CHAPTER 8 T HE Guest Service of Travel and Tourism. After reading this chapter, you should be able to : Define the dynamics of tourism, as they relate to service, in an in-depth manner. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
• Consider the following statements:– You are selling the world.– You are selling memories.– You are selling bragging rights.– You are competing against every other memory and
experience the guest has ever had. The product of tourism has always been the world, so it cannot be easily defined.
• STEP 1: Know the Product– The people– Transportation– Cycles of rates– Crowd flows– Calendars– Health factors– Social climates– Personal safety– Pricing strategies
• The External Environment– There are many variables that lie in the external
environment. • All are dependent on them.• Are beyond their control
– Accommodations– Transportation– Food and beverages– Destinations and events– Vendor services– Environmental, cultural, and demographic variables– Knowledge, combined with insight, is the key to control.
• Step 2: Know the Client—Understanding the Guest – Develop Relationships• Are the key to success! • Can take over five times the amount of money to
gain a new customer than to retain a current one• This can be achieved through:–Remembering names–Keeping profiles–Taking a few extra minutes to listen–Sharing in something a bit personal–Sending newsletters
• Before travelers embark on a tour, it is important to realize their motives:– A sense of completion, having been able to say they
went somewhere– A sense of identity– An escape from the usual– An escape from reality– To learn more about a culture– To impress former classmates– To have bragging rights
2. Know the Client- Learn their Motivations (cont’d)
• Goals may be entertaining, educational, security, economical, or even a blend of these. As you explore these possibilities, you begin to ask questions:– Do they basically want to escape from something by
going somewhere else?– How much of a change would they prefer?– How much of their rituals do they want to maintain for
comfort?– Without certain rituals, many people feel too far out of
their element, so you must determine how many new components they really want and for what purpose.
• You must:– Attain and project skills, knowledge, and abilities of a travel
professional. – Apply the knowledge effectively and tactfully.
• To begin, collect as much information as you can about your customers. – Determine their desires before, during, and after the trip. – Know how you will react to their stance. – Be able to relate to different people from different parts of the
3. Know Yourself – The Travel Professional (cont’d)
• Eliminate negative cues, or anything that detracts from the desired customer service. These may be found in:– Greetings– Responses– Gestures– Facial expressions– Eye contact
3. Know Yourself – The Travel Professional (cont’d)
• Some of the typical positions in the Travel and Tourism Industry are:– Tour Operator– Tour Guides– Destination Management Company (DMC)– Destination Management Operator – Convention and Visitor Bureau (CVB)
Step 4: Blend the Goals to Best Meet the Desired Goals of All• Customers’ Goals
– The goals of the customer should always be placed first. – Understand the goals– What motivates them?– Preparing the customer– Logistically– Itinerary– Psychologically– Setting the appropriate expectations– Making the venue tangible (websites, pictures, essential readings, etc.)
• Organizational Goals• Personal Goals• Industry Goals• Environmental Goals
1. Why might a client want an open-jaw flight?2. Why is eco-tourism good for the community?3. What is the difference between a tour guide and a tour operator?4. Why is tourism so difficult to define?5. List and briefly describe five types of leisure travel.6. How does intangibility and heterogeneity apply to travel and tourism?7. What is niche travel, and how can it be an effective means of pleasing
your client?8. How has the field of travel and tourism changed in the past few years?9. What are some of the essential qualities of a travel professional?10. What are the three main things that you should know in order to provide
quality service to enhance a customer’s travel experience?