Topic 1 - Introduction to the global tourism & hospitality industry

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."

(Mahatma Gandhi)

Chon (2010) in chapter 1 defines the hospitality industry and introduces the main components of hospitality and tourism network. Based on this chapter and the other readings for this week, discuss:

Some of the successes and failures of this industry over the last 50 years.

According to (Chon and Maier, 2010) and (Walker, 2013) the hospitality industry is the largest and the fastest growing industry in the world, and that the growth in the industry brought along with it many success and failures over the last 50 years.

Success Factors

Air Travel and the Importance Technology

The flow of information through new technological developments like the PC, Smart Phone and more importantly the internet, have made it easier for potential guests to research and travel to a particular destination of interest both domestically and internationally.

According to (Walker, 2013) 55% of consumers, now use the internet to look at reviews and prices before they book a particular destination, (Walker, 2013) also mentioned that technology has become a strategic enabler giving businesses a better chance of controlling their daily business operations, with some hotels having up to 65 different technology applications to help them effectively control costs and deliver services to their guests. Coinciding with the flow of information, the ease and cost of transportation have also made it a lot easier for guest to reach their particular destinations. According to (Walker, 2013) the growth in air transportation during the 50's and 60's had a huge impact in how people looked at travel, the time and cost effective alternative opened up new destinations for leisure travellers that weren't available before. Tripadvisor.com.au is a...