Philtech institute of arts and technology inc. Subject: trend and issues in hospitality
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- Multi- generation travel
- Single parent family travel
- Increase in one-child families
- More educated customers
- P olarization of tourists’ tastes and spending
- Emigration and homecoming visits
| Aging population
As the baby boomers grow older in the coming decades, great change will occur across North America, Europe and some Asian countries as the older people become a very important part of the population. It i s estimated that the population of 65 years and older will increase from 6.9% in 2000 to almost 16% in year 2050. The hotel must be designed in a user-friendly manner for seniors, who will otherwise be driven away. The facilities should recognize the physical limitations of the older customers. Walking up the steps at the entrance may be difficult for some, not to mention carrying the luggage with them. The restaurants must also provide traditional comfort foods (which the older customers are more familiar with), nutrient-rich foods, vegetables and fruits, which suit the tastes and nutrition requirements of the older customers. Multi- generation travel A nother trend is the increasing number of grandparents travelling with their grandchildren. The different generations may usually live apart from each other and make use of trips as mini family reunion. Intergenerational travel offers grandchildren and grandparents, uncles, aunts and nephews the time to meet and enjoy their time together. A challenge for the tourism and hospitality industry is how to appeal to different groups of customers whose tastes could be very different. Single parent family travel With the increasing divorce rate, single-parent families have become larger in number in many countries. On average, single parents have less money than two-parent families but are still eager to enjoy a great vacation with the children so long as they can afford. However, most hotels and resorts are ignorant of their customers’ needs. For example, hotels usually charge guests according to the number of people staying per room. Increase in one-child families The role of parents as a gatekeeper in the past has gradually changed to a cooperative partner since more focus would be put on to the single kids in such families. This trend is particularly significant among the mainland’s tourists whose family’s structure is governed by the government’s one-child policy. More educated customers As customers become more educated and knowledgeable, their expectations about the quality of travel related products become higher and they tend to search for more information before making purchasing decisions. Information about destinations, attractions, and travel related products such as transportations and accommodations can be easily accessed through the internet including online travel agents, hotel websites, official and unofficial tourism websites. P olarization of tourists’ tastes and spending The tastes and spending power of the visitors are getting more diversified. There are visitors who seek for comfort and luxury accommodations, but there are other visitors who are not so well-off but look for budget travel. Emigration and homecoming visits Emigration has become increasingly popular in the last few decades. After people emigrate for some time, there is a higher tendency for them to travel back to their home country on vacation to visit family and friends (VFR). Assignment: Download 5.21 Mb. Share with your friends:
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