom Publishing.
The research program will emphasize research design, the methodology (sampling and data collection techniques), and analysis must also be described and justified.
Deep research will be necessary to establish the cause of problems that are facing the enterprise. As the General manager, reviewing the company’s records enough can not give me adequate knowledge about the company to come up with a revival plan for the company. I will therefore need to get specialists for the research. Principles of scientific research will include:
Truth. A scientist in research deals with the expansion of human knowledge of the world and a more understanding of its elements/ improvement of human ability in order to achieve humanity objectives or social acknowledgments. A hospitality/tourism enterprise is a service industry. This is a firm dealing directly with clients. These are human beings who need good treatment so that they can be guests once again. Research should be focused on what really happens within the entity as per the treatment of guests. No false information will be useful to the firm in making positive changes. If employees are not well generated through a proper reward system, this should be determined. This might the reason why they are not giving quality service in retaliation. It should be understood why this is the case and how the position can be changed. As the General Manager, the objective is to turn around the company so that efficiency, effectiveness in service delivery will be never as before to maximize returns at low cost and therefore enjoy economies of scale to the fullest.
Freedom. scientific research should enable people to carry out the process that they think is right as in a true democracy. Researchers should have access to all details of the company including all files. This will reveal any more complaints by the clients and will also determine whether funds for the enterprise have been misallocated, misappropriated, or misallocated. This could be why the improvement of service delivery has not been matched with technological advances. Investment in technology is very expensive and needs an adequate flow of funds. Clients could be running to the competitors due to a lack of computerization. In Hospitality/tourism enterprises computers with the Internet should be like in every room even if at an extra cost to ensure communication of the clients with the outside world. This might have lead to poor processing of transactions and more time could be being wasted in receiving receipts or there could be cases where transactions have not been properly recorded and clients may be dissatisfied with their change. He should be within restrictions to guard human nature, state of physical and mental health, self-respect, and liberty. The researcher should however consider the limits he encounters during research work because freedom cannot be to the extreme.
Responsibility. He is questionable due to effects on human lives, on human physical and mental health, welfare, dignity, and liberty. All the data that the researcher comes up with should be a true and fair view of the operations of the hospitality/tourism enterprise. He should come up with details that he can’t explain or data from sources that he can’t identify because at one point he will be required to give an explanation. As much as he has the freedom to research the company, he should understand that he is also questionable for information from the research.
The Body
Integrity; Data analysis is very crucial in this case where some clients have written complaints. The research should apply his wisdom to milk data from all relevant end reliable sources to determine exactly why the firm is doing badly. Other firms in the same industry are doing better. Its poor performance cannot be due to industry factors so the problem lies within the enterprise itself. Theories, experiments, and general views should be applied in coming up with conclusions as to what is needed from the research. Known theories of poor performance of hospitality enterprises should be applied and proved whether it is true during the research. The true and fair view should also be given honestly. The researcher should not biased in his data, he should carry out thorough research and get actual information about the company. He should not aim at collecting the only data that has to lead to the decline of business but should give credit where due as per the research.
Collaboration. The scientific researcher should be able to interact with all relevant people that will assist him in his research efforts. There should be a mutual understanding among all those involved so that the research indenting can be useful. Lack of collaboration limits the extent of research because some correspondents may not be willing to contribute.
Professionalism. The scientific researcher should employ his skills as per his ability and experience gained from other research. He should not only aim at representing data but should also consider the quality of his output that is the final report. Professionalism should be at all levels of the research to ensure that all details are obtained.
In hospitality management skills and competence is very necessary at different levels. Dynamic teams should also be managed. Marketing analysis and planning in the hospitality industry. Financial accounting in the hospitality industry.
Research design
Approaches to inquiry. The approach used by the scientific researcher should be admirable. This will ensure good reception at all points while researching and therefore respondents will be willing to participate in interviews for a common good. The ways questions are asked also determine the responses obtained and the relevance of the data collected. In tourism/hospitality enterprise focus should be on service delivery and inquiry should be on both the attendants and the management who regulate the activities of the entity to determine what actually happens to the guests and why they are or are not attracted to the enterprise. Review of literature should be the first step in researching because this is an analysis of stories about this hospitality/tourism enterprise. Not all that is gathered is true but should be reviewed at some confidence interval to determine its reliability on the research being carried out. Reflections about the importance of writing and ethics in scholarly inquiry. Ethics in scholarly inquiry is ideas learned in school about making an inquiry for research purposes. Such ideas are necessary because this is what determines the capability of someone to be a good researcher in a tourism/hospitality enterprise/industry. An introduction is very necessary when a scientific researcher is carrying out his research. This enables the respondents to have a rough idea about what to expect during the interview. The purpose of research should also be conveyed to the respondents in the hospitality enterprise honestly because they can try to be a little bit relevant in their answers. Research questions & hypotheses should be determined before the process begins to ensure that the scientific researchers know what is expected of them and how best to test the hypothesis during research in the enterprise. Theory, defining and stating the significance of the study is very necessary in order to determine exactly where the firm is going wrong. The theory part of the research should be identified and how practical this is will be employed during the research processes.
Advancing the methods and procedures for data collection and analysis is one of the components of scientific research principles because they determine the procedures to be employed in the research process and how practical they are will be determined in the initial stages of the research.
Key features will be. The qualitative and quantitative approach, Ethical issues from quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods, Offers extensive writing, Latest developments in the qualitative inquiry, Company analysis includes, Company’s annual reports, Analysis of annual accounts, Independent analyst reports, Trade press coverage, Financial and mainstream coverage, and Market analysis.
Other companies in the Hospitality/ tourism industry are doing wells the question of why the firm is not making profits needs to be looked at. Data gathered during the research should give an indication as to what other companies market their services. The idea here is to outdo competitors. Advertising the firm should encourage clients to be interested in coming to this particular enterprise.
Research on the ground should be closest to the sources of information/data. Research scientists should apply their integrity so that they can milk information from reliable sources because this ensures the relevance of the data collected. Other industry players should be consulted to give information as to how they are market leaders in the industry. Those who have constant contact with clients should be interview because they have data at their fingertips.
Use of experienced and well-trained analysts. That analysis of the market data should have had an experience before in the hospitality and tourism industry. These are people who understand the market better and can analyze the data and give useful guidelines on how the company can improve its service delivery to avoid complaints by clients and have a huge market share. The training of the analysts should be determined by academic qualifications in the related field. The experience should be value-added to the initial ability. This is the necessary human capital for the research process.
Exchanging ideas with trade sources. After research and data have been analyzed, Hospitality/ tourism regulators should be consulted to give their view on the recommendations made. These trade sources are people who understand the industry better and can give a hint on the corrective measures that are necessary for a company to be a market leader and hence increase its market value. The marketability of a Hospitality/ tourism enterprise is what attracts investors and more funds can be available for the entity to grow a nod develop with time.
Working closely with major international players to improve services. The tourism/ hospitality industry at the international level is advanced. Your hospitality enterprise is growing and needs to have role models in the industry. These are the international hospitality enterprises that can nature a firm at its initial stages. This will also help in guiding on what efficiency of services offered can be improved and attract clients from competitors. These international players should be consulted before research is initiated to avoid relevance.
Data standardization; data collected during the research of the market should be put in an understandable manner. This will help the analysts who are expected to turn the research data into some useful information that is required by the management to make necessary changes. Clients’ complaints will therefore be minimized, profits maximized and the earning per shared improved.
Conclusion
In Conclusion, the specialist’s in-house teams bring together findings from all stages of research processes. The scientific research should be focused at all levels to ensure that they have comprehensive data to be utilized for positive changes in this enterprise. All data collected about the market is very crucial because it gives leads as to what necessary steps should be taken. This particular hospitality/tourism enterprise is doing badly and if research doesn’t help in improving its services, all clients might go to competitors and cash flows to the entity may be limited and this may lead to liquidity issues and then bankruptcy. All stakeholders are now on alert and this research may be considered as the only hope. The Research personnel should be advised that one of the aims of the research is to come up with target markets. Services by the hospitality/tourism enterprise need people to be clients. Where these clients can be channeled from is a priority on the research. Expected markets should also give their expected services from the company. Coordination of the final product of research is very helpful. This will ensure that information from the research can be merged with existing ideas and well-coordinated to come up with strategies for improving the service delivery.
The scientific researchers should be very independent of others already in the same market. This ensures that research data is not duplicated or even copied from previous research because this will not of any value to the hospitality enterprise. This reduces comparability and services to be offered by the enterprise based on the research will make this particular firm lead in the industry
References
Cooper, D.R. and Schindler, P.S. (2001). Business Research Methods, 2nd Edition.Pg 20-21,
Irwin/Mc Graw-Hill, Boston Euro monitor International Research Methodology. Web.
Johns, N & Lee-Ross. (1998), research Methods in Service Industry Management. Pg.16, Lassell, London.
Nourusis,M.J(2003) SPSS 10.0 Guide To Data Analysis.Pg.60-65 Prentice Hall, New Jersey Product Service Systems in the Consumer Goods Service, 2007. Web.
Rirchie,J.R.B & Gooeldner, C.R.(1994). Travel, Tourism, Hospitality Research 2nd Edition, Pg.34.John Wiley & Sons, New York Research Methods in the Service Industry, Web.
Veal,A.J.(1997).Research Methods for Leisure and Tourism,2nd Edition, Pg 31.Prentice Hall, London.
Hotel Industry occupies a pivotal position in the economy of any country. Once upon a time, hotels were not found to emerge as a tool for economic empowerment of a country. They were considered merely as a place for taking food and a platform for enjoying the leisure time. But, of late, on account of industrialization and the fast development in tourism and hospitality industry the world over, hotels and hotel industry are growing at a fast rate. The Globalization and liberalization policies further accelerated the pace of development, which resulted in mushrooming of giant hotels in every nook and corner across the globe. Besides, many other reasons can be attributed to this unprecedented growth such as high growth in information technology, boom in real estate, and indeed the rising stock market and the resultant flow of massive funds beyond the boundaries of a country. Over the years, many developments have been taken place in the industry owing to the fast changing demands in the market. Today, hotel industry has become one of the main sources of earning foreign exchange and a dependable source of employment for almost all countries in the world. The success of hotels and hospitality industry primarily depends upon how successful they are in meeting the needs and wants of customers with whom they exist and survive. This research paper looks primarily upon in what all ways bargain hotels and five star hotels differ in their services and to what extent these hotels can fulfill the needs of the customers. Before we look into the main theme of the paper, let us have some thoughts on the history of hotels and hospitality industry in the United Sates of America.
A Brief History of Hospitality Industry in the U.S.
The hospitality industry covers a diverse range of establishments providing services including food, accommodation, beverages etc. The early days of hospitality industry in America were in the hands of inns and lodge owners. The inn owners in the country were willing to try everything to make their business a success. “By the time of American Revolution, inns in America were destined to become a prime example of the finest service available to any traveler able to the price.” (The Early Days of American Hospitality). When the time passed, the need for luxury also increased among the travelers, both domestic and international. Inn owners provided new amenities and luxury rooms to retain existing and attract new customers. When they started letting room at affordable rate, Americans decided to live permanently in inns. The opening of City Hotel in New York City in the year 1794 with 73 rooms is a landmark in the history of hospitality industry in America. (The First Five Star Hotel 1829). The first five star hotel, Tremont House begun in the year in 1829 in Boston is considered as the beginning of first class service in the country.
(The First Five Star Hotel 1829). When years and centuries passed, the taste and preferences of travelers also changed. This changed the way hoteliers did their business by introducing modern ideas and amenities. The olden inns were converted into hotels, motels and resorts. Among the star hotels, there were many classifications in addition to the traditional star system such as suit hotels, casino and resorts. Modern hotels use computerized reservation system and online payment by which travelers can reserve and make payments from any part of the world.
Objectives of the Study
The present paper primarily aims at a comparative study of bargain and 5 star hotels in the United States of America. The paper is expected to analyze and interpret these hotels in terms of customer affordability, quality of personal service, facilities, accessibility etc. This objective can be further explained in the following manner.
To compare and contrast bargain hotel and 5 star hotel
Which of these two hotels is preferred by majority of customers
Which kind of customers prefer bargain hotel to 5 star hotels and vice versa
What are the criteria for the selection of 5 star hotel or bargain hotel for stay
Methodology
The paper depends solely upon the secondary sources for data collection. Since the literature available in the area is very rare, authorized web sites of hotels and agencies of government are extensively used. The paper uses the information available on the internet on the anticipation that they are reliable. Further, since the data available about bargain hotel are limited, some logical assumptions are made, which are illustrated in the work in the coming paragraphs. For the purpose this paper, bargain hotel and 5 star hotels have been defined and the same is also incorporated in the paper.
Operational Definition
Bargain Hotel
They are basically hotels with all facilities including lodging. They are also known as economy hotel or budget hotel, which implies that the customer can reduce his bill by asking for a reduction in the charges normally levied by the hotelier. But, the reduction in the price should not be at the cost of quality services and facilities. These hotels have all facilities of star hotel including computerized reservation system and online payment.
Five star hotel
These hotels are those which charge high prices from customers for luxurious amenities and services, which are of high quality than that of economy hotels.
Personal Service
The various services available at the hotel from the moment the customer enters the hotel to checking out his room are termed as personal services. It includes services of room boys, services at the restaurant, response to computerized reservation and payment system, quick room availability and check out etc.
Assumptions of Bargain Hotel
As stated earlier, owing to the unavailability of data on bargain hotels in the country, the study calls for the following assumptions. These assumptions are valid for the purpose of the present paper only and shall not be suggested for generalization.
The facilities and amenities available at the bargain hotel are at par with the five star hotel:
The personal services of bargain hotels and five star hotels are also in parity. But they differ in the quality of services available.
Computer online reservation system and online payment facility are available
The price charged is relatively lower.
Data Collection
The entire data for the paper are collected over the internet. The web sites of hotels, travel agencies, and government agencies are extensively used. Maximum efforts have been put to avoid unauthentic and illegal sites. The data collected are descried below:
Bargain Hotel
These types of hotels found in almost all countries are known in different names such as budget hotel and economy hotel. The very name suggests that these hotels provide an offer to its customer to bid for the services and facilities. The customer makes bids for the price of various services and facilities, and if the management is satisfied with the offer made, the stay is fixed. These hotels normally have all facilities and services that a five star hotel does have. These are usually occupied by business travelers who frequently travel and want to restrict their traveling expenses within the budget. Computerized reservation system and online payment system are available in almost all bargain hotels to attract the overseas customers.
Five Star Hotel
They are known as five star hotel because they provide five diverse categories of services and facilities. They charge a high price for their services, which are somewhat similar to that of bargain hotel. The quality of service at these hotels is high and quality is not compromised at the cost of price. They have a customer focused approached towards personal services. These hotels are preferred by people who travel irregularly and for leisure and comfort. They need not limit their expenses within the budget as opposed to business travelers. That doesn’t mean that all business travelers are economy travelers.
Criteria used for the selection of hotel
Whether a bargain hotel or a five star hotel for a one night stay is determined not by a single factor, i.e., cost, but a numerous factors. These factors change from country to country because; they in turn are determined by the country specific factors such as geography, culture, political scenario etc. Following are the important factors which determine why a particular traveler opt bargain hotel or five star hotel:
Budget
This is acknowledged to be the major factor which travelers pay attention at the time of planning for journey. This is particularly imperative for business travelers whose budget is determined in advance by somebody. But those who are traveling for leisure and comfort are usually least bothered about the budget. (Cullen).
Price
The price charged by the hotel for various facilities and services also has a bearing in the selection of hotels. The budget and the price are different things in this regard. When the former is meant by the fund allocated for travel in advance, the latter is the value charged by the hotel in exchange for the services rendered. The price includes all hidden costs such as telephone cost, incoming fax charges, television channel charges etc. (Hotels in Singapore).
Period of Stay
The number of days the traveler intends to stay in a hotel is also a deciding factor. Usually, longer the period, lesser would be the preference to costly stay. However, immensely rich people are an exception to this general rule.
Facilities and amenities
The facilities and amenities with which guests are served by hotel also decide the selection process. If the customer comes for a long stay, he/she is mostly attracted by swimming pool and sport facilities. On the other hand, the one night stay is not appealed by any such time consuming amenities.
Personal Services
The way in which the guests are treated by the hotel is also a major concern among the travelers in the selection process. Many hotels seem to be same in all facilities, but in reality they differ extensively in quality service. Rendering personal service is not just as simple as many think. It needs an extensive training to those who are actually rendering such services. It is imperative in the context of international hotels where majority of customers come from other countries.
Proximity
The place of hotel has an important bearing in selection. Hotels close to the railway stations are preferred by train travelers and domestic travelers and those near to airport are accommodated mainly by international travelers and air travelers. Big hoteliers, therefore always take a mid-way in this regard so that both target groups might be attracted.
Electronic Accessibility
Almost all big hotels are accessible through internet. Majority of travelers, today, especially international prefer to computerized reservation and online payment to the conventional system because of their busy itinerary. Moreover, it relieves the travelers from all troubles and difficulties of traditional system. (Hotel Selection Guide-How to Find a Hotel Online).
Data Analysis and Interpretation
The data collected through the web sites are put to analysis for drawing logical conclusions. The data are analyzed on the basis of the dimensions in line with the objectives of the study.
Which of the two hotels is the best?
This question is illogical because nothing can be judged best from a single perspective. A hotel which is economical is the best for one who prefers to reduce the cost of stay and food. On the other hand, the best hotels for quality conscious customers are those that provide high quality personal services and amenities.
Accordingly, both bargain hotels and five star hotels are best from the perspectives of different group of customers. Both satisfy the needs of their target group.
Which of these two hotels is preferred by majority of customers?
It is matter of differences in the number of customers who are after bargain hotel/ five star hotels. In a developed country like U.S.A., the majority of customers prefer world class luxurious amenities and services.
Which kind of customers prefer bargain hotel to 5 star hotels and vice versa?
Those who are frequently traveling for business purposes usually look for cost reduction whereas those who are ready to pay anything for enjoyment and leisure prefer five star hotels.
Conclusion
All hotels try to render quality service to its customers. Bargain hotels try to improve their business by attracting people who want to reduce their travel budget. While five star hotel attracts rich people who are ready to pay for quality services and amenities. Many people believe in quality services at low cost. Some are ready to sacrifice at the cost of price. But a few is always after the high priced, luxurious ones. Thus, budgets of travel as well as the price for services are important elements in the selection of hotels. However, regardless of price and budget, all prefer neatness and hygiene. The most important thing is whether the hotels are able to sustain their business or not. The way hotels take their customers, treat them, and send them back to their home determines the success or otherwise of hotel business. Thus, improving the quality of hospitality within the reasonable cost to achieve more business is the way out for sustainable development of the industry.
Works Cited
Cullen, Peter. Budget Travel Tips 101. We Go Places: The Smart Way to Plan Your Travel Itinerary. 2008. Web.
The outlook for Australian tourism in 2009. In late December 2008 and early January, 2009, the Tourism Forecasting Committee gave out its latest anticipated for both domestic and inbound tourism as well as outbound tourism. For 2009, the committee estimated a decline in inbound onsets of about 4.1%, domestic tourist nights of about 0.9%, while outbound going away was estimated at 2.9%.
This paper identifies five key current issues that are related to tourism and grade them in order of their significance on tourism industry. The positioning is based on what impact a particular issue has on tourism and how long it can last.
However, there is anticipation of increased tourism because of marketing competition systems that have been strategizing in main market places, like in airlines and National Tourism Offices that hunt for to defending market share besides planning on how to counter the economic downturn that is affecting the world. Likewise, it is anticipated that a number of Governments will be sought to persuade their nationals to holiday at home (Australia).
Introduction
Tourism is among the largest key industries around the world and is of fastidious significance towards the economies of several developing as well as developed countries along with rising markets. As an important basis of foreign exchange earnings and employment, the tourism sector may offer a great perspective meant for growth and development. On the other hand, there have been great anxieties concerning the social in addition to environmental problems which can be caused by uncontrolled tourism.
On the other hand, the indigenous peoples need to be perceived as main contributors toward ecotourism. As customary custodians of their lands, indigenous peoples must contribute to ecotourism industry because of their close acquaintance with the eco-systems they extensively safeguarded.
Modern development in tourist Hotpoint
On April 25, 2009, the article titled ‘‘rather than compete with Dubai’s glitz, Doha is building its reputation as a five-star cultural capital”, by Leisa Tyler appeared in The Age. This article represented a vital tourism-related issue, that of modern development in tourist Hotpoint. Two decades ago, one could experience the sands shifting in Doha, the languid capital of Qatar, since the area was not well ventured. In the current times, the noise has turned to originate from the city’s changing skyline. The oil-rich Arab-Emirate is nowadays alive with modern buildings, as shiny skyscrapers rise from the scorching sands as well as from geometric artificial islands which appear in the sea.
The modern structures tend to attract tourists from different destinations because of the good shelters and social amenities that are tied to them. Many tourists will wish to tour the cities that have current facilities with services offered under one roof.
Impact on tourism
Modern development in tourist Hotpoint in major cities around the world like Dubai is key attraction in the tourism industry. Most tourists come from developed countries and will admire to go to countries or cities with close matching housing facilities should grantee the good comfort.
Ranking and justification
Since tourism is a service industry, it means that the product is consumed at the same time as it is being generated. The issue of modern development has necessitated the application of modern technology in the industry. The incorporation of good communication media and transport services has even simplified the provision of services within the tourism industry. Moreover, the customer services have been made easy because of good communication, which offers good services to the tourists, through quick response to their needs. Since the aim of customer service is to keep the customers happy, if the service results in customer backlash and makes them unhappy, the whole purpose of customer service is defeated. Since customer is the king in tourism, and customer service related issue has to be ranked at number one.
Economic downturn
Financial services are intended to offer travelers right to use spendable cash (accepted currency in all destinations) or else toward credit. This incorporates things like, money exchange facilities available in places of interest, credit cards, and travelers’ cheques, disposable cash cards as well as travel Insurance. On April 27, 2009, the article named, ”Region’s tourism reels as business traveling cut back” is as a result of the current recession being experienced around the world. These have impacted negatively to majority of financial services. For instance, it has called off the opera premier and a ballet tour of Mexico. Around the whole world countries have been threatened by the experience of economic downturn. Countries like
Ireland, Spain and South Africa have experienced their foreign earnings on tourism and real estate prices going down. In addition, the collapse of U.S. automakers has brought a tremendous effect to travel and tour industry in Canada, Mexico, Australia and Germany. The international monetary fund has predicted that this is the first time that the whole worldwide economy will contract.
Impact on tourism
In periods of an economic downturn, tourism is one of the primary industries to be affected. Spending on tourism is a supplementary expenditure, hence; when discretionary income is low, people are like to cut back on such unnecessary expenditure. An economic downturn affects the push factors of tourism, with people putting off tourism for the more prosperous times. The citizens are faced with more responsibilities when it comes to the distribution of the available money in meeting their needs. The main cause that is believed to have caused economic downturn in the whole world is the increase in oil prices. Tourism managers have the responsibility to help tourists in dealing with various problems during economic downturn.
There is fear in the whole world that there will be no more new productions. Budget constraints in Russia have forced a failure in tour to Mexico. This is highly influenced by the increase in oil and gas prices that have risen and affected the economies of the whole world. The country had canceled productions before because we were not satisfied with the artistic value. Productions in the theatre have been canceled due to financial crisis in Russia. There is uncertainty at the Bolshoi and this is a good representative of the problems that Russia is facing. This is a result of swift economic disorder that is hitting hard to the national standards. It is difficult for Russia to cope with the prices of oil that are going up everyday and the popular Book berry bookstores are going insolvent.
Ranking and justification
In view of the fact that an economic downturn in tourism generating areas could have such a profound impact on a tourism target areas, for this reason economic issues are particularly imperative. Nevertheless, even for the duration of a recession, modern development within the Hotpoint is more significant compared to whatever thing.
Safety and security
The current happenings around the world like terrorist activities and the current outbreak of swine flu in part of Latin America are safety and security issues that affect the tourism industry adversely. The recently published article on The Age, by Robinson, signifies the outbreak of the swine flu has negatively affected the movement of people to various places.
Moreover, the threats of terrorist groups to bomb some cities around the world have also been another safety issue in the tourist industry. This has been so, because of the targets of citizens from certain nations that try to combat the terrorists’ acts. The issue of security has led to serious scrutiny of visitors entering the major cities around the world.
Impact on tourism
Governments of certain nations have warned their citizens not to tour or visit some cities or countries because of either social or political turmoil. For instance, the Australian foreign embassy on The Age, dated April 13, 2009, warned its citizens not to enter Bangkok for the reason that the country has political chaos. War, civil unrest, terrorist activities and outbreak of a contagious disease are some of these factors.
The outbreak of contagious diseases tend to adversely affect the tourism industry, though, the outbreak of swine flu has not been determined to which extent it can take, but if the trend remains constant as experienced from the past contagious diseases like Bird flu and SARS then the industry is geared towards shocks. Many tourists have postponed their tours to even countries that have not been affected, to first wait for the WHO reports on this disease before they resume traveling to various destinations.
Moreover, the current crusade to turn down on alcohol as well as binge drinking is thought to demonize the efficient operation of the tourism industry. Some company owners which produce alcohol have disputed this commentary as they claim that the liberties of their customers are under severe public analysis.
Ranking and justifications
Safety and security is a key consideration in the tourism industry. The parties involved have to be sure of their safety before moving to their destinations. The issue was ranked third because they tend to be temporary as compare to economic downturn and the modern development in Hotpoint.
Tourist destinations
Different destinations have different attractions. According to Dugald Jellie on 25th April, 2009 on The Age ‘‘stands in the desert at El Alamein, the last great killing field of Australian soldiers where the war was turned.’’ This was intended to commemorate an Australian soldier honors at El Alamein Military Museum in the desert which was a great killing field where Australian soldiers, the place is 100kilometers from Alexandria. This has been a great tourist center for many people who visit Australia who tours the country during the month of Memory of War. The writing on the grave reads ‘‘I WILL REMEMBER, JOHNNIE,’’, a grave of S.H. Johnson’s who was a volunteer infantryman of the Australian 2/43 Battalion, he was killed while attacking Germans in the morning within the Western Desert. On the other hand, there is a grave headstone that reads ‘‘JUST MEMORIES, MY PETO,’’ this grave for Peter Munyard, who was a sergeant in the Royal Australian Air Force.
Impact on terrorism
The field is very attractive as the federal government of Australia has beautified it as a commemoration site as a monument of the fallen heroes. The graves are arranged in neat rows on exposed ground on top of a gentle rise overlooking the last great killing field of Australian men. Many tourists tour this place to pay respects to the great Australian men and to comprehend the pilgrimage of sorts, in this Commonwealth War Cemetery. Many tourists tour this place to pay tribute to the departed souls and also have leisure in the site.
The place is taken care of by caretakers salaried by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission who tend ornamental succulents, oleander as well as olives, planted on bare earth between headstones, devastating in figure and arranged in patterns to bestow an order of wild death. Of the 7970 men buried, about 1234 are Australian.
Ranking and justifications
Since tourist destinations matter a lot in the tourism industry, it tends to affect where the tourist will tour. Those regions with attractive sceneries will tend to attract more people to come and see as they have leisure. However, the tourist destination is not very significant as the previously mentioned issues, thus why is rated the fourth issue.
Growing Global Concern for the Environment
The growing concern for in the surroundings has paid attention to the growth as well as development of the Travel and Tourism industry. On one hand, this industry might be seen to affect negatively with increasing numbers of visitors toward sensitive regions, thus need for the industry to make enormous potential in lifting up the environmental awareness.
Impact on tourism
In current years, policymakers within environmentally sensitive places have deemed the imposition of boundary taxes or exceptional tourist taxes on the way to counterbalance the negative effects of the industry as well as to curtail tourist flows. There has been a call on implementation of policies to cover environmentally well-matched development in achieving sound and rational fiscal goals.
Ranking and justification
The growing global concern for the environment has less adverse on the tourism industry. Because, the policymakers will always make positive resolutions on the industry, this is the reason, why the issue was rated the 5th.
Conclusion and recommendations
Several industrialized states are being faced with increasing fiscal deficits at a national level. For instance, Germany, Japan as well as US have lately taken on key tax reform plan as an attempt to decrease deficits. The consequences of these involvements have been dual (Waryzak 2000, p.322). To start with, in the hunt for impending revenue resources, governments seem to focus more on taxing Tourism industry. Secondly, in general, local governments receive less revenue and share the funds from the state-run level and for that reason, they have aimed at taxing Tourism industry en route for compensation of these losses.
For instance, the United Kingdom has projected a £5 leaving tax for all flights transporting the UK tourists to destinations in the EC, plus a £10 departure tax for destinations outside the European Community. About £330 million of projected revenue from the discriminatory tax will be incorporated in reducing a central government deficit of roughly £50 billion. Further discriminatory financial plan proposals in Scandinavia plus Australia were in recent times rejected.
Policymakers should formulate policies that are tourist-friendly, to encourage both the foreign and domestic tourism. On the other hand, the Tourism Forecasting Committee should project real trends in tourism to help the investors plan on how to develop their businesses.
References
Richardson, J., & Fluker, M. 2008. “Understanding and Managing Tourism, 2nd Edition” Pearson Education, Frenchs Forest, Australia.
Weaver, D & Opperman, M 2000. “Tourism Management,” John Wiley and Sons.
Waryzak, R. & King, B 2000. “Tourists and taxis: An examination of the tourism transport interface,” Journal of Vacation Marketing, Vol. 6, No. 4, pp. 318-328.
This analytical essay presents a critique of the article “Fire Hazards Do Not Take Holidays” and has been published by USA Today. The bibliography page appends five sources in APA format.
Introduction
Nobody knows when a fire would go ablaze. It is something that is least expected by all of us, yet it takes place at hundreds of places every single day, because of which hundreds and thousands of lives are affected. It is necessary for all of us for the sake of our own lives along with our families, neighborhoods to carry out all the prevention methods we can think of in order to ignore ablaze fires.
The article that has been taken under consideration goes by the name of “Fire hazards do not take holidays”. This article starts off by putting forward the basic summary and an introduction to what the article is all about. As can be gathered it is related to fire hazards that go off during summer camping trips taken by people. As the article says, “This summer, nearly 50,000,000 people eagerly will leave the cares of the office and home behind as they pack cars, trailers, and backpacks to go camping. If you are one of those pursuing fun in the great outdoors, remember that you cannot take a vacation from safety” (Fire hazards do not take holidays, 2005).
The above quote shows that all of us leaving the cares of our homes and offices, thinking we would only have fun; are not safe. Nothing is much better than being able to go back to nature by simply going camping. When planning your next camping trip you need to be careful about certain things so that you can be more stress-free, and at ease, having the mindset that whatever you are doing is being done the way it should be. Camping is just not complete without having a campfire. But no matter for what reason you are building it, be it cooking, warmness, or just to create the perfect camping environment you need to make sure of certain things first all of which have been listed in this article.
The risk of having an ablaze fire increases at camping sites, but there are precautionary methods that we can all take up so as to ignore them.
Analysis
The article that has been taken under consideration basically tells us of all precautions that can be taken up by all campers before leaving for their trip as well as after reaching there. It tells us that precautions such as examining and testing cooking, heating, as well as all other fire-related gear should be checked at home before leaving for the camping grounds and one should ensure that they are in good shape and fix up all the repairs that are needed, following the instructions provided by the manufacturer.
Secondly, the author further states that after reaching the camping site, the most dangerous activity is cooking! The author states that a vast majority of fires take place because cooking areas remain unattended by people at times. There are definitely a vast number of interruptions along with numerous other things that can be done during the trip, but after the time that you have started off your fire, you need to make sure that you stay around it no matter what happens (Seasonal Safety, 2007). Take steps to keep your children and pets away from the fire. No matter if they are simply cuddling up by the heat of the fire, sweltering marshmallows, or simply playing and entertaining them, you need to ascertain that they are constantly under supervision so as to put off any misfortune.
The author states that “Despite the allure of Mother Nature, do not abandon the outdoor cooking area, either. Moreover, the same considerations of grill safety used at home apply at the campground: Keep the fire, stove, or grill away from overhanging tree branches, tents, and other items such as sleeping gear or drying clothing” (Fire hazards do not take holidays, 2005).
The third point moved ahead by the author of the article is that another threat presented to the campers at camping sites is the hazardous gas carbon monoxide. The author has states statistics telling the readers that every single year about three hundred deaths and four hundred and fifty injuries take place because of carbon monoxide poisoning. These deaths and injuries are caused by mobile heaters, lanterns, as well as stoves that are placed inside tents, vehicles along with other areas that are confined and for safety precautions, the author states that stoves, candles, etc. should in all circumstances be kept outside the tent or enclosed areas. The use of flashlights and battery-powered lights is preferred.
I have chosen this article because of the fact that it presents in-depth information about fire blazes how they are caused as well as how they can be ignored. The article is brief and to the point which makes it even more readable, providing me with yet another reason to choose this article for my essay.
It is said that “In 2002, more than 74,000 wildfires burned more than 7.4 million acres in the United States, costing the U.S. Government an all-time high of more than 1.5 billion dollars to fight, control, and extinguish these forest fires. As our population grows and we encroach more and more into undeveloped areas, much of our wildlands, state and national parks are immediately adjacent to these suburban areas, putting homes at very high risk” (Prevent forest fires while camping, 2004). With these statistics in mind, it is our responsibility to make sure that we take every single precautionary step that has been mentioned by the author.
Basically in normal circumstances, all that is needed is one single bad story about a fire that went off at a camping site in order to remind us just how important it is to develop and sustain a well-developed fire safety and precaution program for every single campsite. The property that is present at and is surrounding the campsites is very risky considering that the buildings surrounding such areas are rather old, made up of frame construction which is supposed to be used only seasonally that too in areas that are rather far-flung. This is perhaps the biggest reason that when a fire goes ablaze in a campsite it ends up in complete destruction for the entire area, which makes it even more important for us to make sure that we take every single step to ensure our and others safety (Schirick, 1998).
The article is related to our course in certain manners as it tells us of basic precautions that we can take to avoid fire outbursts. Though the information provided is extremely basic, it is still rather helpful. The same information has been taught to us in our course and this article was yet another method to understand our course in a much better manner.
The most important thing to do at any camping site is to take care of all outdoor fires. Make sure that every single fire and coal is burnt out and cold before you leave your camp or go to bed at night inside your tent. In order to put out campfires, you can start off by letting the fire burn down on its own at first. The second step is to make sure that each and every member, coal, and stick is soaked. Make sure that all rocks near your tent are moved away because of the fact that there might be pieces of burning embers present under it. What you have to do next is muddle up and swirl the leftovers with grime and water; adding more and more water and dirt to it while stirring it at the same time.
What is more, is that you need to “be sure all burned material has been extinguished and cooled. If you do not have water, use dirt. Mix enough soil or sand with the embers. Continue adding and stirring until all material is cool. Feel all materials with your bare hand. Make sure that no roots are burning. Do not bury your coals—they can smolder and break out into a wildfire!” (Outdoor Fire Safety, 2004).
All of the information that has been presented in the article can be used in further fire prevention techniques. Unique and innovative techniques and methods can be introduced while bearing these basic methods in mind. The article constantly emphasizes that safety and prevention are extremely necessary in order to have a safe and happy camping trip, which would be safe not only for us but for our families and the people camping near us at the same campsite. The information is very basic but it can be used to come up with further ways and methods to put off fires.
What is more, is that in the current times this information is being used by hundreds and thousands of people so as to ensure that their camping trips are safe and this information is also being used by people so as know the to do’s and not to do’s during their camping trips. The information is very basic and easily understandable by any layman, hence giving the article much admiration and credit.
Conclusion
In the light of the above discussion, we can hereby culminate that the article that has been taken under consideration for review provides some rather basic information about campfires and the ways that we can take up so as to make our camping trips more fun and safe at the same time.
Bibliography
Fire Hazards Do Not Take Holidays. (2005). USA Today. Pp.1.
Outdoor Fire Safety. (2004). Web.
Prevent forest fires while camping. (2004). Web.
Schirick, Ed. (1998). Fire Prevention and Safety At Camp. Camping Magazine. Pp.1.
In an article titled ‘Tourism in Dubai: Overcoming Barriers to destination Development’ in volume 8 of The International Journal of Tourism Research in 2006, Joan Henderson provides an in-depth explanation and description of tourism in Dubai, factors critical to destination development and the challenges faced by Dubai as a tourist destination. She describes what destination development is going further to give an overview of tourism situation in Dubai. Henderson identifies six core factors that are critical to destination development in Dubai. She further goes on and gives the future challenges to be faced by Dubai in its effort to be an international class tourist destination.
An overview of Tourism in Dubai
According to Henderson, destination development is a central theme in the tourism literature which basically involves the temporal and spatial evolution of destinations, the impacts of development, government growth policies, planning imperatives, marketing issues and business strategies. There are also key pull factors that attract tourists to a certain destination such as knowing about and having favorable impressions of that particular destination, attractive sites and accommodation facilities. The role of sociopolitical determinants of tourist destinations is appreciated as they, in the end, determine if tourists will choose a particular destination. Dubai is one of the emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates. It lies on the southern gulf flanked by majestic desert. Dubai is divided into the Deira district to the north and Bur Dubai to the south by the Dubai Creek. Five kilometers southeast of the city is located at the Dubai International Airport. Tourism in Dubai has experienced a steady growth with 374400 arrivals in 1982 and 5420000 arrivals in 2004.
Factors Critical to Destination Development
Henderson has identified the following factors as being critical to destination development in Dubai: Political, social and economic domains. These domains create a peaceful and conducive environment that attracts tourists. Dubai has experienced political stability all along and it is second to Abu Dhabi in terms of political and financial power in that it exercises independence and economic policymaking; Government tourism policy, the UAE has created a conducive and attractive environment through investment in infrastructure with tourism being ‘positioned at the center of the diversification program …’ (p. 91). The DTCM has put a lot of effort into tourism development, planning and marketing; Dubai is ‘very accessible’ as its internal airport being the sixtieth busiest. The emirates airline which is owned by the Dubai government has helped in opening up Dubai to tourists coupled with visa procedures being simplified; Amenities such as accommodation are well developed in Dubai with hotels and apartments forming the bulk. The government has also relaxed rules governing land ownership and leasing to facilitate hospitality development; Tourist attractions include the 64 km coastline, resort hotels and desert features that offer several sporting activities.
Challenges for the Future
There are several challenges which include stability and government tourism policy which are threatened by political instability, terrorism activities and wars being experienced by the neighboring countries such as Iraq and the entire Middle East, inadequate land for expansion and problems associated with the rapid urbanization needs to be addressed; Tourism attractions and promotion in Dubai are limited in terms of the available cultural and natural heritage attractions. The high temperatures during summer restrict activity and even keep tourists away. The government has neglected its natural heritage that could be major attraction feature; The future of accessibility and amenities in Dubai is at risk of being compromised if she does not brace herself with the advances in technology. Potential businesses have been restricted due to religious reasons with uncertainty that may be created by travel advisories from the USA and EU. There are also beliefs that Dubai is expensive and the government has to reverse this notion at all cost as this may turn away potential tourists. Dubai should explore other economic avenues and stop focusing on beach tourism and shopping venue. Other socioeconomic sectors should be exploited in order to create an all-year-round tourism destination.
References
Henderson, J. C., 2006. ‘Tourism in Dubai: Overcoming Barriers to Destination Development’, International Journal of Tourism Vol. 42, pp. 87-99.
Seattle is the largest and the most populous city in Northwest Pacific of America. The city has a couple of nicknames including the Emerald city, Queen City, jet city and Gateway to Alaska. Seattle is a major cultural, economic and educational center, having the highest percentage of graduates compared to major cities in the United States. The city has a reputation for heavy coffee consumption and is regarded as the birthplace of grime music.
Geographic Location
Seattle is located in Western side of the U.S. state of Washington, approximately 105 miles south of the United States-Canada border. To the west, the city borders Pacific Ocean inlet known as Puget Sound and to the east, is lake Washington. Due to its location and the surrounding waters bodies and mountains, the city of Seattle offer all year round picture perfects views and plenty of recreational opportunities for tourist (Klingle, 2007).
Climate
Seattle has a Mediterranean climate, with dry summer and wet winters. The Pacific Ocean and lake Washington play a key role in moderating the city’s temperatures. The Olympic Mountains helps in shielding the city from the pacific Storms while the Cascade Range blocks the cold arctic air. The average daytime temperatures during summer range from 73 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Winters are usually cool and wet with average temperatures between 35 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit (Nickels, 2008).
Population
According to the 2007 official census, Seattle had a population of 586, 200. Latest data released by the Washington State Office on April 2008, showed that the population had increased to 592,800. The population density is 6,979 people per square mile. Approximately 65 percent of the population is white, 15 Asian and 10 percent African-American. Other races found within the city of Seattle include Native Americans, Hispanic and Pacific Islanders. 80 percent of the population speaks English, 4 percent Spanish and2.5 percent speak Mandarin.
Currently 15.5 percent of Seattle population follows in the 18 to 24 age bracket. 38.5 percent are between the age of 25 to 44 and 22 percent for those between the ages of 45 to 64. 12 percent of the population is over 65 years of age. The median age of Seattle at 35 years (Nickels, 2008).
Seattle Dining Establishments
Due to its diverse cultural make-up, Seattle has a reputation as best dining destination in the America’s northwest. The city is known for fresh seafood, Asian cuisines, Italian restaurants, fine steakhouses and many other establishments which offer incredible foods.
Casual Dining: Brasa Restaurant
Brasa is located in downtown Seattle, on 3rd Avenue. It has over time been voted as one of the best restaurant for casual dining. The food quality is outstanding and is made from local farm produce. Some of the services offered include dinner, bar and private Lounge from 5pm to 11 pm. Dinner menu features meals such as Escalivada, potato garlic sauce, and arugula. (Yee, 2008)
Fine Dining: 35th Street Bistro
35th Street Bistro is a European Style restaurant located in Fremont area of Seattle. The restaurant features sustainably and locally produced food, a full bar and extensive list of wines. It is open for lunch every day from 11am to 11pm except on Monday. Dinner is served every day from 5pm to 11pm. The restaurant serves brunch on weekend; Saturday and Sunday. Lunch menu include French Radishes, bistro frites and duck. (Yee, 2008)
Specialty Restaurant: The Matador
Located in west Seattle, on California Avenue, The Matador features gourmet Tex-Mex cuisines, coupled with wide selection of Tequila. The matador is one of the few restaurants with an open fireplace for clients to sit around. Dinner menu include Blackened ahi, jalapenos stuffed with goat cheese. The dinner menu is complemented by a large selection of scrumptious desserts. The Matador features a full bar which serve specialty cocktails, imported beers and wines.
Ethnic Restaurant: Jai Thai Restaurant
Jai Thai restaurant is located in Fremont area, Northern Seattle, on Fremont Avenue. The restaurant features Thailand cuisines with the recent addition of Thai-American Breakfast served on Saturday and Sunday morning. Jai Thai is unique in that it features an extensive collection of Thai Original artwork display for clients. The restaurant has daily lunch and drink specials. Breakfast is served from 7 am till noon, lunch on Monday to Friday from 11am to 4 pm and Dinner is served 4pm to 9.30pm. In addition, late-night menu is available until 1.30 am daily, on special orders. (Yee, 2008)
Lodging Facility
There are over 11,500 hotels rooms available in downtown Seattle and 32,000 hotel rooms available in King county areas. Advance reservation is recommended during peak season, between May to September, The city may also be busy especially during annual fairs and festivals like Seattle International Film festival and Northwest Folklife. Some of the establishment offering lodging facilities to visitors includes; (Bartley, 2007)ю
Budget: Virginia Hotel
Virginia Hotel is located in down Seattle, 2 blocks from Beltown art and culture centre. The hotel features 140 budget rooms, with antique lighting, tile work, marble and decorative historic moldings. The hotel lounge features a wide selection of local beers and wine. A standard guest room has a queen bed, phone facility, cable TV, sink basin and private bathrooms. Adjoining rooms’ suites have two separate bedrooms and a shared bath. Price ranges from $72-$120 for a standard room and $120-$150 for a suite (Bartley, 2007).
Commercial: Dreamland Lodging
This lodging facility is located next to Washington convention Center, on 5th Avenue. Clients have an option for the following facilities; Breakfast, parking, shuttle and stocked fridge. In addition, the lodging has meeting facilities for at least 10 people, translation services, food services, pool table, and elevator services. Price range for dreamland lodging is $160-$175 (Bartley, 2007).
Resort: Ashton wood Resort
Ashton wood resort is located on Bainbridge Island, on a private land, next to Grand forest. Visitor access the resort by ferry from downtown Seattle. Guests have two accommodation options to chose from, either the loft or cottage. Both facilities are designed for two people, featuring queen size bed and a fireplace. In the morning, guest enjoys a freshly baked breakfast, delivered to their rooms. The resort is also available for group off-site meetings and retreats. The minimum stay at Ashton wood resort is 2 days, at a cost of $550. (Bartley, 2007)
Bed and Breakfast: Elegant B $B
Elegant B & B is an urban 20 room inn located in downtown Seattle. This lodging facility features standard Guest room with a bed, fireplace, wet bars and a balcony on each room. Guests have access to swimming room, a sauna and a fitness center. Basic amenities available at Elegant B & B include TV, mini-fridge and a CD player. For breakfast, a full gourmet breakfast is served in the garden room.
Transportation
Road Transport
Automobiles are the main mode of transportation to Seattle for visitor from the State of Washington and the surrounding US states. The interstate 5 and Stateline 99 run uninterrupted through downtown Seattle. North / Southbound traffic highly depends on Interstate 5 while highway 99 serve connect Seattle to the US-Canada border. Other important roads to and from Seattle are State Route 520 and Interstate 90, which carries East / Westbound traffic. The city has an extensive bus route network, which includes electric trolleybuses, providing transportations services to various destinations within Seattle (Nickels, 2008).
Air Transport
Seattle Tacoma International Airport, also known as Sea-Tac airport, is the main gateway for both international visitors and those from within United States. The airport is located in the city of SeaTac, providing air transportation services to and from various international destinations and major US cities. Some of the airlines which provide air services to and from major US cities include United, Northwest and American Airlines. The cost of travel from Midwest United States to Seattle ranges from $200 to $250 in 6 hrs non-stop flight. Lufthansa, Air France, KLM and British Airways are some of the major flights that provide air transportation services to European Visitors (Nickels, 2008).
Water Transport
Due to the location of Seattle, water transportation remains an important mode of transportation to and from Seattle. Visitors can access the city using ferry and Cruise ships. Passengers from surrounding islands like Vashon and Bainbridge, use ferry services provided by Washington State Ferries, to reach downtown Seattle. Cruise ships visits have gained popularity with an estimated 800,000 visitors arriving in Seattle by cruise ships every year. The cost and the duration of cruise ship transportation vary with the source and the season (Arafe, 2007).
Tourist attractions
Seattle is considered as one of the top travel destinations in United States due to the diversity found within the city. Some of the destinations that I would like to visit include Pike Place Market, The Space Needle, Museum of flights and Downtown Seattle.
As the tallest structure in Seattle, I would like to climb on top of the Space needle and enjoy a 360 degree view of downtown Seattle and the surrounding region. The cost is reasonable, as I will spend $16 only for this experience (Arafe, 2007).
Pike Place Market is one of the oldest, continually operated public market in United States. As such, I would like to visit the market for a chance to buy hand crafted gifts for friends and family (Arafe, 2007).
The Museum of Flight is another destination that I wouldn’t miss while visiting Seattle. The museum is the largest air and Space museum in the world. I will have a chance to learn a bit of the history and the future of Flights, everything from Wright Brothers to Space exploration (Bartley, 2007).
Seattle downtown is a haven for many features for a tourist to enjoy. As such, I would visit downtown Seattle, especially the 20-block historic district, which offer guided underground tour of Klondike Goldrush Museum and other art Galleries.
Conclusion
Seattle is one of the leading tourist destinations in United States. Because of its diversity the city has a reputation as one the best dining destination in the Northwest. Visitors to the city have a wide selection of lodging facilities to choose from, ranging from Bed and Breakfast to Resorts. Various modes of transportation to and from Seattle are available depending with where one is coming from. Seattle has many interesting places where tourist can enjoy. These include the Pike Place Market and the Museum of flight.
The paper identifies five current tourism-related issues and attempts to rank them in the order of importance. The five issues identified, in the order of their ranking are customer service issues, economic slowdown issues, safety and security issues, issues of tourism-related scams and issue of worker strikes at a tourist destination. Each one of these issues affects either the pull factor or the push factor and hence is extremely important in determining the status of tourism in any region. The ranking is based on what impact a particular issue has on tourism and how long it lasts.
Introduction
Tourism involves that people travel to a place other than their usual place of residence, and in the process help the economy of the destination place. If tourists like a particular destination, they are likely to return to that place, thus helping improve the tourist revenue of the place. However, a bad experience can turn off the tourists for life who may then pass on negative feedback to others, thus reducing a destination’s tourism potential. Countries, cities and civil bodies can do a lot to improve a place’s tourism potential. Some of the steps they can take include building the infrastructure and making the city safe for tourists. However, every once in a while, problem arises which makes tourists feel unhappy about their experience. These problems can be related to any of the tourism-related infrastructures and may be or may not be in the control of the tourism authorities. Such problems or issues at the local or international level which have a direct impact on tourism of a region can be defined as tourism-related issues. In this paper we shall identify five current issues which have an impact on tourism and try to rank them in the order of their importance and impact on tourism.
Customer Service Issues
On April 20, 2009, the article titled “Delta scraps Indian call centers after customer backlash” appeared in the “The Age”. This article represents an important tourism-related issue, that of customer service. Customer service-related issues are arguably the most important issues for the tourism industry.
Impact on Tourism
In such case, the service provider has to make the choice between the cost benefits of routing customer service calls to a low-wage country and the negative impact it may have on the perceived customer service. If the service provider receives too many complaints about the customer service from a particular country, they may be left with no choice but to close down that facility. However, if complaints are few, the cost benefits outweigh any negative feedback and the service provider may choose to continue in the low-cost destination. In Delta’s case, the fact that they are not closing their call centers in Jamaica and South Africa shows that in these countries the cost benefits have won over the negative feedback. In other words, Delta’s decision to close some of its outsourced call centers and not others is directly impacted by customer feedback.
Ranking and Justification
Since tourism is a service industry, it means that the product is consumed at the same time as it is being generated. Call centers provide customer service, which is an important aspect of tourism. A service cannot be separated from the person giving the service. In this case, the employers working at the Indian call center are the providers of the service. Since the aim of customer service is to keep the customers happy, if the service results in customer backlash and makes them unhappy, the whole purpose of customer service is defeated. Since customer is the king in tourism, and customer service related issue has to be ranked at number one.
Economic Slowdown Issues
An April 22, 2009 article in The Age, “Region’s tourism reels as business travelers cut back”, talks about the impact of the economic slowdown on tourism. Since economic slowdown directly impacts tourism, it is an important tourism-related issue and I have ranked it number 2.
Impact on Tourism
In times of an economic slowdown, tourism is one of the first industries to be impacted. Expenditure on tourism is a non-essential expenditure and when discretionary income is low, people are like to cut back on such non-essential expenditure. An economic slowdown impacts the push factors of tourism, with people putting off tourism for the more prosperous times.
An economic slowdown also impacts the yield of tourism. The April 22 article in The Age, “Region’s tourism reels as business travelers cut back”, talks about the yield problem. While tourism may be considered a leisure activity, business travel is often considered essential. However, the economic slowdown shows that as much as 40% of business-related travel is non-essential. So corporations are cutting back on this non-essential business travel and even when travel is essential, corporations now prefer that their employees travel economy class rather than business class, thus reducing the yield per traveler. The slowdown has also resulted in a fall in the hotel room rates, another factor impacting the yield from tourism.
For countries such as Singapore and Hong Kong, which have no domestic travel and international tourism is a major contributor to the economy, such economic slowdown can be extremely damaging. Even in Australia, according to a report published in The Age on April 28, the tourism industry could lose up to 29,000 jobs. Thus an economic slowdown can have far-reaching effects on the tourism of any region.
Ranking and Justification
Since an economic slowdown in tourism generating regions can have such a deep impact on a tourism destination region, hence economic issues are extremely important. However, even during a downturn, customer service is more important than anything else. In fact, during a downturn, customer service becomes even more important. Hence economic issues have to be ranked after customer service and so I have ranked it at number two.
Safety and Security Issues
The current outbreak of the swine flu in Mexico is a safety-related issue that can have extremely negative impact on tourism. As the April 28 article by Robinson in The Age shows, an outbreak of an epidemic is already having adverse effects on tourism. Another factor that can reduce the security ratings of a tourist destination is violence of any kind. According to an April 13 report in The Age, Australians have been warned by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to avoid traveling to Bangkok because of political turmoil in the country and the resulting violence.
Impact on Tourism
Whether we travel for leisure or business reasons, travel involves leaving the security of our homes and the known and going to a new place with unknown dangers. If there are any factors that are likely to increase the dangers at a tourist destination, most tourists are likely to avoid going there, thus impacting the tourism of the place. There are several things that can increase the risk factors of a tourist destination and in the process, reduce its “pull factors”. War, civil unrest, terrorist activities and outbreak of a contagious disease are some of these factors. As mentioned above, the current outbreak of swine flu is impacting the tourism of Mexico.
Similarly, in 2003, the outbreak of SARS had adverse impact on the tourism industry of several countries including China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Vietnam. According to McKercher and Chon, over-reaction to disease meant that up to three million people in the industry lost their jobs and the economies of the four countries mentioned above lost over $20 billion in GDP. Even in countries which were free of the disease, tourism fell by 70%. We don’t know yet how people are going to react to the swine flu, but if it has similar consequences as SARS, it could prove disastrous for the tourism of many countries. With the latest cases of the swine flu being reported in New Zealand (BBC), Australia is also susceptible to this problem.
Violence is another security related issue that impacts tourism, as the article mentioned above shows. Such incidences and the subsequent warnings are bound to have a negative impact on tourism. Similarly, terrorism can have an extremely adverse effect on tourism, as seen in Pakistan where terrorism has resulted in a sharp decline in the number of inbound tourists (Shaheen, 2008).
Ranking and Justification
Such safety and security issues are extremely important to a region’s tourism. However, such issues are usually temporary and last a few months or a few years and can be easily handled with political will. It is not as important as customer service since bad customer service can put off a tourist for life, but once the security situation has improved, tourists are likely to go back to a tourist destination where they had a good experience. Also, this issue is less important than the issue of economic downturn, since economic slowdown can impact global tourism while security issues are usually local in nature. Hence, I would like to give safety and security issues the third-ranking.
Issue of Tourism related Scams
The Tovey (April 21, 2009) article in “The Age” talks about a scam wherein unofficial websites charge travelers for a service that is supposed to be free. This can be considered a cyber-age version of tourism-related scams which have been around for a long time.
Impact on tourism
A scam hurts tourism in two ways. First, the people who are scammed end up with bad experiences and we know that when people have bad experiences they tend to share them with more people. Thus a scammed tourist is unlikely to return to the region and he is also like to circulate bad publicity about the region, resulting in less tourist inflow. The second way in which scams hurt tourism is that they impact the economy of the tourist destination since the illegal elements “steal” a portion of the revenue. Another problem with scams is that some tourists may mistake real deals for a scam as mentioned in the Feb 4, 2008 article in www.articlebase.com.
Ranking and Justification
Scams hurt tourism, however many intelligent tourists know how to avoid scams. Repeat tourists are also less likely to be scammed. In the above case, the scam originated in the place of origin of tourism rather than at a tourist destination. So even though it hurts the tourism of the destination country, the destination country does not have much control over the scam. Even when the scam originates in the destination country, tourists are not likely to blame the country as they often realize that they could have avoided being scammed had they been more aware. So even though it is an important issue, and it hurts the tourist destination, it is not a critical issue from tourism point of view and I have ranked it fourth.
Issue of Strikes at Tourist Destination
The April 9, 2009 article in The Age talks about a strike at the world-famous Eiffel Tower leading to the place being shut down. Strikes can take place in any industry and do not always have an impact on tourism. However, when these strikes take place at tourist hotspots like Eiffel Tower, it becomes a tourism-related issue.
Impact on Tourism
Strikes are always an inconvenience and hurt the economy of a country. From a tourism point of view, strikes can mean that tourist returns from his travels without having the opportunity to fully explore the destination country. Eiffel Tower is a landmark tourist spot in Paris and can even be considered the defining feature of the city. Most tourists visiting Paris hope to visit Eiffel Tower. However, the strike means that tourists will not be able to visit this famous tourist spot. Besides the loss of revenue, the tourists might be forced to return without getting the opportunity to fully explore this tower and that might leave a negative impact on their minds.
Ranking and Justification
Strikes are a major inconvenience from tourism point of view. However, these are mild inconveniences and do not usually last very long. Some strikes last only a few hours or a couple of days and tourists can return at a later time. Since the impact of strikes on tourism is minimal, I have ranked this issue fifth.
Conclusion
When a tourist leaves the security of his home to travel to a new place, he is motivated by a number of factors including understanding the culture of the place, relaxation, and a new adventure. A problem at the tourist destination can come in the way of the tourist being able to fulfill his motives for travel. This will result in the tourist having a bad experience and he may decide to not come back to the particular destination, besides passing on negative feedback to friends and family, who too will then avoid the destination, hurting the tourism of the place. So I have ranked the above-mentioned five current issues based on their ability to affect the tourism of a place.
Reference List
“Is the New York Pass the Newest Tourism Scam?” Articlebase. Web.
McKercher, B. & Chon, K., 2004. “The over-reaction to SARS and the collapse of Asian Tourism,” Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 31, No. 3, pp. 716-719.
Robinson, G., “Tourists fleeing Mexico, say Aussies,” The Age. 2009. [online]. Web.
The analysis of these two websites starts with a look at the similarities they share. At the base level, both provide comprehensive directories of the various leisure facilities around the United States, Canada, and other parts of the world. They make use of optimized search engines, allowing for access to information about given topics.
Nevertheless, there are discernible differences between the two websites. Firstly, themeparkinsider.com is more attractive, as it makes good use of color, and the information bars are placed in strategic places. This points to a high degree of user-friendliness when compared to themeparkcity.com, which appears rather bland. Themeparkcity.com simply presents hyperlinks, without giving an overall description of what the site is about. Moreover, themeparkinsider.com enables easy navigation between pages via the provision of navigation tabs under the site banner. These tabs individually refer the visitor to topics such as park reviews, top tips, hotels, safety data and budget help. A user can directly access the information without having to go through a mountain of data that they consider unnecessary at that moment in time. With themeparkcity.com, the navigation is a tedious task as visitors have to go through the entire page, opening the different hyperlinks in the hope of finding what they may consider relevant (Theme Park City, 2001 – 2008).
Another glaring difference is the provision for notifications directly to the visitors’ email addresses. All visitors have to do to activate the service is to provide their address and follow the necessary prompts. The interaction between visitors to themeparkinsider.com and its visitors is further enhanced by blogging. Visitors can freely exchange views, ultimately providing useful feedback to managers of the recreation facilities mentioned (Theme Park Insider, 1999 – 2009).
In closing this discussion, the analysis presented indubitably indicates that themeparkinsider.com provides the most comprehensive information to potential theme park enthusiasts.
Case Studies
Great America, United States
The rides here depict the general consensus that the park is the best option for family adventure and fun in Northern California. The thrill rides test visitors’ threshold of fear. These include FireFall, Delirium, Grizzly, and Xtreme Skyflyer. A look at ‘Vortex’ illustrates this. It features a ninety-one-foot hill and a twisting track that loops weave and threads through the loop’s eye. Patrons ride standing or straddling saddle-like seats in train cars traveling up to 45 miles an hour. For a calmer experience, family rides provide the solution. The main attractions under this class are Celebration Swings, Barney Oldfield Speedway, and Carousel Columbia. Kids will also derive hours of pleasure by visiting Nickelodeon Central, where they can interact with their television stars, and KidZville, the large, busy town designed solely for kids. For those with an appetite for live shows, Great America has it all. In fact, the whole park becomes one big stage. The line-up is constantly updated, ensuring that kids and the young at heart get the best from the latest acts. The final attraction is Boomerang Bay. This facility features water slides, interactive waterfalls, simulated ocean waves, a large heated lagoon, and the exclusive Cabana Village. Access to all these facilities ranges from $29.99 to $53.99. Season passes also exist, offering competitive discounts and perks like free parking (California’s Great America, 2009).
This park also offers exciting employment opportunities, be they seasonal, full time, the Preferred Shift Associate Program and the evergreen entertainment employment.
Six Flags, United Arab Emirates
The theme behind this theme park is fun and adventure. Dubailand is destined to be the first location outside North America to the theme park of the Six Flags franchise. It boasts renowned entertainment franchises like the famed child music group, Wiggles as well as Tony Hawk the professional skateboarder. Like most developments in Dubai, there are several noteworthy concepts. They include braided restaurants, water parks and a myriad of retail outlets. Apart from catering for recreation needs, this park offers unique travel as well as vacation opportunities to all, regardless of the place of origin. Delving further into the details of the park’s area of three billion feet, the major attractions are DreamWorks Animation Park, BAWADI, Universal Studios Dubailand, Motor City, Dubai Heritage Vision, Al Barai, and Falcon City. To illustrate the scale of this development, BAWADI is the leading entertainment and hospitality project in the world, featuring fifty-one luxury hotels and over sixty thousand hotel rooms (Six Flags Dubailand, 2008).
Six Flags Dubailand makes one thing clear: the hospitality industry is under steady development as developers endeavor to offer the best to their clients (Six Flags Dubailand, 2008).
References
Theme Park City (2001 – 2008), ‘Welcome to Theme Park City’. 2009. Web.
Theme Park Insider, (1999 – 2009), ‘Welcome to Theme Park Insider’. Web.
California’s Great America (2009), ‘Welcome to California Great America’. Web.