6 Emerging Issues in Hospitality and Tourism: Quick Guide for HAT304

Tourism has been around for a long time, much longer than we can think. Tourism nowadays is not only for the sole purpose of traveling but also for education, medical, and others. The tourism industry is constantly growing and will continue to grow for a long time. It will at least be until there are places over Earth to visit and discover. Who knows down the line interplanetary travel becomes a thing, eh?

The most prominent course of Hospitality and Tourism Management is offered by Kaplan Business School. We are living in the 21^st century and a world is driven by technology. But, as they say, with great power comes great responsibility. The emerging issues in hospitality and tourism industry are something that every student enrolled in tourism course should be aware of.

Issue #1 – Rising Competition

The competition is exponential. The tourism industry is one of the fastest growing sectors of the economies of the world. Nobody is unaware in the world of today about what a hotel is, how they can earn by setting up a hotel, how they can attract more people to visit their hotel and other things. This is the power of the internet and connectivity.

New players are constantly entering the hospitality market and that is the time when your Bachelor of Tourism Business will be summoned.

The example of Airbnb as a threat to the traditional hotels offering a stiff competition to all and is expanding to almost every other country is a good input to use.

Issue #2 – Changing Customer Expectations

The hotel industry has one rule – the customer is always right.

But that’s the rule for every business, ain’t it?

The customers are the kings (or queens) in this line of business. The entire industry is set around one goal, i.e., to keep the customers satisfied and happy.

But, keeping the customers happy is the thing of the past now. The hotel managers are now turning to new ways so that they can delight the customers. And that task does not come easy when the expectations of the customers change frequently.

That’s the level of chill and satisfaction you want to see in your customers. Sniff around over the social media, follow those Twelebs that you think are so dumb that even cows would look at them with ‘meh’.

Issue #3 – Hotel Staff During Off Season

Okay, you own a hotel in the prime location of Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, Canberra, etc., and there was such a huge influx of customers in the last season that you decided to hire in more extra hands the next time. You put out the advertisements, invite applicants, carry out interviews, and here you are with a shining new team of 10 more staff.

Did you think what are you going to do with them the remaining time of the year when the business is not even capable enough to make the salary of one employee. That is the prime issue that you need to work around.

That’s what the majority of your staff will be doing sitting idle having nothing to do with their days. This will lead to the problem of staff retention.

Issue #4 – Technology Usage

No, this does not mean that you or your staff do not know what to do with the technology. This means that the world today has advanced to a stage where the customers know almost everything about the place they are visiting. A large proportion of the people are very thorough with their research before they even plan their journey.

More and more places are turning up on the radar of the people when they think of any tourism destination. Amidst that, you as a hotel manager should keep yourself updated with the latest customer expectations and their needs to market your services effectively.

Yes, you have and make use of it. Know that they want free Wi-Fi (even if they are not going to use it), flat screen TVs that are extremely big (even if they are not going to watch anything), and many other things.

Issue #5 – Security

The threats of the modern world like terrorism have changed and impacted the way the people travel and the places they travel to. Have it straight, the perception is that the only people who go to Afghanistan are the soldiers of the US military (courtesy of Hollywood movies), isn’t it?

Now, if you were given an assignment that you are the Hotel Manager of XZY in Kandahar and you want to suggest ways to improve the tourism from Europe and America, what will you do? That’s a bit far maybe but bottom line is that the people coming to stay at your hotel want to feel safe and secure.

You don’t want somebody sneaking up your guests in the middle of the night like this, do you? The criminals are also a part of the world we live in and are familiar with the technology. It is you who should outsmart them, not the other way around.

Issue #6 – Franchising

The firms all around the world aim to roll out as many franchises as they can to expand themselves without actually having to establish themselves. The local hotels face a threat from the franchises of the multinational hotels like Marriott, Radisson, and more. You thought that the franchise stuff was only used by food chains like McDonald’s and others?

Such a large operation base, you got to store the information somewhere, right? Collect it all at one single hub? That’s where you become prone to hacking, breach of security, and other things.

This threat is for both the established as well as the new entrants. Keep your business safe and you will be the king of the world (not literally, though).

These were some of the emerging issues in hospitality and tourism industry. The above is helpful for the students having problems in HAT304 unit. For a more comprehensive help, contact our management assignment experts at help@myassignmentservices.com.