Trends and Issues in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry

iv

Contents
Preface
vi

Current Issues in Tourism

1
Sustainable tourism development 3
Sustainable tourism 7
Protection of World Heritage 11
Requirements for sustainable tourism 12
Obstacles to change or why it is so difficult to
achieve sustainability 20
The concept of carrying capacity 20
Socio-cultural impacts of tourism 24
Sex and tourism 29
Globalization and its effects on tourism
development 31
Leakage in the Maldives 33
Poverty alleviation through tourism 34
Development of tourism products to assist in
poverty alleviation 36

Trends and Issues in Hospitality 40

Trends in the accommodation sector 40

Trends and Issues in the restaurant and

food services sector 45
Fo
ustainable tourism development
A conceptual approach to sustainable tourism:
As noted above, the concept of sustainable
development is based on respect for the
social and natural environment in which
tourism takes place. On the environmental
side there are several very important issues that we
need to be aware of. Some of these
are discussed in the following section.
Sustainable development is envisaged as le
ading to the management of all resources
in such a way that economic, social, and aesthetic
needs can be fulfilled while
maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological
processes, biological diversity, and
life support systems (World Travel and Tourism
Council, World Tourism
Organisation and Earth Council 1995 p. 30)

Socio/Cultural Carrying Capacity

This refers to the acceptance of tourists by the local
population. The level of

acceptance depends on previous experience and

benefits that tourism brings. People
who benefit from tourism such as those who own
shops that cater to tourists or those
who are employed in the industry tend to hold more
favourable attitudes towards
tourism than those that are not involved with it at all.
One way to minimize the
negative impacts that tourism may have is by
educating visitors and tourists about
what they can expect of each other

Psychological Carrying Capacity

Crowding is one of the problems that can be brought
on by the presence of too many
tourists in a place. Some people and nationalities are
more tolerant of crowds than
others. In Hong Kong people are so used to huge
crowds of people that they dont
worry much if tourists add to the congestion. In other
countries such as Australia that
have low population densities even the presence of a
few additional people can be
perceived as intruding on the life-style of the locals.
Sex and Tourism

One of the often mentioned negative impacts of

tourism is the perceived increase
in prostitution at some tourist sites. It must, however,
be remembered that sex and
tourism covers a wide spectrum ranging from
romance to commercial exploitation
of women and children. The book
Sex and Tourism: Journeys of Romance, Love
and Lust
by Thomas Bauer and Bob McKercher (The Haworth
Hospitality Press,
New York, 2003) covers the topic well.
How is globalization felt in the tourism context? We
can think of several ways which
include the following:

Commodification and trivialization of local

cultures everything takes on a practical
and commercial (for money) aspect
omogenization all cities of the world look
the same. Experiencing the diversity of
building styles, dishes and cultures was onc
e a main reason to visit cities. Today as
one travels around the world one finds that m
any airports, hotels and cities are more or
less the same this takes the fun out of

traveling.
Trends and Issues in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry

34

More than 50 % of all labour is imported and

remittances flow out of the Maldives
economy back to the home countries of the
workers (Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India and
Pakistan).

What is a net loss for Maldives is a net gai

n for those countries where the remittances
of those workers make an important contribution
to their families survival and hence
also to the economy
Above water bungalows provide exclusive
accommodation in the Maldives
Poverty alleviation through tourism
Poverty is still a very serious problem in many parts
of the world. One of the United
Nations Millennium Goals is to substantially reduce
the number of people who live in
poverty and tourism has been called upon to play its
part in this effort.
There are different levels of poverty ranging from
extreme to moderate. Extreme

poverty is often defined as applying to people who

live on less than 1 US$ per day.
One thing is clear: There is nothing romantic about
being poor as is sometimes
shown in destination photographs of some African
countries.

Children working in tourism

Employing children, in particular young children in
the various sectors of the tourism
industry is a double-edged sword. On the one hand it
is very common for restaurants
or small, family owned guest-houses or hotels to
require children to contribute to the
economic well-being of the family by performing
some tasks in the business. This is
not necessarily a bad thing since children who grow
up in the familys hospitality
business will have a very good understanding of the
operation of such a business and
Trends and Issues in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry

40
Trends and issues in Hospitality
Hospitality can be defined as the reception and
entertainment of guests or strangers
with empathy, kindness, and an overall concern for
their well-being. It is at the heart

of all tourism and without providing a friendly and

welcoming environment for
visitors, tourism cannot develop successfully.
Trends in the accommodation sector
One of the most basic requirements for tourists is the
need for clean and secure
accommodation. This can range from luxury hotels
with full services to motels, guest
houses, backpacker lodges, youth hostels and
camping facilities. Because people are
different and have different reasons for travel they
also have different accommodation
requirements. The accommodation of business
travelers is usually paid for by their
employer and hence they are more inclined to stay in
up-market, more luxurious
hotels whereas the more prices sensitive leisure
travelers who pay for their trip
themselves may prefer more affordable and therefore
also less luxurious places to stay.
In particular young people who travel around the
world as backpackers for long
periods of time, sometimes years, do not want to
spend a lot on accommodation. They
prefer to spend their money on activities and
experiences instead of on sleeping.

G
ore personal boutique styles of
accommodation
Commercial accommodation places tend to be large
with many rooms and facilities
but a recent trend is that experienced travelers are
seeking smaller, more personal
accommodation facilities such as boutique hotels,
small guest houses, home-stays or
eco-lodges. Such facilities usually have more limited
facilities but they provide guests
with the opportunity to be in close contact with local
people who own or operate such
facilitiesMany travelers now prefer to stay in smaller,
locally owned and operated
accommodation places like the Udayana Lodge in
Bali, Indonesia. Such places offer
comfortable accommodation in a relaxed atmosphere.
Home-stays in Vietnam (above) and tented
accommodation near the Undura lava
tubes in Far North Queensland, Australia (below)
provide interesting and affordable
places to stay. Home stays also help in an effort to
improve the economic situation of

poor people in remote areas.

More than just sleeping and eating

Integrating accommodation, dining, entertainment
casino gaming and shopping is a
new trend that recognizes that people who stay at a
hotel or resort want to be able to
participate in a diversity of activities during their stay.
Gone are the days when a hotel
was only a place to sleep.
The Grand Canal at the Venetian Resort in Macau
provides guests with an indoor
boating experience that simulates a real canal ride in
Venice, Italy
Trends and Issues in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry

45
Trends and issues in the restaurant and food
services sector
Food
Food is a necessary and often enjoyable component of
the tourism experience and the
challenge for the hospitality industry is to provide
good quality and healthy meals in a
pleasant setting.

Quality and healthy meals

All restaurants should aim to be good restaurants

Healthy, home cooked food in Vietnam provides

visitors with a genuine food
experience.
Al fresco or outdoor dining is very popular,
particularly in tropical locations such as
Bali. Tourists also enjoy being offered a variety of
dishes to select from and Fusion
restaurants that provide a blend of cuisines from a
variety of regions (East and West
for example) are gaining in popularity
As the above sign shows, getting permission to set up
outdoor food and beverage
facilities can be a difficult undertaking.
This Korean meal consists entirely of fresh and
mostly uncooked ingredients that are
said to be very good for your health
Conclusion
Trends and issues in tourism and hospitality are
constantly subject to change. As
societies change so will trends in the tourism and
hospitality industry. Many
trends are subject to what is fashionable at the
moment while other trends and
issues emerge from wider issues in society souch as a
greater awareness of

environmental protection or the increased concern

about health.
Companies that operate in the tourism and hospitality
industry are required to
keep their eyes and ears open and to constantly scan
their environment for
emerging trends so that they can meet the
requirements of their customers. This is
an ongoing process that never ends. As students of
these fields we need to do the
same so that we keep up-to-date with developments
that impact on our industry..
Manual on Module V Trends
and Issues in the Tourism and
Hospitality Industry
Thomas Bauer, Ph.D.
School of Hotel and Tourism Management
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Dr. S K Cheung
Master of Social Science (Social Work)
Master in Applied Management (Tourism
Management)
Master in Environmental and Business Management
PhD
Trends and issues shaping tourism and hospitality
development
Lifestyles

 Branding
Food production and supply
Technology
Legislation and regulations
Positive Impact of Tourism
The rebirth of local arts and crafts and traditional
cultural activities
Aboriginal bark painting on bark: Price:
AUD $185
Vanuatu's Original Bungee Jumpers: This
awe inspiring ancient tradition, also known as
land diving, is a feat of courage and Stone
Age ingenuity that gave birth to modern
bungee jumping.
The revival of social and cultural life of local
population
Renewal of local architectural traditions
Promotion of the need to conserve areas of
aesthetic and cultural value
Negative Impact
Overcrowding
Decline of traditional activities such as farming
Regions become over-dependent on tourism
Demonstration effect
Local people aspire to the material standard
and sex openness of the tourists

 Acculturation
Local culture gradually give way to foreign
culture
McDonaldization, Coca-colaization
Loss of Authenticity
vs. Preservation of Culture
Becomes commoditized and made for tourists.
Local people forget its original meanings
Loss of authenticity
Traditions (e.g., ceremonies) are separated and made
for locals and traditional skills are saved from
oblivion
Preserved
Canadians / tourists wish to taste Thai food, but not so
hot or exotic
Thai food has to be adapted
Limited favoured dishes are offered
Limited favoured dishes are offered
Limited favoured dishes are offered
Limited favoured dishes are offered
Trends and Issues Shaping Tourism and
Hospitality Development
Lifestyles
Branding
Food production and supply
Technology

 Legislation and regulations

Branding
It is a key factor for companies to stand out
from the competitors
Trends in hospitality process design
Production lining: services are organized on a
production-line basis
Decoupling: separating back-of-house from
front-of-house activity in place and time
Customer participation: customers help
themselves for service
Lifestyle and segmentation
Lifestyle groups
Different expectations. Different products
Different promotion
Different promotion
Different places
Psychological factors
People usually prefer foods that are
Familiar
Considered pleasant
Usually the ones eaten
Sensory attributes
Taste

 Texture
Colour
Shape, form, size of pieces and
temperature
Lifestyle factors
Lifestyles describe how people seek to
express their identity in many areas,
including food selection
Pleasure-oriented: sensory attributes food,
brand and high-value foods,
convenience foods
Nutrition-oriented:
freshness, quality,
safety