Trends in hospitality - Tourism and Hospitality Studies - HKDSE

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Module V: Trends and Issues in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry

Hey everyone! Welcome to one of the most exciting topics in Tourism and Hospitality Studies. In this chapter, we're going to be like fortune tellers, looking into the future of the industry! We'll explore the big changes and challenges happening right now, from saving the planet to the cool new technology in hotels and restaurants. Understanding these trends is super important because this is the world you'll be working in. It's all about staying ahead of the game! Let's get started.

1. Current Issues: The Big Topics Everyone's Talking About

Sustainable Tourism: Being a Good Guest on Planet Earth

Imagine you're staying at a friend's house. You wouldn't leave the lights on, waste all their food, or make a huge mess, right? You'd want to leave their house as nice as you found it. Sustainable tourism is the same idea, but for the whole planet and its communities.

The main idea is to meet the needs of today's tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing opportunities for the future.

Analogy: Think of it like a three-legged stool. If one leg is broken, the whole stool falls over. The three legs of sustainable tourism are:

Environmental: Protecting nature, wildlife, and natural resources.
Social-Cultural: Respecting local culture, traditions, and people.
Economic: Making sure the local community benefits financially from tourism.

The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) defines sustainable tourism as: "Tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities."

The Twelve Aims of Sustainable Tourism

Don't worry, you don't need to memorise a giant list! Let's group them by the "three legs" of our stool to make it easier.

Environmental Aims (The 'Planet' Leg 🌍)

Physical integrity: Keeping landscapes beautiful and not over-developing them.
Biological diversity: Protecting plants and animals. (e.g., Not building a hotel on a turtle nesting beach).
Resource efficiency: Using less water, energy, and creating less waste.
Environmental purity: Reducing air, water, and noise pollution.

Social-Cultural Aims (The 'People' Leg 🧑‍🤝‍🧑)

Social equity: Making sure benefits are shared fairly among the local community.
Visitor fulfillment: Giving tourists a safe, satisfying, and meaningful experience.
Local control: Letting local people have a say in tourism development in their area.
Community wellbeing: Improving the quality of life for local people, not making it worse with overcrowding or high prices.
Cultural richness: Protecting and respecting local traditions, heritage, and culture.

Economic Aims (The 'Profit' Leg 💰)

Economic viability: Ensuring tourism businesses are profitable in the long term.
Local prosperity: Making sure the money earned from tourism stays in the local community.
Employment quality: Creating good, stable jobs for local people with fair pay.

Did you know?

In Hong Kong, initiatives like the Geopark aim for sustainable tourism by protecting unique geological sites while allowing for education and tourism. In Macau, the government works to preserve its unique Portuguese-Chinese heritage, which is a key part of its sustainable tourism appeal.

Key Takeaway: Sustainable tourism is about finding a balance. It's about enjoying the world without using it up, ensuring that tourism is good for the planet, good for the local people, and good for business, both now and in the future.

Globalization: A Smaller World, Bigger Questions

Globalization is the idea that the world is becoming more connected through trade, technology, and culture. You can fly from Hong Kong to London in half a day, eat Japanese ramen for lunch, and watch an American movie at night. This has huge effects on tourism!

Homogenization and Standardization: Same, Same But Different?

These two words sound similar, but they mean different things.

Homogenization: This is when things become the same everywhere, losing their unique local character.
Example: Seeing the same global fast-food chains and coffee shops in every city you visit, making them feel less special.

Standardization: This is about applying the same rules and quality levels to ensure consistency.
Example: A hotel chain like the Peninsula has the same high standard of service and luxury whether you are in Hong Kong, Paris, or Tokyo. This is often a good thing for tourists who want reliable quality.

Quick Review Box

Homogenization = Making things look and feel the same (potentially boring!).
Standardization = Making quality and service the same (usually reliable!).

Fair Trade in Tourism: Is Everyone Getting a Fair Slice?

Fair trade is a movement that aims to make sure people in developing countries who produce goods get a fair price and have good working conditions. In tourism, this means:

Tour operators paying local guides and drivers a fair wage.
Hotels buying food, coffee, and handicrafts from local producers at a fair price.
Ensuring that the money tourists spend actually benefits the local community, instead of all going to large international companies (this is called reducing "leakage").

Benefits of Fair Trade: It helps reduce poverty, empowers local communities, and gives tourists a more authentic and ethical travel experience.

Key Takeaway: Globalization connects the world, but it can also make places feel the same (homogenization). Applying fair trade principles helps ensure that the benefits of this connected world are shared more equally.

2. Trends in the Big Picture: The Tourism Sector

The whole tourism industry is changing fast! We can understand these changes by looking at four key areas. A good way to remember them is the acronym S.T.E.E.

S - Social-Cultural
T - Technological
E - Economic
E - Environmental

Economical Trend: More people around the world have more money to spend on travel, which means increased demand. This also leads to more competition among countries to attract these tourists.

Social-Cultural Trend: People are changing! Demographics (like an aging population or more solo female travellers) create new travel needs. People's preferences are also changing – they want unique experiences, wellness holidays, or "Instagrammable" moments.

Environmental Trend: People are more aware of issues like climate change and want to protect the planet. This leads to a bigger demand for environmental conservation and eco-friendly travel options.

Technological Trend: Technology is everywhere!

Global Distribution System (GDS): A massive worldwide computer network that lets travel agents see real-time availability and prices for flights, hotels, and car rentals. Think of it as the giant brain connecting all the travel companies.
Self-serviced technology: Online booking websites, mobile check-in for flights.
On-line social media: TripAdvisor reviews, travel influencers on Instagram, and travel vlogs on YouTube all shape how people decide where to go.

Key Takeaway: Trends in tourism are driven by changes in society, technology, the economy, and our environment (S.T.E.E.). Businesses that understand these trends will be the most successful.

3. Zooming In: Trends in the Hospitality Sector

Now let's focus specifically on hotels and restaurants. We'll use the same S.T.E.E. framework to see what's new!

Trends in the Accommodation Sector: More Than Just a Bed

Economical Aspect: Different Ways to Stay
Economic changes have led to the development of many different types of accommodation. It's not just about luxury hotels anymore!
Examples:
- Budget hotels (like Ibis, Holiday Inn Express) for travellers watching their spending.
- Boutique hotels that offer a unique, stylish experience.
- Serviced apartments for longer stays or business travel.

Social-Cultural Aspect: What Guests Want Now
Lifestyle and demographic changes mean guests have new demands.
Examples:
- Wellness: Hotels with spas, yoga classes, and healthy food menus are very popular.
- Experiences: Guests want more than a room; they want cooking classes, local tours, or unique activities offered by the hotel.
- "Bleisure": People who mix business travel with leisure want rooms with good workspaces and fast Wi-Fi.

Environmental Aspect: Going Green!
There is a growing concern for environmental conservation, which affects the greening standard of hotels. Guests now expect and prefer hotels that are eco-friendly.
Examples:
- Reducing single-use plastics (e.g., providing refillable water bottles instead of plastic ones).
- Installing energy-saving lights and water-saving showers.
- Offering guests the choice to reuse towels and linens to save water and energy.

Technological Aspect: Smart Hotels
Technology is making hotels smarter and more efficient.
- PMS (Property Management System): This is the hotel's main computer system. It's the "brain" that manages reservations, check-ins/outs, room status, and billing.
- CRS (Computerized Reservation System): This is the system that allows guests and travel agents to book rooms online from anywhere in the world. The CRS sends the booking information to the hotel's PMS.
- Self-serviced technology: Mobile check-in, using your smartphone as a room key, and chatbot assistants to answer questions.
- On-line social media: Hotels use Instagram and Facebook to market themselves and interact with guests. They also have to manage their reputation on review sites like TripAdvisor.

Key Takeaway: Modern hotels must be flexible. They need to offer different types of rooms for different budgets, cater to new lifestyles, be environmentally friendly, and use technology to make the guest experience smooth and easy.

Trends in the Food & Beverage (F&B) Sector: More Than Just a Meal

Economical Aspect: How We Eat Out
The economy has a big impact on F&B development and what customers prefer.
Examples:
- The rise of food delivery apps (like Foodpanda) has completely changed the business model for many restaurants.
- "Fast casual" restaurants (like Shake Shack) have become very popular, offering higher quality food than fast food but quicker service than a traditional restaurant.

Social-Cultural Aspect: You Are What You Eat
Demographic and lifestyle changes have a huge effect on what people want to eat.
Examples:
- Health consciousness: High demand for organic food, salads, and plant-based (vegan/vegetarian) options.
- "Instagrammable" food: People love to share photos of their meals, so presentation and unique dishes are very important.
- Authenticity: Diners are interested in the story behind their food, such as using locally sourced ingredients.

Environmental Aspect: Less Waste, More Taste
Restaurants are under pressure to be more sustainable by managing their consumption of resources and producing of wastage.
Examples:
- Reducing food waste through better inventory management or "nose-to-tail" cooking (using all parts of an animal).
- Sourcing ingredients from local farms to reduce the carbon footprint from transportation.
- Eliminating plastic straws and using biodegradable takeaway containers.

Technological Aspect: Smart Restaurants
Technology is transforming the dining experience.
- POS (Point-of-Sale) System: This is much more than a cash register. A modern POS system tracks sales, manages inventory (e.g., how many steaks are left), takes orders, and can even manage customer loyalty programs.
- Self-serviced technology: Ordering and paying via a QR code on your table, or using a self-order kiosk at a fast-food restaurant.
- On-line social media: Restaurants heavily rely on their online reputation. Good reviews on platforms like OpenRice and positive posts from food bloggers can make a restaurant a huge success.

Key Takeaway: The F&B industry is constantly evolving. Successful restaurants today must offer healthy and interesting food, be environmentally responsible, and use technology to improve service and efficiency.