The activities of tourists in 2030 will be determined by a myriad of factors. The most notable thing about their probable activities is the dynamism in their activities as determined by the changing needs and forcing factors. Prosperity among people and the affordability of vacations have been among the factors touted to promote tourism by 2030. Many people’s incomes have been improving, while the charges for the vacations have been noticeably falling.
Events that happened all over the world are also a major influence on tourism, and in this technological era, it is very easy for tourists to follow up the events happening in all parts of the world. Apparently, countries with vast cultural capital benefit the most from tourists, since culture is one of the largest tourist attractions. Climate is another major factor. Countries with unique climates usually experience more visits compared to those with ordinary climates.
However, future tourists will not just go to any place. They will make their choices basing on the impacts of the tours on their health and safety, image and branding of destinations, knowledge, and experience, individual tastes and preferences, age, work pressures, the authenticity of the events, and the extent of pleasure in the experiences.
While on their tours, the tourists will do different things ranging from basking in the sun, swimming, and executing business deals among other activities. Therefore, the tourist in 2030 will be a very dynamic being who must consider a wide range of factors before knowing the best course of action to take.
Tourism and socio-cultural conservation
Tourism has several advantages, especially to the socio-cultural aspects of the concerned communities. Among these advantages is the promotion of peace, strengthening communities, bringing facilities closer to people, and fostering the re-evaluation of people’s cultures.
Tourism is, usually, about moving from one place to another. In the process of moving to new places, tourists meet new people and understand their cultures and general ways of life. In the long-run, the interactions prevent conflicts due to cultural misunderstandings. In addition, tourism strengthens the ties among members of the community. Many times, they meet for the sake of preparing performances meant for tourists. This rejuvenates their relationships.
Tourism also benefits the community by fostering the establishment of proper infrastructure. Many governments, usually, develop infrastructure with the view of benefitting tourists, but natives also benefit. Besides, tourism makes the community revalue their culture and see the need to conserve it since the natives develop a sense of pride in their culture.
It remains evident that various services such as cleaning, reception desk maintenance, check-in procedure are essential elements of the hospitality industry and influence significantly the customer’s satisfaction during his/her stay in the hotel. Nonetheless, it is apparent that the hospitality industry implies the sufficient flow of business processes, as the quality of the provided services is strongly dependent on the overall efficiency of the organization (Anupindi et al. 2011). It could be said that the overall satisfaction of the customer is dependent on his/her perception of the hotel and his/her rapid fulfillment of his/her quickly arising needs. Nonetheless, the combination of the insignificant procedures and their sufficient flow are the critical determinants of success due to their interdependence.
Nevertheless, the duration of the processes cannot be explained theoretically, as the nature of the procedures in the hospitality industry is rather simple. In this instance, one of the services will be chosen for the analysis and evaluated in the theoretical context to improve its efficiency and maintain customer satisfaction on the same level. Despite being the complex system, the primary reason for the existence of the gap between the delivery of the service and the customer perception is the lack of collaboration between the front and back office due to the complications in the efficiency of the processes and the corporate culture.
The primary goal of this paper is to verify the choice of the hotel service and describe it using particular examples. In turn, the theoretical framework has to be evaluated and implemented in the context of the chosen service to explain the duration of the activity with the assistance of the article Service Businesses and Productivity by Schmenner, which is highly focused on the functioning of the hotel and maintenance of its efficiency and customer’s satisfaction on the high level (Schemenner 2004). Additionally, other sources and publications are used to explain the duration of the services. In the end, the conclusions are drawn to summarize the findings and to underline the importance of the business processes in the hospitality and tourism management.
The Choice of the Service
Firstly, the particular service has to be chosen, as the theoretical framework and explanation is highly dependent on the nature of the procedure. In this instance, I have chosen the maintenance of the check-in at the reception desk in the resort hotel, as it is one of the fundamental determinants of the company’s success from the beginning. In this instance, the primary duties of the reception desk should be clarified. The reception desk has to inform the other departments of the check-in and check-out of the guests, as, otherwise, the hotel rooms will not be prepared for the other visitors (Barrows & Powers 2008). In turn, it is also responsible for keeping track of the guests and maintaining the room availability and status. Furthermore, it is always in contact with the restaurant and other services to maintain the order in the hotel and inform the guests about the changes. Lastly, it remains evident that the clerk plays the role of the communicator between the clients and the hotel. Consequently, he/she has to make sure that the clients will return to the hotel in the future (Barrows & Powers 2008).
In the end, it could be said that the check-in mechanism of the reception desk is rather complex, as the functioning of the front desk is highly dependent on the efficiency of the other services and sufficient maintenance of their order. Nonetheless, it remains evident that the introduction of the automatization of the processes and high computerization in the hospitality industry improves the quality and speed of the services (Fitzsimmons, Fitzsimmons & Bordoloi 2014). Nonetheless, it is not enough to enhance the overall satisfaction of the visitors due to the increasing demands.
Theoretical Explanation of Time-Consumption
In turn, the primary goal of this section is to propose the right theoretical approach to explain the particular duration of the services and its dependence on the various aspects. Nonetheless, only the check-in procedure will be evaluated in the context of this section, as this process has its own theoretical explanation. In this instance, several sources are analyzed to determine the potential theoretical clarification for the existence of this phenomenon with the justification of the particular examples.
Firstly, the article Service Businesses and Productivity by Schmenner has to be discovered in more detail, as it discusses the correlation between the maintenance of efficiency and the level of involvement of the customer in the process (Schemenner 2004). In this case, the service matrix was introduced to divide the service providers into the categories such as service factory, mass service, service shop, and professional service (Schemenner 2004). Despite being modified over time, the matrix implies that different services involve different levels of the customer’s participation and labor intensity. Nonetheless, according to the article, the time consumption during the check-in can be explained by its dependency on the availability of the hotel rooms (Schemenner 2004).
This aspect can be explained by the fact that the front and the back office cannot only be prepared serially due to their codependence. One of the examples is the fact that the reception clerk has to report to the guest that his room is not ready due to the recent checkout and current cleaning process. This aspect increases the waiting time of the customer and decreases his/her satisfaction. In the end, the sufficient configuration of the back-front office relationship determines the quality and the speed of the service delivery, as it is the primary determinant of the flow of business processes in the organization (Blok, Meijboom & Broekhuis 2009).
In turn, the time consumption of the processes is affected by the input-transformation-output process and the process hierarchy and design (Slack, Chambers & Johnston 2010). In this instance, the design of the process requires the speed of the check-in to be dependent on the flow of the back-up processes such as cleaning. This aspect underlines the inability of the back and front office to act simultaneously.
Nonetheless, this problem tends to exist due to the differences in perceptions of the time for service delivery and the actual time, which is required for the maintenance (Johnston & Clark 2012). In this instance, this fact implies that the pressure on the service providers remains on the high level due to the necessity to correspond to the customer’s needs (Johnston & Clark 2012). In the modern world, the levels of stress and pressure are significant in the hospitality industry due to the increasing demands of the customers (O’Neill & Davis 2011). It could be said that this approach highly influences the speed of the service delivery, as the employees might not act fast enough due to the high volumes of stress. Nonetheless, this approach also underlines the fact the inability of the front and back office to act at the same time. In turn, the presence of this factor increases the stress and levels of pressure among the employees.
Furthermore, the high volumes of the paperwork is another reason for the increased time, which is required for the maintenance (Johnston & Clark 2012). In this instance, the presence of this obstacle increases the time, which is required for the sufficient flow of business processes. In turn, it increases the waiting time and significantly affects the customer’s fulfillment with the service delivery.
In conclusion, it could be said that the primary reason for the increased time consumption of the check-in maintenance is the inability of the functioning of the front and back office simultaneously. This fact can be explained by the fact that the availability of the rooms is affected by the maintenance services such as cleaning. In turn, the front desk cannot inform the readiness of the room until all required procedures are done. In the end, it could be said that the primary solution to this issue is the right configuration of the back/front office maintenance and creation of customer-centered corporate culture with the focus on the rapid service delivery.
Potential Ways to Reduce Time
Lastly, it is essential to propose relevant to the solution to reduce the time, which is required for the efficient maintenance of the service without damaging customer satisfaction based on the theoretical explanation of the time consumption. In this instance, vehement attention has to be paid to the improvement of the capacity and quality of the operations (Slack, Chambers & Johnston 2010). The quality of the services determines the company’s success in the tourism and hospitality industry.
The Computerization and introduction of self-service technologies to ease the access to the existing services and minimize the costs and waiting time (Meuter et al. 2005). Nowadays, an extended number of the hotels utilize the self-service for check-in and check-out (Oh, Jeong & Baloglu 2013). In this instance, the clients do not have to wait in front of the reception desk to check-in. Moreover, this approach increases the maintenance of the rooms and assists and developing a sufficient flow of processes without damaging the customer’s satisfaction.
Another aspect is the maintenance of some rooms in reserve by introducing enough time between the checkout and the check-in of the next client. Nonetheless, it remains evident that the minimization of the cleaning time is the primary aim of all the hotels (Simon 2003). However, it is better to assure that the person has enough time for cleaning, as the outlook of the rooms affects the customer’s satisfaction of the hotel. In this instance, the relationship between back and front office can be measured by the KPI including the time, which is required for cleaning.
Furthermore, reducing stress levels is vital due to its influence on the organizational performance (Akgunduz 2015). In this case, the employees have to be provided with the free time, which will help them decrease the volumes of stress. In turn, it remains evident that building trusting relationships between different levels of subordination is essential, as employees do not tend to report to the management about experiencing high levels of pressure (Seager 2014).
An easy reporting system has to be introduced to increase the speed of the back-office operations, as they define the flow of the operations of the reception desk. Availability of the reporting system and access to the relevant information are essential attributes while maintaining the speed of the flow of the operations in the hotel. In this case, the introduction of the sufficient ERP system will contribute to the rapid response to the different levels of subordination due to the accessibility of the relevant information (Azevedo, Azevedo & Romao 2013).
Managing people is another essential approach for the maintenance of the business processes, as employees are the key drivers for the organizational success of the company (Hill & Hill 2012). In this case, the workforce of the hotel has to be highly trained, as training provides the workers with the required competencies to perform their duties with care. In this instance, paying attention to the training programs and seminars will increase the flow of the processes of the organization due to the ability of the employees to work as a team.
Establishment of the right corporate culture plays a significant role in the ability of the company to develop a sufficient flow of the business processes within the organization (Johnston & Clark 2012). One of the examples is the research of the Bahrain hotel, which implies that the corporate culture highly influences the organizational and financial performance (Doran, Haddad & Chow 2004). Nonetheless, the orientation towards the achievement of the organization while working as a complex mechanism should be one of the main values of the hotel.
Implementation of the elements of the lean production could be considered as one of the relevant approaches due to the rapid flow of processes and the absence of inventories (Womack, Jones & Roos 1990). In the context of the hotel, it can be explained as the ability of the departments to increase the speed of replacement each other by focusing on the quality at the same time. For example, the reception desk is informed as soon as the cleaning department completed its duties. This approach will minimize time, increase customer satisfaction, and generate additional income due to the expansion of the customer’s base.
The cultivation of the understanding that service is the key driver of the sufficient communication with the customer is essential for the development of the customer-driven operation strategy (Wilson 2008). In this instance, all employees of the hotel have to work as a team and aim at delivering only the high quality of the services to the final consumers. The customer has to be considered as the center of the relationship, and the employees have to pay attention to the customer’s feedback and encourage it.
In the end, it remains evident that the interactions between the business units define the flow of the business processes in the hotel. Maintaining the interactions between departments and cultivating customer-centered corporate culture are the essential attributes of the company’s success while establishing a relationship with the customers. In turn, the minimization of the complexity of the processes and reduction of the paperwork will contribute to the creation of the high quality of the services, which enhance the organizational performance. Nonetheless, these modifications have to be implemented simultaneously to reach the desired outcomes.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it could be said that the combination of the small processes defines the customer’s satisfaction determines customer satisfaction because the procedures inside the hotel define the flow of the business processes and determine the efficiency of the hotel. It remains evident that the customer satisfaction is the crucial driver of the success of the hotel. Consequently, paying attention to the quality and speed of the services is essential in the hospitality industry.
Nonetheless, the theoretical approach revealed that the functioning of the reception desk while performing the procedure of check-in is dependent on the availability of the rooms. In this instance, the room maintenance defines the speed of the delivery to the final service to the customer. Consequently, the significant time consumption occurs due to the inability of the front and back office to act simultaneously, as the actions of the front office are affected by the speed of the back office’s activities. Additionally, the time delivery might be increased due to the high volumes of stress and paperwork. Nonetheless, the aspects are the primary consequences of the back-front office configuration.
In the end, the quality of the services can by enhancing the relationship between front and back offices. In this case, the cultivation of the customer-centered corporate culture, computerization, introduction of self-service, principles of lean production, and low-stress levels are the primary attributes for the sufficient and efficient functioning of the hotel. Nonetheless, the introduction of these changes will help build a strong perception of the necessity of the high-quality service delivery and interdependence between the quality of interactions within the organization and the outcome.
Reference List
Akgunduz, Y 2015, ‘The influence of self-esteem and role stress on job performance in hotel businesses’, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 27, no. 6, pp. 1082-1099.
Anupindi, R, Chopra, S, Deshmukh, S, Mieghem, D & Zemel, E 2011, Managing business process flows: principles of operations management, Pearson Education, New York.
Azevedo, P, Azevedo, C & Romao, M 2013, ‘ERP systems in the hospitality industry: value creation and critical success factors’, Egitania Sciencia, vol. 13, pp. 211-218.
Barrows, C & Powers, T 2008, Introduction management in the hospitality industry: study guide, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken.
Blok, S, Meijboom, B & Broekhuis, M 2009, ‘Improving client-centered care and services: the role of front/back-office configurations’, Journal of Advanced Nursing, vol. 65, no. 5, pp. 971-980.
Doran, M, Haddad, S & Chow, C 2004, ‘The relationship between corporate culture and performance in Bahrain hotels: findings and management implications’, International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Administration, vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 65-80.
Fitzsimmons, J, Fitzsimmons, M & Bordoloi, S 2014, Service management: operations, strategy, information technology, McGraw-Hill Education, New York.
Hill, A & Hill, T 2012, Operations management, Palgrave MacMillan, New York.
Johnston, R & Clark, G 2012, Service operations management: improving service delivery, Prentice Hall, New York.
Meuter, M, Bitner, M, Ostrom, A & Brown, S 2005, ‘Choosing among alternative service delivery modes: an investigation of customer trial of self-service technologies’, Journal of Marketing, vol. 69, no. 2, pp. 61-83.
Oh, H, Jeong, M, & Baloglu, S 2013, ‘Tourists’ adoption of self-service technologies at resort hotels’, Journal of Business Research, vol. 66, no. 6, pp. 692-700.
O’Neill, J & Davis, K 2011, ‘Work stress and well-being in the hotel industry’, International Journal of Hospitality Management, vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 385-390.
Schemenner, R 2004, ‘Service business and productivity’, Decisions Sciences, vol. 35, no. 3, pp. 333-347.
High street travel agents have made a significant contribution to the development of the tourism business while the recently emerged online travel services are gaining more popularity. As a result, traditional agents of the United Kingdom face a challenge to stay competitive and preserve their positions on the travel market. This study critically evaluates the perspectives on the future of travel agency and provides recommendations for agents based on research findings. The research objectives of the study are to critically evaluate the condition of high street travel agents in the United Kingdom, reveal the most important strengths and weaknesses of traditional travel agents in the country, assess the factors that threaten the development of traditional travel agents, and provide some evidence-based suggestions about the further development of traditional travel agents in conditions of the competitive environment.
The sample included 325 participants who returned fully completed questionnaires. Data obtained through the survey underwent statistical analysis which included both descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics empowered the evaluation of the current condition of travel agents at the high street as well as in the online business platforms. Inferential statistics used such tools as the analysis of variance, Pearson’s correlation test, Chi-square test, and simple linear regression analysis. The complex of tools allowed assessing the nature and strength of relationships within, between, and among demographic data and travel behaviors of participants.
The research findings suggest paying attention to contemporary demographic trends. Thus, clients who use mobile applications and use online platforms in booking services are more likely to book a tour than the clients of physical offices. Another peculiarity is that the customers of high street travel agents prefer booking hotels while the users of online services book whole trips. These and other factors should be considered by travel agents to maintain their competitive ability and achieve sustainable development in the changing environment of the travel industry.
Introduction
High street travel agents have been a chief factor in the development of the tourism business. Kurubacak and Altinpulluk (2017) claim that these agents have been providing both tourists and business travelers with reliable and convenient access to hospitality and other related services. As the local and international tourism industry was growing, these agents were receiving significant benefits. Nevertheless, technological advancement led to the rise of online trade agents. Consequently, travelers received an opportunity to search and book the services they need at different travel websites without visiting offices of high street travel agents (Albarran 2017). This new possibility was particularly appreciated by young working adults who have busy schedules. For them, the online model of travel agency has more benefits than the traditional one. The new model allows finding and comparing offers of diverse online vendors and selecting the best products at the most attractive price. At the same time, the increasing popularity of online travel agencies becomes a serious threat to traditional travel agents (O’Doherty & Einsiedel 2013). This paper analyses the current position of travel agents in Great Britain and defines prospects for their future development.
The Aim of the Research
Emerging technologies in the field of communication became a serious threat to traditional high street travel agents. Traditional agents are at a high risk of being eliminated from the tourism industry. The reports by Barnhart and Peñaloza (2013) and by Albarran (2017) state that the majority of travelers throughout the world prefer to book online through their laptops and smartphones instead of visiting physical offices. Currently, it is already impossible to resist change in the travel business caused by the rapid development of online services (Nestor & Schutt, 2014). Therefore, high street agencies need to search for new ways of dealing with a changing environment to stay competitive in the market. This dissertation aims to provide a critical evaluation of perspectives on the future of traditional travel agencies and suggest development possibilities to assist in overcoming the challenges these agencies face.
The Rationale for the Study
According to Müller, Lundmark, and Lemelin (2013), high street travel agents have had a significant influence on the advancement of tourism in the United Kingdom. These agencies are big employers and ensure the preservation of integrity to attract clients and win their trust (Albarran 2017). Nevertheless, the market is characterized by the rapid change of forces due to emerging technologies. Both tourists and business travelers make their choice in favor of online booking instead of wasting time traveling to physical offices (Safko 2013). Moreover, online bookings allow comparing the prices of competitors, the quality of service, as well as the location of facilities to purchase. Consequently, many travelers have preferred online vendors to high street travel agents. The study will evaluate the effect of emerging trends on traditional travel agents and discover opportunities for preservation of their sustainability in the market.
General Motivation
This research is an attempt to find ways of helping high street travel agents in the United Kingdom in overcoming the challenges of the contemporary market. Kurubacak and Altinpulluk (2017) claim that the United Kingdom has experienced a slight decline in the number of international tourists due to its decision to leave the European Union. The paper explores actions that have the potential for helping high street travel agents preserve their competitive advantage in the market. The researcher believes that the promotion of tourism industry development is likely to stabilize the country’s economy and improve employment opportunities.
The Research Objectives
The following research objectives empower the achievement of the goal of this research:
To critically evaluate the current condition of high street travel agents in the United Kingdom.
To determine the strengths and weaknesses of traditional travel agents in the country.
To assess the major threats to their existence in the tourism industry.
To develop evidence-based suggestions on future developmental prospects.
Data from primary and secondary sources will be collected and analyzed. It will contribute to the accomplishment of these objectives. Secondary sources such as books, reports, and journal articles will provide background information. Primary data collected from research participants will enable the researcher to understand the current condition of the issue under consideration. Suggestions that will be developed at the end of the study will be grounded on information collected from both sources.
Conclusion
Travel agents are an integral component of the tourism business worldwide. High street travel agents made a significant contribution to the development of this business in the United Kingdom. Nevertheless, the technological progress of recent decades stimulated the evolution of diverse online services including travel websites. Both business travelers and tourists appreciated the benefits of online booking because it allows saving time and choosing among many suggestions. Therefore, the existence of traditional travel agencies is at risk and needs interventions to provide their competitive ability and empower further growth at the travel market of the United Kingdom. This research was arranged to assess the current condition of high street travel agents in the United Kingdom, determine the strengths and weaknesses of traditional travel agents in the country, assess the major threats to their existence in the tourism industry, and suggest evidence-based recommendations on future developmental prospects.
The review of the literature on the problem of travel agencies revealed the following facts. First of all, there is evidence that traditional brick-and-mortar travel agencies have been successfully functioning for decades. They provide their clients with a broad range of services including booking of hotels, car services, and other conveniences that clients need. However, this sustainable business was put at risk when a new business model emerged. This new approach was grounded on the use of information technology providing online access to travel services. It resulted in the transfer of some companies to the new model while others adopted a hybrid one that united physical offices and online services. Currently, travel agents are under the impact of the complex of factors such as political, economic, social, technological, ecologic, and legal. All of them determine the development of the travel market and have to be considered during the selection of tools that empower the sustainable development of traditional travel agents.
The travel industry in the United Kingdom faces certain threats to be addressed. The major threat is related to the rivalry among existing competitors. It is influenced by such factors as the threat of new entrants in the market, bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of buyers, and threat of substitute products or services. For traditional travel agents, the threats of new entrants and substitute products and services provided by agencies adopting the new online business model are of primary importance.
At the same time, both traditional and new models of the travel market have certain strengths and weaknesses. For example, trust among clients is a major strength of the brick-and-mortar model. Moreover, the models have their target audiences that partially overlap. Thus, older adults prefer the traditional model while young adults consider the new model to be more convenient due to saving time. The weaknesses of both models are determined by their peculiarities. For example, agencies that preserve the brick-and-mortar model face the need for substantial finances to enable their physical offices to function. One of the weaknesses of online travel agencies is a misunderstanding that appears due to the lack of live contact.
The theoretical background allowed the researcher to plan the study able to address the research objectives and follow its goal. Two approaches to data collection such as personal interviews and survey monkey tools empowered the collection of data necessary for analysis. The reliability of the study is provided by the type of analysis used. Thus, research applied both descriptive and inferential statistics for quantitative analysis. Data were collected from a sample of 325 participants, which adds to the validity of the study. The diversity of statistical tools such as the analysis of variance, Pearson’s correlation test, Chi-square test, and simple linear regression analysis reveal the nature and strength of relationships within, between, and among demographic data as well as travel behaviors of participants.
On the whole, the research findings prove that there are some differences in the functioning of both high street and online travel agents. For example, the study revealed that clients who use mobile applications for online platforms in booking services book tours or hotels more frequently than those who prefer high street travel agents. Also, clients of brick-and-mortar agencies prefer booking hotels while those who use online services are more likely to book whole trips, which is more profitable for agents. The analysis of booking experiences and travel behaviors leads to the conclusion that clients prefer online travel agents due to the comparatively low cost of their service, trustworthiness, convenience, and satisfactory level of the services provided.
Current research has both strengths and limitations. One of the strengths is a comprehensive analysis of the current literature on the problem of travel agents, which provides a reliable background for the study. Secondly, the choice of methods for data analysis can be considered a strength because a complex of statistical tools allows evaluating and identifying correlations and interdependencies among the variables. Finally, the sample size is also a benefit because it contributes to research reliability and validity. As for the weaknesses, they are as follows. First of all, the study is focused on clients of travel agents and does not include the opinion of agents themselves while their ideas can contribute to developing a more efficient business model. Secondly, many variables cannot be analyzed in detail within the limits of this study and thus distract attention.
The research findings can be applied to practice. For example, they can be used in developing instructions for high street travel agents that can stimulate their growth and help to preserve competitive ability. Further research can be focused on the practical implementation of theoretical knowledge obtained during this study through the development and application of change projects for some traditional travel agents.
Reference List
Albarran, A 2017, Management of electronic and digital media, 6th edn, Cengage, London.
Kurubacak, G & Altinpulluk, H 2017, Mobile technologies and augmented reality in open education, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Lemelin, R 2013, New issues in polar tourism: communities, environments, politics, Springer, Dordrecht.
Nestor, P & Schutt, R 2014, Research methods in psychology: investigating human behavior, SAGE Publications, New York, NY.
O’Doherty, K & Einsiedel, E 2013, Public engagement and emerging technologies, Wiley, Hoboken, NJ.
Safko, L 2013, The fusion marketing bible: fuse traditional media, social media, and digital media to maximise marketing, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY.
Sustainable tourism implies great social responsibility, the fulfilment of obligations in relation to nature Sustainability is not possible without active participation of local population – they should act as a driving force behind the management of tourism activities. Therefore, it requires massive volumes of investment and discipline in order to make tourism sustainable. Perceived costs have made people wonder whether or not it is feasible to achieve sustainability in mass tourism.
On the one hand, experts state that it is economically not possible to sustain tourism because of a lack of financial incentives. On the other hand, people claim the opposite – tourism can be sustainable and profitable at the same time, but rigorous work is required to accomplish this task. This paper will discuss three examples of sustainable tourism and explore whether or not mass tourism sustainability is achievable.
Why sustainability is important
In recent decades, the tourism sector has demonstrated that it can stimulate economic development and help create new jobs. Modern tourism is an important socio-economic sector, accounting for about 10% of world GDP and 7% of world trade. It also accounts for one of 10 jobs in the world. About 1.2 billion people annually travel and cross borders – because of this fact, tourism has become a means of intercultural dialogue, social integration, peace, reconciliation, and development. The UN Assembly declared 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. It included tourism to the list of 17 Sustainable Development Goals approved by leading countries of the world. At the same time, society is witnessing the industry’s diversification in terms of new directions and markets, the growing influence of new technologies, and a change in the structure of consumer needs. The desire for authenticity and unique experiences is among the ever-increasing motivations for travelling.
Because of the growing number of people that travel abroad and an increase in consumption, it has become necessary to consider attaining sustainable means of delivering tourism products. Without new methods and approaches, irreparable damage can be done to the environment and the biosphere. Instead of thinking of economic profit, countries should work on sustaining the environment to save the planet for future generations. However, individuals and companies always act in their self-interest and incentivizing the industry to consider sustainable approaches is becoming the most crucial topic. While the majority of the world is pondering how to accomplish this objective, however, some countries have successfully integrated the philosophy of sustainability into their tourism sectors. Among the notable examples are the islands of Belize, Norway and Bhutan.
Belize – an example of sustainability
Belize has doubled its commitment to tourism that protects the environment at all costs without offering massive and extensive services. With their meticulous offer of boutique hotels and the crystal-clear waters that every diver dreams of, the country is reducing waste and pollution. Belize’s Minister of Tourism Manuel Heredia unveiled a new campaign in Mexico City with an ambitious plan to promote the industry and attract Latin American and Mexican guests, due to their geographical proximity and cultural and historical similarities. Located on the Yucatan Peninsula, between Guatemala and Mexico, Belize, with a population of just 400,000 people, receives one and a half million tourists from cruise liners. Another 490,000 people come to Belize on their own, and most of them are from the United States, Europe and Canada. Heredia emphasised the significance of sustainability for the Belizean tourism sector.
The fact that the country is working toward sustainability can be evidenced by several factors. More than 65% of the island’s area and waters are protected areas. Also, in around 800 small boutique hotels, there are only 9000 rooms for living, and that all local restaurants belong to small entrepreneurs in the country. There are no international food companies such as McDonald’s and Burger King on the island, which may contribute to pollution and waste. Belize is demonstrating that sustainability can be reached if people will be satisfied with small profit margins and focus on serving a large population in small chunks. Therefore, the government does not allow the construction of large hotels.
Norway
This country also has made vital steps toward sustainability in tourism. Some regions show a little more concern for the environment than others. In Norway, they care about ecology, a unique culture, local way of life and the well-being of visitors. Norway’s strategy for sustainability is different than it is in Belize – instead of promoting a nation-wide campaign, the Norwegian government is focusing on its small regions in isolation. Therefore, different destinations may have varying levels of sustainability.
The certificate of environmentally sustainable destinations is the only Scandinavian certificate for travel destinations. Its goal is to support the development of initiatives and enterprises whose activities are related to ecology, concern for the local customs, cultural heritage and economy of the region. Although this certificate does not mean that the area is 100% environmentally friendly, it indicates that the region has already started its path to achieve this goal. Destinations are evaluated every three years and are given recommendations if shortcomings are discovered.
Like Belize, Norway is not concentrating on providing massive services. Their perception of sustainability is limited to offering products aimed at smaller audiences. The Minister of Labour and Social Inclusion, Roe Isaksen, confirmed that Norway is not leaning toward scalability and large profits. Instead, the country will achieve its sustainability goals by limiting the number of visitors.
As stated by many of the local guides, one of the primary issues is the tourists’ lack of knowledge of regional environmental characteristics. It is safe to assume that Norway will be willing to accept only those tourists that are prepared for such an environment. Necessary knowledge may include information on how to preserve local fauna and ecosystem. Local guides are instructed to inform tourists about implications regarding a region’s sustainability strategy.
Bhutan
Bhutan is one of the notable examples of sustainability in tourism. Untouched by colonialism, the country had the opportunity to keep local customs safe from external impact. This situation allowed the country to develop the tourism industry using the principles of sustainability. Despite being open to foreigners, the government is aware that tourists can influence the unique and almost untouched landscapes of Bhutan and its culture. Therefore, it has limited tourist activity from the beginning, preferring top-quality tourism.
Since 1991, the Bhutan Tourism Corporation has been operating as a quasi-autonomous and self-financing organization that implements the government’s tourism policy. The Bhutanese government, however, privatized the corporation in October 1991, promoting private investment and operations. As a result, in 2000, there were already more than 75 licensed travel companies in the country. Each tourist must pay a high fee for each day of stay in the country.
The number of tourists entering the country is not limited and is determined by the number of places in hotels. However, the daily visitor tariff ensures that only a qualified audience enters the state. The collected money is then used to invest in the modernization of the tourism facilities so that they meet contemporary requirements for sustainability. Much of the infrastructure, education and healthcare is financed from the funds attained from incoming tourists.
Like Norway and Belize, Bhutan is aiming toward sustainable but limited tourism. However, the government’s method is different from the strategies proposed by Norway and Belize. Because the current quantitative evidence is insufficient, it is not yet possible whether or not such measures are contributing to sustainability. However, preliminary analysis and visitor reviews suggest that Bhutan is moving toward in the correct direction.
What can be learned from these cases
Belize, Norway, and Bhutan are proving that sustainable tourism is a feasible objective. However, there are also significant implications to consider, and each of these countries is providing their examples. Belize is not aiming at providing a wide range of tourist products. The country is concentrating on preserving its environment by limiting the diversification of the product portfolio. Food and beverage services and accommodation are delegated to small local companies. This approach is allowing the country to eliminate the presence of large organizations which may contribute to waste and pollution.
Norway has a different approach – it is going toward compliance and readiness. The country’s goal is to allow each region to have its own strategy and provide certificates to those who demonstrated compliance. This method may increase competitiveness between regions and improve the overall quality of tourist services while ensuring sustainability. Currently, there are differences between sustainability levels of varying regions. It can be expected that all areas of the country will achieve their objectives in the coming years, however.
Bhutan is aiming at providing high-quality tourism with a negligible impact on the environment by imposing tariffs. This approach limits the number of people visiting the country while still generating sufficient amount of profit. All three countries believe that only by limiting the number of tourists, it is possible to sustain tourism activities. These cases raise several questions, including whether or not it is possible to make massive tourism sustainable.
According to the provided examples, however, massiveness contradicts to sustainability. Instead of being self-indulgent and pursuing economic prosperity, tourism companies should become more responsible. It is reasonable to conclude that despite the overall increase in revenues, tourism may become a privilege of only those who can afford it.
Conclusion
This paper provided several examples of how sustainable tourism is being implemented around the world. It is too early to discuss the environmental impact of these initiatives. In summary, sustainable tourism is only possible when the number of tourists is controlled and constrained.
Despite differing approaches, Belize, Norway and Bhutan are ultimately aiming toward limiting the number of incoming tourists. Local companies, to compensate for the difference, may raise prices, which will impact the travelling potential of the majority of the population. In other words, sustainable tourism may become a luxury product for a minority that can pay for it.
Reference List
Chow, M. J. T., Tourism in Belize: Ensuring Sustained Growth, Washington, International Monetary Fund, 2019.
Edgell, D., Managing Sustainable Tourism: A Legacy for the Future, New York, Routledge, 2020.
Hall, C. M., and Allan M. W., Tourism and Innovation, New York, Routledge, 2020.
Hall, C. M., and Stephen J. P. (eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Tourism in Asia, New York, Routledge, 2017.
Lyngnes, S., and Prebensen, N., ‘Sustainable Mountain Tourism in Norway’, CAUTHE 2020: New Perspectives on the Diversity of Hospitality, Tourism and Events, Auckland, New Zealand, University of Technology, pp. 522-524.
Mathou, T., ‘Bhutan in 2016: A New Era Is Born’, Asian Survey, vol. 57, no. 1, 2017, pp. 56-59.
Tourism is considered as an important source of revenue of UK. Sport and sporting events play a major role in the development of UK economy, especially of tourism industry. Economic gain from sports tourism in UK amounts $ 1.5 billion per year. In the marketing of sports tourism relevant steps are taken by the government and it contributes much to the development of sports tourism in the country. Tour operators’ associations are interested in sports tourism. They offer attractive packages to the foreigners for watching sports events and visiting important sports centres in the country. Tourism information centres inform visitors about sports events. (Section 15: Tourism and Sporting Events. 2005).
Tourism industry and Economy
UK is a country which ispassionate enough in drawing people towards more sports events so as to allow their athletes to get encouragement from others. UK has been the stage for more than 80 world cup, European and common wealth championships and this forms the basis for the setting up of a new sports tour operator in UK. It is also a perfect destination for low budget longer tours and in-season sports tour. A wide range of sports events are being conducted in England, which include rugby, hockey, cricket, football and other sports events. In the year 2012, London will become the destination of the Olympic Games. So there is an increased need for setting up of a sports tour operator in London.
Industry and Economy Analysis
Sports tourism development in the country provides greater opportunity for business firms. The specific destination selected for the proposed business is London. It is an important sport destination in UK characterized by hosting of major international sports events. After all, it is the proposed venue for 2012 Olympics. Thus this location provides better opportunity to the new business. London is also a venue of various water sports activities. Boating, diving, sailing, surfing, and yachting are prominent activities. Canoeing, waterskiing and wind surfing are popular games attracting many sports tourists. Along with this, training facilities are also available in London. These are capable of attracting sports tourists to the location thereby contributing to the development of sports tourism in the region. (London Water Sports, 1997).
Tourism and hospitality sectors are highly developed in London. These sectors provide a significant portion of income to the London economy. They also support development in other sectors of the economy such as catering industry, accommodation, conference and exhibition venues, travel and tourism services, retailing, restaurants and leisure facilities. The job opportunities created by the tourism industry is over 275,000 and it is around 8% of London’s total employment. It is estimated that tourism industry is growing rapidly by an average of 3.4 % annual increase. The rapidly increasing tourism provides opportunities for both large scale and small scale profitable investment in the region. UK is the destination of major international sports events. Of them tennis at Wimbledon, cricket at Lord’s and the Oval, and rugby football at Twickenham are the major sporting events hosted by UK every year. These events are considered as a major source of revenue for the UK economy. (London: The Mayor’s Plan for Tourism in London. 2002).
There are many elements that motivate starting of sports tourism business in London. The main concentration is on the Korean people since they are more interested in sports and other leisurely activities. They are sports enthusiastic and have always enjoyed variety of sporting activities and games. They have a significant economic growth in the recent years and because of that the Koreans are finding increased spare time to involve in sports. At the national and the international levels also Korea has performed better in all sports events. Taking into concern the size and population of Korea and its performance in the international sports competition, its performance has been excellent. This shows their interest in the sports and competitions. It is the first Asian nation to succeed for the FIFA World Cup for seven times. They are excellent performers in sports like baseball, golf, archery, shooting, table tennis, ski jump, swimming etc. (Overview. 2008).
UK is a country who is conducting many sports events every year and naturally Koreans, as they are passionate towards sports, are attracted towards it. So there is an increased need for setting up of sports tourist operators so as to help the sports tourists who are visiting UK. The main sports activities of UK include athletics, basket ball, cricket, football, netball, tennis, cricket, golf, swimming etc. Since the sports events of both the countries are same, there is an increased attraction of the Koreans towards UK. So the sports tour operators in UK are providing increased facilities to the tourists mainly from Korea so as to attract them and the income earned can be used for the development of their economy and also for the facilitation of more sports events. (Sports Tourism to the UK).
Sports tourism has been recognized as an important means to create economic development through the development of tourism and advancement of the service sector. Even though the plan for setting up a sports tour operating business is for short term events, the costs are for longer period of time.
Planning is needed at various levels. The main planning process involves facility development, infrastructure development, event planning and marketing. It also involves planning at various levels for local and international site plans.
The sports tour operator offers a wide range of services like transport, accommodation and ancillary services. They also act as wholesaler and middlemen and also are the providers of many domestic, inbound and outbound services. Their main function includes carrying out the market research so as to identify the major sports event that is happening in the country and also to check whether that sport event is of interest to the targeted country (Korea). They have to contact the service providers and fix the cost of package of each of the functions like accommodation, food, transport and other ancillary services. The package has to be fixed separately and has to be marketed. The holidays should be properly administered and operated from UK. Overseas staffs also can be employed for this and also to offer post holiday customer care.
The sports tour operator should always keep a healthy relationship with the transport, accommodation, travel agents and other ancillary services sector. The impacts of the horizontal and vertical integration have to be checked and also they should be integrated along with the trade organizations like the federation of tour operators, association of independent tour operators and association of British travel agents.
They have to enter into different types of contracts with various organizations. Contracts have to be signed with the airlines, which include time series contract, part series contract, ad hoc contract etc. Accommodation contracts are also made with the hotels like commitment contract, allocation contract and ad-hoc contract. There are many other contracts with many other suppliers like car hire services, transfer companies, ground handlers and excursion providers.
The major products of the sports tour include package holidays, tailor made holidays and other ancillary services, which should be sold using methods like supplying brochures showing the facilities and the services available, through retail travel agents, direct selling through call centres and through internet. Global distribution system and view data can also be used for selling the sports tour product. There are many external factors that should be considered in the sports tour operations. The main factors include exchange rates, value of the Euro, the existing interest rates prevailing in the market, changes in the legislation related to the taxes, package holidays directives etc. The price of oil, natural disasters, and outbreaks of diseases, terrorist activities, war and other political changes will affect the sports tour operations. (Unit 16: The UK Tour Operating Sector (Level 3)).
Some of the major competitors in the sports tourism industry include Burleight travels, which conduct hockey tours, cricket tours, rugby tours, net ball tours, foot ball and multi sports tour. Sport options is another major competitor which manages tour to the best British football club games in the European competition and all English and the Scottish National football games. They also arrange trips to the major motor racing events. (UK Tour Operators Online).
Market research is an important technique that has to be adopted by the tour operator while conducting study regarding the sports tour operation business. While analyzing the market, demand for the sport tourism in UK has to be studied in detail. For that the market segmentation is done based on the various demand groups. One of the major demand groups is the top performance athletes from different countries. They look forward to those sports tourist operators who provide more access for training conditions and also for the competition. This group should be given more priority and consideration. They should be also given access to physicians, injury rehabilitation services and other performance related services. Another demand group is mass sports group, who mainly aims at preserving health and maintaining fitness. The convenience of the holiday regions and the quality of the sports facilities are the main consideration of this group. Another group is occasional sportsmen and women, who give less importance to sports but are more concerned about the recreational activities and also cultural sight seeing. Passive sports tourists are another group whose focal point lies in mega sports events and visiting famous sports sites. They mainly include coaches, attendants of the athletes, and media reporters. Sport tourism market is segmented based on the geographic area. Depending on the socio-economic characteristics of the target market, that is, based on the occupation and income of the people of the particular target market, the business has to be developed. Demographic conditions of the target market is also an important consideration for the development of the sports tourism market, since age of the people is a major factor that affects the markets. Young people are more interested in the sports than the married and the old people. So more concentration should be given to attract the young people of Korea to participate as well as to visit the sports events in UK. Based on the results of such market analysis, the sport tourism business can be developed so that it functions effectively and efficiently targeting the specific market segments. (Hinch and Higham, 2003, p.43).
There are number of sports tourism resources, which include the resources in the local, national and international market. The resources available for a particular sport will depend upon the sporting research, participants, nature and characteristics of the tourists who are visiting the country. There are many other important elements that should be taken into consideration, like the accommodation, transport facilities, tourist information services and other ancillary services that are offered to the tourists during their visit. Institutional arrangement forms an important resource for the sports tourism. Along with that the human and financial resources also add to the success of the national and the international sports events that are held. (Higham, 2005, p.20).
The main data sources include the Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO), British Incoming Tour Operators Association (BITOA), which helps in the packaging and promotion of every sporting event. Its members have a wide access to all tourism products including the hotels, transportation and other ancillary services. The association also helps in accessing better rates for all tour related services. Tourist Information Centres which are located throughout UK also offer many services including ticketing services for the events. The British sports tourism department also helps in enquiries about the sports events. There are national and regional tourist boards which conduct campaigns and also exhibitions for raising the profile of events with the help of tourist board. Along with this the financial report of firms in the UK sports tourism industry is also analyzed for finding the industry growth rate. In order to find out the location advantages of London as a sports tourism destination, related sites like British tourist authorities official web site, BTA web site etc are also used. (Section 15: Tourism and Sporting Events. 2005).
HINCH, Thomas., and HIGHAM, James E S. (2003). Sports Tourism Markets. [online]. Sports Tourism Development. 43. Web.
London Water Sports: London-Boating, Canoeing, Diving, Sailing, Surfing, Yachting, Charter, RYA Courses etc. (1997). [online]. Tourist Net UK: UK Holidays at Your Fingertips.
London: The Mayor’s Plan for Tourism in London. (2002). [online]. London Development Agency.
Overview. (2008). [online]. Korea.net: Gateway to Korea.
Section 15: Tourism and Sporting Events. (2005). [online]. UK Sport.
Sports Tourism to the UK. [online].
UK Tour Operators Online. [online]. Britain Express.
Unit 16: The UK Tour Operating Sector (Level 3). [online]. OCR Level3 Nationals in Travel and Tourism.
Traveling is a perfect opportunity to learn the unique character, history, and culture of different countries and cities. Prague provides the ideal opportunity to make the traveling experience memorable. Visiting the heart of Europe will allow the traveler to learn more about the Czech culture and traditions and admire the astonishing architecture and city planning. Prague is famous for its unique architecture preserving the features of the different styles of buildings.
The essential factor making Prague a unique city is its architecture. The castles and churches which can be found in Prague have a magnificent designs. Rooting in the Gothic and Barocco styles, the buildings in this city stand out by the colors, material, and decorations used while creating these masterpieces of architectural art. The most exciting fact about Prague is that the traveler can find there all the existing architectural styles, from Gothic to Modern (Rahate, 2020). Such buildings as the Rotunda of St. Martin, the Church of Our Lady, and Wallenstein Palace will leave every visit a memorable and lasting impression. These gorgeous constructions are full of mysteries, like an ancient fairytale book with magnificent pictures. Prague also has much interesting sightseeing to offer for people who tend to the more contemporary building design. Compared to the other styles, the number of installations of modernism in this city is considerably small. One of the examples is the Dancing House, architectured by Frank Gehry, which is an impressive construction. This building is like the golden ratio is perfect but strives to surpass the physical laws.
Therefore, Prague is a city worth visiting because of its splendid architecture. The uniqueness of the town is in the combination of ancient and contemporary architecture styles. Such a mixture of themes in building tradition makes visiting Prague a memorable and satisfying traveling experience. This city is diverse and has a lot of various sightseeing for different architectural tastes. It is also essential to mention that visiting Prague has various advantages besides the architecture and sightseeing.
Reference
Rahate, O. (2020). Architectural styles that can be seen in Prague. Web.
The Maldives is an independent republic located in the south western part of the Asian continent near the Indian Ocean. It is made up of scattered islands that cover an area of 298km over the Indian Ocean. It was formed by volcanic eruptions that occurred million of years ago that left behind coral reefs. The result of the subsiding volcanic cones resulted in the Maldives having 1190 low-lying coral islands and 26 coral atolls.
The islands experience climatic conditions that are hot and humid with sea temperatures averaging between 26 to 31 degrees Celsius (Boniface and Cooper 2009). The Maldives economy is based on fishing and tourism which when combined account for about 30% of the Gross Domestic Product. These two industries are also the major source of earnings for foreign exchange and government revenue. The tourism industry in the Maldives accounts for approximately 20% of Gross Domestic Product (Hall and Page 2000).
The climatic conditions are known to be tropical in nature with the annual mean temperature estimated at 28 degrees Celsius. The island experiences two monsoon seasons between May and November with the rest of the year experiencing sunny conditions. Such weather is conducive to support the tourism sector.
The population was estimated to be around 263,189 with a growth rate of 2.9% in 1997. This population has been spread over the 200 islands with the most populous island being Male with an approximated population of 65,000 people. Male is viewed to be the centre of the Maldives business and economic activities (Hall and Page, 2000).
Honeymoon in the Maldives
The Maldives island attractions and perfect weather offer honeymooners a perfect gateway for their honeymoon vacation. 74 out of the 200 islands have been developed into tourist resorts with the remainder of the islands remaining uninhabited Couples who visit the various islands can be assured of having adventure, privacy and exclusivity because of the few visitors that are allowed per island; they can also be assured of never ending sunshine for the whole day that is good for sunbathing and surfing in the ocean.
The resorts have a wide variety of water activities that will keep the couple entertained and busy during the course of their honeymoon. There are also over water bungalows in some of the resorts such as the Hilton which provide the couples with a good view of the coral atolls and marine life below their bungalows (Maldives Ministry of Tourism, 1998).
Honeymooners going to the islands will have good holiday packages such as a bottle of champagne, fruit baskets and flowers sprinkled on the beds in their rooms. The resorts in the islands that offer romantic settings with secluded gardens and beaches are the Four Seasons, Banyan Tree, Soneva Gili, Taj Exotica and the Taj Exotica. The Hilton resort offers honeymooners with over water rooms and bungalows. The resorts offer romantic rooms with king size bedrooms that mostly have natural finishing’s with soft lighting and draped walls; the rooms also offer couples on honeymoon with outdoor bathrooms and spas. The less costly resorts such as the Baros, Reethi Beach Resort and the White Sands offer great rooms with exclusivity and privacy but they do not offer spa treatments or outdoor bathrooms.
Seychelles
The Republic of Seychelles is made up of 115 coralline and granite islands that cover an area of 455km. According to Seychelles Tourism Board (2010) “41 out of the 115 islands represent the oldest mid-oceanic granite islands in the whole world while the other 74 islands form a low lying reef and coralline atolls”.
The republic of Seychelles also has an exclusive economic zone of 1.4 million km in the western part of the Indian Ocean which also represents an archipelago that is south of the equator that extends from 4 to 10 degrees and that lies between 480km to 1,600km from the eastern coast of Africa (Seychelles Tourism Board 2010).
The 115 islands found in the Republic of Seychelles are categorized into two distinct groups. The first group which contains the tall granite inner islands clusters within the shallow part of the plateau, 4 degrees south of the equator while the second group made of the low lying reef and coralline islands are found lying 10 degrees south of the equator beyond the Seychelles plateau.
The outer islands are divided into five groups which are the Southern Coral Group, the Amirantes, Alphonse group, the Farquhar and the Aldabra Group. The Seychelles has climatic conditions that are tropically warm. Temperatures range between 24 to 32 degrees Celsius without any extremes with the months of March and October being the most humid. The rainy season occurs during January and February with the dry season being experienced in May and September (Seychelles Tourism Board 2010).
Honeymoon in Seychelles
The Seychelles islands offers couples who are on their honeymoon a perfect balance of land and water activities. The close proximity of the islands allows visitors to island hop allowing them to explore what the different islands have to offer. There are also ecotourism activities that allow island visitors to see exotic plant species and coral reefs in the island. There are exclusive private islands especially for those couples who need their privacy during their honeymoon (STB, 2010).
The islands of Seychelles are viewed to be the most authentic islands in the whole of the Indian Ocean because of their unspoiled beautiful beaches and the clear turquoise waters near the beaches. Such attractions are suitable for honeymooners who are on a romantic gateway. The northern part of the island of Mahe has beautiful scenic views for the honeymooners as well as scenic beaches and shores. The Anse Intendance and Takamaka offer couples a seclusion and privacy when lying on the beach.
A resort that offers couples perfect honeymoon packages is the Le Meridien Fisherman’s Cove which is located at the top of the Beau Vallon Beach. The resort offers couples an experience of adventure in the form of attractive nature walks that allow the visitors to view exotic flora and fauna as well as marine life. Each of the seventy rooms in the resort contains a private balcony that allows the couples to view sunsets in a romantic setting (STB, 2010).
The Cocoloba Lounge also offers beautiful scenic views for the couples most interested in nature and the Ocean. The Hotel Acajou is another resort that offers privacy and seclusion for couples on a honeymoon vacation. The hotel has only twenty eight rooms which makes it a good place for couples wishing to interact with fewer people.La Digue boasts of having beautiful unspoiled islands with one of the most beautiful and photographed beaches in the world, Anse Source D’Argent at its centre.
Other memorable beaches that offer a conducive environment for honeymooning are the Anse Banane, Fourmis and Anse Gaulettes in the eastern part of La Digue. One of the best places for a honeymoon gateway is Le Domaine de L’Orangeraie which boasts of having ten romantic bungalows designed in a zen-like setting. The rooms offer private terraces and private outdoors bathrooms for those couples that want to be one with nature (STB, 2010).
Extent to which the Maldives and Seychelles are Developed or Less Developed Tourism Destinations
Tourism is viewed by many developing countries that are poor in resources as an important economic stimulus. In the smaller less developed countries with a limited number of resources, the tourism industry has become the major source of economic revenue for these countries.
Both the Maldives and Seychelles fall into the category of less developed countries because their economies rely heavily on the tourism industry as well as the foreign exchange market for their economic development activities. The other industries in these island countries which are fishing and agriculture do not yield as much to place them in the category of developed tourism destinations (Sharpley and Telfer 2002).
With relation to the Maldives, Brown et al (1997) state that the less developed country is using dispersal techniques to overcome the adverse impacts of tourism. Such tactics have however not contributed in any way to sustaining and maintaining the Maldives’ tourism revenues.
The authors continue to note that the Maldives tourism industry was developed to suite the small island environment while at the same time ensuring there was no environmental degradation or negative socio-cultural impacts. This focus on small scale tourism ensured the island created a substantial amount of economic benefits for the islands inhabitants (STB 2010).
The tourism industry in Seychelles is focused mainly on natural attractions such as the white sandy beaches, the conducive weather and climate and the surrounding Indian Ocean. The island derives its economic resources from these natural aspects by centering its tourism activities on them.
There is therefore a big dependence on tourism in this less developed country when compared to the industrialized countries. The other industries in Seychelles which are agriculture and fishing do not earn as much for the island but these activities have provided a constant source of income for the inhabitants of the inner and outer islands who have been unable to gain any useful employment in the hotels, resorts or restaurants (Sharpley and Telfer 2002).
Evaluation of the significance of Domestic, Outbound and Inbound Tourism
Domestic tourism involves activities that are mostly focused on the resident visitor within the host country while inbound tourism deals with tourism activities of a non-resident visitor in the host country. Outbound tourism entails the activities of a resident visitor outside the host country. To determine the number of outbound, inbound and domestic tourists, the flow of visitors into the country will be used as the proper measurement.
Europe being the leading tourist market of the Seychelles saw an inbound number of tourists between 1979 and 1984 amounting to 62.6 percent of all tourists. The highest number of European holidaymakers came from France followed by Western Germany and Britain. The introduction of the Madrid-Mahe air route saw an increase in the number of Spanish tourists in 1995.
African visitors accounted for 25percent of all the inbound tourists. Australia and Singapore exhibited the least number of inbound tourists. The Seychelles has experienced fluctuations over the years in the number of tourists arriving into the island a situation that has gone hand in hand with marketing campaigns (Ghosh et al. 2003).
Outbound and domestic tourism in Seychelles has been low given the developing nature of the islands inhabitants. Most locals are unable to afford the high resort rates both locally and internationally. They mostly end up visiting the conservancy locations established by the government such as nature walks and botanical gardens.
The recent economic recession also made it difficult for locals to practice domestic or outbound tourism. This is the same situation for the domestic tourism industry in the Maldives as well as the outbound tourism sector. Inbound tourism in the Maldives saw most of the tourists coming from the European continent. 1997 statistics from the Ministry of Tourism showed that 74.7 percent of the visitors to Maldives were from Europe.
The Asian continent was second with a percentage of 20 percent of all tourist arrivals to the Maldivian islands. Africa and America (North and South) accounted for the least number of inbound tourists with the approximate percentages given being 2.2 for Africa and 1.7 for the Americas (Hall and Page 2000).
Government’s commitment to Tourism in Seychelles and the Mandives
Tourism in both destinations largely depends on the environment. The government of Seychelles has been seen to be very committed to tourism an activity which is evidenced by conservation efforts that will ensure the coralline atolls and reef islands do not face any environmental degradation.
At some point government approved activities that were seen to be harmful to the environment were abandoned in favor of preservation efforts that would see the coral and reef islands under protection areas. Other government efforts have seen the allocation of the limited areas in the islands to be national parks and conservation reserves (Gossling 2003).
During the first decade of tourism development activities in the Seychelles Island, development activities were mostly based on private sector initiatives in the islands that offered more accessibility to international visitors.
The government initiative to construct the international airport in Mahe ensured that the island was able to achieve an increase in the number visitors to the airport and hotels. Also, the introduction of Air Seychelles through an aggressive marketing campaign ensured that the dominance of European airlines was diminished (Ghosh et al. 2003).
Policies and planning for the tourism industry in the Maldives was also based on private sector initiatives such as the Hulhule Airport. This informal development was able to generate 3,500 bed spaces in the resorts that were of an international standard. The development also saw the bed occupancy grow to 80 percent during the peak tourism seasons.
The future development of the Maldives tourism industry came with the commissioning of Dangroup International by the Department of Tourism and Foreign Investment to implement the Maldives Tourism Development Plan. The plan was a long range plan of ten years that would be used to develop the tourism industry (Sawkar et al. 1998).
The ten year plan would see the creation of 10,000 additional beds with 3,000 of these beds being in use within the second year of development. The plan also involved harmonizing tourism in the island with the other economic activities while at the same time ensuring the benefits of the geographic spread of tourism have been achieved.
To date however, most of the tourism development policies and planning activities have been as a result of government activities. According to Sawkar et al (1998) most of the approaches used by the government have been changed to determine which tourism developments are most suitable for the present environments.
The tourism activities in the Maldives have been designed by the government in a way that will ensure the marine environment within the island is not threatened.
To ensure marine ecosystems and the coral reef are kept safe, the government in Maldives has created marine reserves and implemented codes of conduct for tourism activities that will see tourists to the island observing the conservation activities of marine life and the coral reef (Boniface and Cooper 2009).
Most of the Maldivian islands are too small to accommodate both the resorts and traditional homesteads. The government policy has seen the location of resorts in uninhabited islands to reduce socio-cultural impacts on the local residences (Sakwar et al. 1998).
Economic, Socio-cultural and Environmental Impacts of Tourism
Maldives
The main focus of tourism development in the Maldives has been on enclave tourism meaning that each of the 74 resorts in the islands are an autonomous unit that caters for their own power supply, water and sewerage services as well as garbage disposal. The resorts which vary in size from 6 to 150 rooms are established on separate islands and they are fully self-contained.
The only people who live on the islands are the staff and guests only which has ensured that the negative impacts of tourism such as the degradation of the coral reef is minimized.
The small population in the islands also ensures that the local cultures, traditions and lifestyles can be sustained without any foreign influences or pressure from the westernized world. To ensure there are no negative environmental impacts of tourism, a careful balance has been used in the geographical and population density when allocating the islands for tourism development (Hall and Page 2000).
To limit the amount of environmental degradation in the islands, the government in the Maldives decided to establish the National Council for Environment Protection in 1984. The government also took part in activities that would help sustain the natural integrity of the islands environment by introducing rules and regulations that would be used by people developing resorts and hotels in the islands to ensure they exercise conservation activities.
The government also formulated guidelines that would highlight the carrying capacity of these resorts so as to limit the number of tourists or guests below the defined environmental thresholds. They set the standard guideline that would see only 68% of the beach length being utilized for guest bedrooms, 20% being allocated for public use while 12% being left as an open space (Hall and Page 2000).
Seychelles
The republic has committed itself to conservation activities that are meant to preserve the reefs and the coral islands. These activities have seen half of the surfaces on the islands under conservation and protected areas. Despite these efforts there has been some degradation of the environment in some of the islands.
There are several legally implemented marine parks which have remained unmanaged because of the lack of financial funding and qualified staff. Few hotels in the islands have taken steps to cut down on the natural resources such as fresh water and have incorporated environmentally friendly waste and sewerage disposal treatment facilities (Gossling 2003).
The amount of water used in the tourism sector of Mahe was 10 percent while tourism in Praslin used 30 percent of the natural freshwater. La Digue had a tourism water usage that amounted to 25 percent of the islands water resources. The government has found itself faced with the task of solving the diminishing water resources by constructing energy-intensive desalination plants on all the three islands. These plants are meant to increase the greenhouse emission gases (Gossling 2003).
There has been a notable increase in the noise and sound levels in the three islands which has been attributed to the continued increase of visitors over the years. Food consumption such as marine wildlife has also increased which creates a situation for the extinction of fish or crab species.
Souvenirs have also been produced from this marine wildlife such as shark jaws, corals and shells from sea turtles. The government has enacted legislations to ensure that hunting of these species is prohibited. This will be in line with conservation efforts put in place.
Tourism has impacted the economy of Seychelles with an estimated amount of 21 percent of revenues from this industry going into the GDP. The industry has also catered for the economic development of the tourism destination providing employment and revenues. There has also been an increase in the foreign exchange activities which can be attributed by the international market that recognizes Seychelles as a major tourist destination.
The increased number of visitors has also seen the construction of new hotels and resorts which will be able to accommodate more tourists (Sharpley and Telfer 2002). The number of island inhabitants who were employed in the hotels in 1994 was 4,726 which accounted for 18 percent of the total formal employment in the three main islands. This figure continued to increase over the years as the number of visitors continued to grow.
The high numbers of visitors also meant that expansion activities had to take place to accommodate these large numbers which in turn saw more local people gaining employment in the hotels.
This impacted on the socio cultural environment within the island in terms of improving the living standards of the islands inhabitants and their families. Sharpley and Tefler (2002) noted that there was a notable improvement in the healthcare facilities of the island that saw a decline in mortality rates and better social amenities such as improved water supply and sewerage disposal facilities.
Challenges and Future Prospects
There is still room for diversification and improvement in the Maldives. Notable progress has been made especially with the resorts now having a wider range of sporting and recreational activities. Excursions have also been organized for tourists to visit the other islands in the Maldives.
There has also been a notable increase in the number of cruise ships that have visited the islands. According to the Maldives Ministry of Tourism, the number of floating beds had increased dramatically from 1993 up to 1998. More however needs to be done to develop the cultural and historical aspects of the island (Maldives Ministry of Tourism 1998).
There are a number of projects that are in place to develop both the public and private sectors of the island. Fourteen islands have been identified for development with 61 resorts being renovated and upgraded. In the public sector, a waste management project is being designed and developed. There is also a program for Tourism and Human Resource development which is a joint collaboration between the European Union and seven Asian countries (Maldives Ministry of Tourism 1998).
While the islands have experienced a rapid growth in the number of tourists in the past, more needs to be done to continue to increase this number. More investments will need to be pumped into the resorts to increase the bed capacity. The government should also develop policies that will be able to attract foreign and donor investment. This will ensure resort developments in the island have enough financial funding to increase bed capacity as well as higher skilled labor to develop the resorts (Hall and Page, 2000).
While the tourism industry in Seychelles is experiencing an upward growth trend, the government has identified areas that need additional funding such as environmental conservation efforts and the establishment of new structures in the various islands. The government has developed structures such as hotels benefiting from accelerated depreciation allowances to enable them stay in business.
Other strategies are profits made by hotels being taxed by 35 percent to ensure there is equitable revenue collection which will fund the government’s activities adequately. Foreign investors wishing to invest in Seychelles can be able to access soft loans from the Seychelles Development Bank with the amount of capital transferred abroad being done at the normal interest and exchange rates (Ghosh et al. 2003).
Seychelles experiences a shortage of foreign exchange which has proved to be serious challenge for most of the operational enterprises in the three islands. Because the tourism industry accounts for close to 60 percent of foreign exchange earnings, the government has decided to focus on investments in the five and six star hotels by offering donors investment incentives.
These hotels however require imported raw materials, machinery and equipment for them to meet the five or six star hotel rating. Importing these tools will require the use of foreign exchange in the amount of 80 to 90 percent of the government revenue. While the impact of tourism impacts the domestic economy directly in a small way, income and tax are basically supported by the foreign exchange that is derived from the industry (Ghosh et al. 2003).
To deal with such a challenge, the government is challenged to remove exchange controls that will eliminate barriers that hinder investment and financial support from the international community. With a competitive exchange rate and the ability to access imports through foreign exchange, Seychelles can be able to attract financial support while ate the same time exercising diversification in its tourist activities.
The recent recession saw the delay of some projects in the islands because of problems with external debt payments which impacted on project financing. This situation underscored the importance of moving ahead with the restructuring agreement of negotiated debts. However, most of the projects that involved construction of hotels by tourism groups and large airlines were moving ahead because of the financial support from these groups of investors.
The tourism sector has also placed a constraint on the energy, water and sanitation resources of the three islands. The government of Seychelles to deal with such challenges has put pressure on investors of big hotels to take care of their own sanitation needs. This has seen hotel projects in the Outer Islands having additional funding for infrastructure from investors to support the energy, water and sewerage operations of the hotel as well as contribute to the Seychelles Environmental Preservation Fund (Ghosh et al. 2003).
References
Boniface, B.G., and Cooper, C. (2009) Worldwide destinations casebook: The Geography of travel and tourism. 2nd Edition. Oxford, UK: Butterworth and Heinemann
Brown, K., Turner, R.K., Hameed, H., and Bateman, I., (1997) Environmental carrying capacity and tourism development in the Maldives and Nepal. Environmental Conservation Journal, Vol.24, No.4, pp. 316-325
Ghosh, R.N., Siddique, M.A.B, and Gabbay, R., (2003) Tourism and economic development: case studies from the Indian Ocean region. Great Britain: Biddles Limited
Gossling, S., (Ed) (2003) Tourism and development in tropical islands: political ecology perspectives. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing
Hall, C.M., and Page, S., (2000) Tourism in south and southeast Asia: issues and cases. Oxford, UK: Butterworth-Heinemann
Maldives Ministry of Tourism (1998) Marketing of the Maldives tourism product. Unpublished Report, Vol 6-56
Sawkar, K., Noronha, L., Mascarenhas, A., Chauhan, O.S., and Saeed, S. (1998) Tourism and the environment: case studies on Goa, India and the Maldives.
Washington, D.C.: The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) (2010) About Seychelles. Web.
Sharpley, R., and Telfer, D.J. (Eds) (2002) Tourism and development: concepts and issues. Great Britain: Cambrian Printers.
Many countries in the world depend on the travel and hospitality industry as the major source of revenue. Indeed, the travel and hospitality industry plays a significant role in economic emancipation. In today’s technologically advancing world, and competitive business markets, various organizations must come up with new strategies in order to retain customers and even attract others. Additionally, many business segments focus on modalities of expanding their portfolios in order to increase their market share.
In this new area of technological revolution, organizations engage in other activities in order to please their customers. In fact, the main role of corporate events in any organisation or company is to entertain clients so that they become happier than they were before. This is the reason why many organizations continue to employ new strategies in order to attract prospective clients (Holcomb, Upchurch & Okumus, 2007, pp. 461-475).
The Intercontinental Hotels Group’s corporate hospitality section is expanding at a fast rate and many clients consider it one of the best. This is simply because the sector has mastered the art of linking spectators and activities in order to offer judicious hospitality products and services to clients.
Owing to these facts, the intercontinental hotels group has the responsibility of retaining and attracting new customers by adopting new strategies. This report will assess the intercontinental hotel group – green engage sustainability system as a corporate hospitality event (Paton, 2007, pp. 46-49).
Intercontinental Hotels Group
Intercontinental Hotels Group undoubtedly runs the biggest multinational hotels in the world. The group has its headquarters in Denham, United Kingdom. It has over 4000 hotels across the globe and enormous accommodation spaces. It also has several brands such as Holiday Inn Express, Hotel Indigo and Even.
Other brands include Intercontinental and Candlewood Suites. One of the most common features about these hotels is that they run under franchise agreements. In other words, the company runs the affairs of the hotels, but different stakeholders own them. Of all the hotels under the group, investors only own and manage ten.
The International Hotels Group also has listed some of its shares in major trading stock markets. For instance, FTSE 100 index, London Stock Exchange, and New York Stock Exchange are some of the stock markets that have listed International Hotels Group shares. Primarily, the Intercontinental Hotels Group manages all hotels owned by the group.
It also performs other functions such as franchising the IHG brands in order to attract customers. The hotel mainly involves itself in hospitality activities such as hotel management, accommodation, creation of systems, and sales and marketing of their products.
The owners are responsible for the construction of new hotels and coming up of new structures to house other services. This is simply because these activities need risk profiling; require enormous management skills and capital to run. So far, the group has sixteen corporately owned hotels that use the brand (Intercontinental Hotel Group, 2013, p. 1).
Green Engage sustainability system
The intercontinental hotel group owns the best hotel brands in the world, but it also understands that the change of climatic conditions affects their business. Like any other organisation, IHG commits itself towards reducing energy, carbon, and other substances that destroy the environment.
The group is also committed towards clean energy, as a way of minimizing emissions. For instance, in the past, the management has resorted to other means of energy by stopping the purchase of carbon commodities. The group has also collaborated with other developers to identify and implement not only cost-effective, but also sustainable technology.
We have seen that IHG has over 4500 hotels. Furthermore, the stakeholders are doing all they can in order to introduce clean technology into their business portfolios.
The stakeholders have also put in place mechanisms to ensure that the hotel not only complies with climate change patters, but also adopts sustainable technologies. We now that green technology is evolving at a fast rate. In order to meet the demands of green technology, the group has employed professionals to explore new designs that are sustainable (Intercontinental Hotel Group, 2013, p. 1).
Green Engage System
Some few years ago, the Intercontinental Hotels Group unveiled its online sustainability system to check compliance of sustainability. This system plays a significant role in ensuring that all IHG hotels not only conserve resources, but also save money. In order to realize this, the system proposes constant measuring and reporting of waste consumption, water consumption and hotel energy. This is important because it will reduce the skyrocketing energy costs.
In fact, energy costs have been major concerns to owners who have witnessed the rising energy prices lower their profits and threaten their businesses. The taxation of carbon fuels also threatens the operations of the hotels and therefore, there was need to look for new and sustainable ways of energy. There is no doubt that by unveiling this system, the intercontinental hotels group showed its commitment towards ensuring sustainability.
Since the unveiling of the system, stakeholders have received the system without complains. There has been consensus among stakeholders and all of them believe that the system is good to their business. In fact, this has led to the certification of the system making IHG the first hotel in the world to receive such accreditation.
Many stakeholders believe that the system is advantageous especially to environmental sustainability, and provides mechanisms of ensuring sustainability. Moreover, the reason why stakeholders approved the system is that it routinely creates reports and sets new energy benchmarks in order to make comparisons with other useful data.
The system also plays other significant roles such as providing green solutions, and generating new and sustainable hotel designs. The system also provides information on new ways of reducing the impacts brought about by non-sustainable energy sources. Notably, the green engage system functions like a library of information to stakeholders.
For instance, the green engage system has information on selecting suitable site for development, and choosing the right lighting for a particular hotel. This happens through selecting conscientious cleaning materials and training of employees on issues of sustainability. Since the adoption of the system, stakeholders continue to realize their return of investment. Additionally, the system has led to the reduction of carbon emissions and increased the number of guests thus, generating more revenue (U.S. Department of Energy, 2013, p. 1).
Benefits of the Green Engage System to stakeholders
The biggest beneficiaries of the green engage system are the stakeholders. To start with, the system has enabled the IHG hotels to save over 25 percent of energy. This translated to over $300 million, money that the group can invest elsewhere. So far, over 3000 hotels under the group have adopted the system and the management expects all hotels to adopt the system soon.
Stakeholders believe that the green engage system offers considerable competitive edge towards ensuring sustainability. For instance, through the system, the IHG hotels have become cost-effective. This means that it is able to offer better and improved services that will only attract more prospective customers, but also retain them. There is no doubt that many clients prefer to stay in ‘green’ rooms, and this desire enabled IHG to win a contract worth £300,000 annually for seven consecutive years (Mayock, 2011, p. 1).
Culture Shift
By adopting the green engage system, the intercontinental hotel group has adopted a new culture of ensuring sustainability. Unlike the past, the green engage system provides information on the levels of sustainability, tracks the process of sustainability, and releases progress reports that indicate areas to improve.
Notably, in a highly competitive travel and hospitality market, the adoption of the system marked a culture shift that not only recommends green technology solutions, but also encourages competition. There is no doubt that the system has introduced a culture shift in the hospitality industry for sustainability reasons.
For instance, the green engage system provides a calculator that hotel managers can use to calculate the carbon footprint. Consequently, if it is high, then they can look for ways of minimizing it (EcoCommericial Building, 2013, p. 1).
Conclusion
The green engage system developed by the intercontinental hotels group is a step towards ensuring clean energy. Since its adoption, the company has managed to reduce carbon footprints thus reducing the rising energy costs. Most importantly, many visitors enjoy staying in the IHG ‘green’ hotels.
References
Eco Commericial Building, 2013, The effort to be sustainable from the hotel groups. Web.
Holcomb, J. L., Upchurch, R. S., & Okumus, F., 2007, ‘Corporate social responsibility: What are top hotel companies reporting’, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 9 no. 6, pp. 461-475.
Intercontinental Hotel Group, 2013, Corporate Responsibility Report: Green Engage. Web.
Mayock, P., 2011, IHG reaps energy savings with Green Engage. Web.
In all sectors of the service industry, it is paramount that the needs of the customer be met to the utmost. In the hospitality industry, where one has to constantly deal with what a client wants, and with no two clients having the same exact needs, understanding how to satisfy these diverse needs is key to achieving any level of success.
Of course, there are the every day practices that are taken as a given in the hospitality sector to have a satisfied clientele such as prompt service, courtesy, hygiene and taking note of customer feedback (Mieyal, 2005). However, to stay ahead of the game one must have a better understanding of what the customer needs by conducting thorough, in-depth research.
When setting out to conduct any type of research, it is important to identify the most effective form of research in terms of expense, resources available, relevance and accuracy. Both qualitative and quantitative methods are used in marketing research, specifically in the hospitality industry (Reuland, Choudry et al, pg 143).
Quantitative research methods
In quantitative marketing research, the primary focus remains on the contemporary view taken of marketing; that it should be highly interactive for both the consumer and the provider of the product with the two come to an agreement of sorts (Weinrich, 2006). It is a social research method and can be conducted with questionnaires or scales where the respondents are expected to complete a survey (Witt, 1989 pg 154).
The strength and weaknesses of quantitative research methods in the hospitality industry
The main strength of questionnaires as a way of conducting market research in the hospitality industry is that it is cost effective (Witt & Moutinho, 1989 pg 244).
Unlike the qualitative approach of in-depth interviews, where a third party has to be involved-such as a firm to provide professional interviewers- questionnaires can be handed out by hotel personnel who have no specialized experience. The management can also work at compiling and interpreting the data gotten once the survey has been conducted (Witt & Moutinho, 1989 pg 244).
Another advantage of questionnaires as a research method is that it is less time consuming. A guest, signing out of a hotel can fill in a five question survey at the checkout counter. In a restaurant, a maitre de can hand over the bill along with a concise questionnaire which the diners can opt to fill or not (Johnson, Scholes et al, 2008 pg 56).
Questionnaires are also not as involving as in-depth interviews. An in-depth interview requires one to make ample preparation; one, by getting a suitable place to conduct the interview, getting a willing interviewee to participate and then completing the scenario with the professional interviewer (Johnson, Scholes et al, 2008 pg 56).
Since quantitative research methods are not as highly interactive as qualitative research, with the participants only filling in a questionnaire, it has its own drawbacks namely, errors. Errors arising when this research method is applied can be from a wide variety of sources.
There are errors made on the part of the respondent; the respondent may lie on the questionnaire so that the answers suite what is his/her perception of what is true. In multiple answers questions, the respondent without meaning to may cross out the wrong answer. There may be cases where the respondent does not fill in the interview sheet at all. The respondent may not clearly understand the questions if they are vague or not well phrased (Reuland, Choudry et al, 1985 pg 148).
Errors may also occur when the interviewer, at the time of combining and tabulating the data makes mistakes in his/her calculations. Hypothesis errors may also occur; a type I error or a beta error may occur when at the end of the research the surveys done lead to the refutation of the null hypothesis though it is the truth. The type II or the beta error on the other hand, leads to acceptance of the null hypothesis despite the fact that it might be wrong on principal (Reuland, Choudry et al, 1985 pg 149).
Qualitative marketing research methods
Qualitative marketing research is research done within a narrower scope and applies either to in-depth interviews of between thirty to sixty minutes, or focus groups where people who have shared the same experience are brought together to relate their valuation of this experience (Witt &Moutinho, 1989 pg 371).
The strength and weaknesses of qualitative research methods in the hospitality industry
The chief advantage of in-depth interviews as a method of qualitative research in the hospitality industry is that a lot of hidden issues that cannot be uncovered with simple ‘yes’ ‘no’ responses are uncovered during the interviewer-interviewee one on one session (Weinreich, 2006).
The flexibility accommodates for the interviewee to stray from fixed responses and on this way, highlight issues that even the interviewer might have overlooked. Questionnaires on the other hand, delve on a narrow set of questions that do not allow the respondent to give a truly independent opinion (Weinreich, 2006).
A drawback to using qualitative approach into researching customer needs is that it can be very time consuming. It has already been mentioned that an in-depth interview can last between thirty minutes to an hour. And that is just one interview, which has to be carefully set up. This means that information will be gathered more slowly as compared to using questionnaires which are more easily filled (Weinreich, 2006).
Another drawback is that getting experienced interviewees who will draw the most information out of the respondent can be expensive. Furthermore, when conducting this kind or research, the person being interviewed will not feel any social pressures to perform and thus might not answer questions according to his/her real perceptions as reflected around peers (Neill, 2007).
There are also ethical issues that arise when it comes to in-depth interviews since the interviewee is not to be alerted that it is an interview, it is questionable how appropriate it is to get information from an individual under false pretenses. There is also the question of protecting the identity of the interviewee when what she/he has said is presented as a report (Neill, 2007).
Comparing and contrasting quantitative and qualitative research methods
While the aim of conducting quantitative research is to use statistics and figures to try and explain observations already made, that of qualitative research is to present a full description of what is being observed in a bid to understand it (Reuland, Choudry et al, 1985 pg 259).
With the quantitative approach, the researcher knows in advance what he/she is on the lookout for, while the with the qualitative approach the researcher is out to find out what to look for. In qualitative research, the researcher goes into the field without a solid plan of execution, preferring to shape his/her plan according to findings (Goelldner &Brent, 2006 pg 150). On the other hand, quantitative research calls for a solid plan and a hypothesis that is either to be proved wrong or right (Reuland, Choudry et al 1985, pg 372).
For example, if the number of bookings in a hotel is dropping alarmingly, a quantitative approach would call for a hypothesis that stated why the numbers are dropping, say because of the economic downturn, then going ahead to prove or disprove this hypothesis. The qualitative approach would take the angle of investigating why the numbers are dropping- it could be the economic downturn, or a lax in hotel management, or an extremely cold winter.
Conclusion
Quantitative and qualitative marketing research methods both have their advantages and drawbacks as a way of finding out customer needs in the hospitality industry. With the quantitative approach, one must be ready to accommodate the errors made on the part of the respondent or the interviewers, or on missing the point all together because of the inflexibility of the questionnaire.
However, this approach is more discreet, time saving, and cost effective. Given that customers also visit hotels and restaurants to relax and enjoy, they would not want to be hounded about their stay or the cuisine.
Since efficiency is the name of the game, the quantitative methods of research would be more applicable because in the hospitality industry one has to deal with a large number of clients whose needs cut across the spectrum and by listening to all of them, or at least as many as possible, patterns begin to emerge that help service providers with a firm idea on how best to make their clients happy.
References
Goeldner, C., and Ritchie B., ( 2006). Tourism: principles, practices. London, John Wiley and Sons.
Johnson, Gerry et al (2008). Exploring corporate strategy, Harlow: Financial Times, Prentice Hall.
Mieyal H., (2005). Hotel & Hotel Management. bnet. Web.
Neill J., (2007). Qualitative versus Quantitative Research: Key points in a classic debate. Research methods. Web.
Orilio W., (2004). Defining Customer Service: The Customer’s Perception Is Our Reality. Customer service zone. Web.
Reuland Ruud, et al (1985). Research in the Field of Hospitality. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 4(4), 141-146.
Mykonos is a famous Greek island and a popular tourist destination where people from all over the world can enjoy a variety of activities. The island is located in the Mediterranean Sea. While the island has many unique aspects, people usually note its history and beauty as the most compelling features of Mykonos.
Location
Mykonos is part of the Cyclades group of islands and has a latitude of 37° 26′ 43.04″ N and a longitude of 25° 19′ 43.39″ E (“Mykonos,” n.d.). The island has an area of 33 square miles and an altitude of 1,119 feet at its highest point (“Mykonos,” n.d.). The population of the island includes over 10 thousand people, most of whom live in Mykonos, the largest town on the island.
History
The island of Mykonos was among the first islands to be populated by the Greek people and has been inhabited for over 3,000 years. It is frequently mentioned in Ancient Greek mythology and was said to be the place where Zeus fought the Titans (Pepper, 2014). Located at a favorable spot in the Mediterranean Sea, Mykonos became a maritime trading post. It has a complex cultural heritage due to its diverse history. According to Pepper (2014), it was once home to Romans, Venetians, Byzantines, and even the Ottomans before it returned to the hands of the Greek people after a war for independence.
The location of the island, as well as the climate, has made it an important point for trading, travel, and agriculture.
Attractions
Mykonos offers many varied attractions, making it easy for every tourist to find a number of places to visit. The Aegean Maritime Museum, for instance, would be interesting for those who like history or the sea as it contains a variety of reproductions of boats that were used for travel in the Mediterranean Sea. The Archaeological Museum of Mykonos would also be exciting for history lovers as it contains exhibits of ancient sculptures and pottery discovered on the island. For those interested in modern art, the Rarity Gallery offers a look at the work of contemporary artists from all over the globe, including sculptures and paintings.
Greece is also famous for its agriculture and food, which is why the Windmills of Kato Mili are among the most popular sights on the island. These windmills were built by Venetians and thus offer a unique look into the island’s history. The Armenistis Lighthouse is located on the northern part of the island, offering a compelling view of the island and the sea from its viewing platforms. The many additional attractions for tourists to visit in Mykonos make it a versatile and rich tourist destination.
Food
Mykonos offers a large number of restaurants and cafes that are available to local people and tourists. The food on the island is usually either Mediterranean cuisine, with a lot of fish and various seafood, or traditional Greek foods, including charcoal-grilled meats, vegetables, and desserts. Apart from restaurants, the island also has many taverns offering an authentic Greek dining experience.
The climate on the island is beneficial for agriculture, which is why visitors and locals can enjoy locally grown fruits and vegetables all year long. In addition, the island has a selection of wineries and vineyards with local wines for purchase and tasting.
Activities
One of the main activities for people visiting Mykonos is sightseeing. Indeed, the island offers a large number of interesting locations with beautiful views. For example, Alefkántra, or Little Venice, a beautiful district of the town of Mykonos, was built in the 18th century. It is a perfect place for an evening walk as it contains a number of colorful mansions located right on the seafront, as well as restaurants, shops, and cafes. The town of Mykonos also has an interesting streetscape. As noted by Pepper (2014), the streets in the town were intentionally built in a maze-like design to confuse pirates and deter them from the people’s homes.
For those who enjoy long walks, the island offers several sites for walking, hiking, and trekking. The length of the island is less than 10 miles, which means that most tourist attractions are within walking distance of each other. The nature and landscape of the island are beautiful, inviting visitors to explore some of the less-populated areas of Mykonos.
Visitors who enjoy sunbathing will find that Mykonos has a great selection of clean, sandy beaches. Private and public beaches can be found all over the island. In most locations, the water is usually calm and clear, allowing people to swim all day long. The weather conditions on the island also allow for a variety of water sports, including surfing, diving, and sailing. Overall, the wide range of activities offered on Mykonos makes it an attractive destination for many visitors.
Religion
The main religion in contemporary Greece is Orthodoxy. However, due to the history of Mykonos and its diverse culture, Muslims and Catholics also live on the island. Religion in Greece has always been closely tied to the country’s culture. For instance, the religion of Ancient Greece now forms the country’s mythology and is a significant part of its cultural heritage. Exploring religion in Mykonos can also offer valuable insight into the development of the island and its history.
Mykonos is famous for the large number of churches and monasteries located on various parts of the island. The Panagia Paraportiani, one of the most popular churches in Greece, is found on Mykonos. It was built between the 15th and the 17th centuries and combines five separate churches in one (Pepper, 2014). The history of each church is unique and usually represents a particular period of the island’s history. However, churches in Mykonos are not just places of historical interest; they offer a calm environment for reflection and prayer for religious people.
Language
The main language of Mykonos is Greek, as the majority of residents who live on the island are native Greek. However, the island is among the key tourist destinations in Greece, which is why English is widely spoken even in some of the remote areas of Mykonos. In popular tourist areas, such as the town of Mykonos and certain attractions, people might also speak other popular European languages like German or French.
Conclusion
On the whole, the island enjoys a rich history and cultural heritage shaped by the sociopolitical development of the area. Mykonos also has a large number of amazing sights and attractions for tourists to visit. The broad range of activities for people to pursue on the island makes this place an attractive destination for surfers and religious travelers alike. Finally, this unique location, Mykonos, offers an authentic food and dining experience. All of these features make Mykonos a special and inviting place on Earth.