Tourism and hospitality management in the new millennium : a case study in KwaZulu-Natal
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Date
2000
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Abstract
As the world's tourism and hospitality industry sees the dawn of the new millennium, the twenty-first century, tourism and hospitality managers will begin to face many pragmatic challenges and opportunities. The fundamental issue which is identified in this study is the maintenance of high standard of quality of service in order to remain a competitive advantage within South Africa as well as the global tourism and hospitality market as a whole. The main areas of concentration this study is expecting to see tourism management changes in the new millennium include: the role played by new technologies, the business practices and general consumer demands.
This research seeks to investigate the nature of managerial work in tourism and hospitality industries, specifically in hotels, travel agency, tour operators and tourism authorities. In a given situation, the begging question is whether this work fundamentally similar or different from that which is done in other industries? Furthermore, this study endeavours to find out what determines the nature of that work and, in so doing, puts forward approaches to the management process in the tourism and hospitality industry, specifically those which have to be adopted in the new millennium.
As such, the main objectives of the study include the following:
(a) To discover how managers intend to cope with the various changes that they will be exposed to in the new millennium,
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(b) To look at the present profile of managers and their expected profile changes in the new millennium,
(c) To examine the evolving strategies that are being put in place to cope with challenges and strategies for the new millennium,
(d) To examine and put forward a responsible approach to planning and development of the tourism and hospitality industry,
(e) To resolve the conflict between the front-office managers who perceive their section of the hotel as separate from the rest of the establishment,
(f) To establish a balance between the various components of the tourism product in terms of both quality and capacity. For example, infrastructure and the environment, accommodation and transportation, attractions and services,
(g) To understand the need and development of appropriate training facilities and programmes, which are intended to both maximise employment opportunities and achieve the desired standards of quality.
To achieve these objectives the study uses two fields of management studies available and relevant to changes in tourism and hospitality. These are: (a) current management functions in the tourism and hospitality business, and (b) the wider field of management, which focuses on managerial work as a whole.
The methodology that used for this study are a combination of qualitative and quantitative methodologies utilising techniques such as focus groups, observation, in-depth interviews, telephone interviews, mail questionnaires and the non-participant observation technique. The latter technique was the most preferred method of data collection, because it offered the best alternatives, such as allowing for the simultaneous collection of qualitative and quantitative data. The breakdown of the final sample included four (4) tour operators, five (5) travel agents, two (2) provincial tourism authorities and 250 tourism and hospitality customers. A quantitative approach using statistical techniques was used for the 250 customers, whereas the case study approach was used to analyse the rest of the sample. In these cases the meanings and interpretations of the researcher were used as the main interpretative approach for the views and actions of the managers. However, this was balanced with the managers' interpretations of events.
The main and general conclusions that were arrived at, with the help of the above methodologies, were that the tourism industry in the new millennium should move with the customer and therefore planning should be flexible in order to accommodate the customer at all times. Future growth strategies for tourism and hospitality management designed to keep customers satisfied, are those that use a combination of advertising, product innovation, service improvement changes in product and service, with more emphasis on direct selling, entailing personal contact with the customer.
It is also evident from the findings that business travelers in the Durban area would prefer branded tourism and hospitality products rather than their counterparts in Pietermaritzburg and Richards Bay would. On the whole, the preference for both business and leisure customers is for branded products. Travel agents believe that the bulk of their business comes from business customers and in the future, the emphasis is expected to be on the business traveler market. Tour operators are looking at buying smaller travel agents that they can use as retail outlets and heavy concentration on the domestic tourism and hospitality market. Tourism authorities are expected to concentrate on supporting community projects as a means of creating employment in the provinces. The intimidation of tourists in the provinces is because the community believes that tourists are the reason for increased crime, high prostitution, sexually transmitted diseases and an increase in the price of basic food and rent.
The customer in the new millennium is expected to be very different, and rate standard requirements higher than the willingness to pay. The reality of the situation creates a desperate need for tourism and hospitality managers to search actors and forces in the business environment that may be utilised to the advantage of managers. One element that needs to be introduced urgently in all tourism and hospitality organisations is training in customer care. The study points to a very advanced technological environment, with emphasis on product design and the size of the capital of the organisation. The pages that follow will answer these questions and look at other issues in the study in greater detail.
Description
A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy in the Centre for Recreation and Tourism at the University of Zululand, 2000.
Keywords
Leisure industry-management., Tourism--Management., Hospitality industry--Management.