With Reference to Specific Tourism or Event Industry Sectors, Discuss the Key Challenges and Opportunities Facing the Tourism and Events Industry in the 21st Century.
There have been and still are many key challenges and opportunities that face the tourism and events industry over the years. Throughout this essay I am going to outline and discuss a select few that we face now in the 21st century and relate them to specific industry sectors. The specific areas I am going to cover include the Social and Cultural impacts, the economic and financial trends, the ecological impacts and the trends formed over the last 60 years compared with forecasts for the next 10.
My first point to discuss will be the Social and Cultural impacts on the tourism industry. In 1998 (amended in 2003) a new law was introduced which stated that adult workers cannot be forced to work more than 48 hours a week on average (normally averaged over 17 weeks). This has a huge impact on many sectors in the industry as employees cannot be forced to work more that the previously stated 48 hours a week, therefore strategies to maybe have organisations opened later into the evening or even on the weekends will require hiring more staff. However, an employee can opt out of this law voluntarily in writing and this can also be cancelled at any time, nonetheless this is not a likely occurrence to happen.
My second point is the Economic and financial trends in the tourism industry. Leiper (2003) shows that in the 1980’s, governments started to recognise in many countries the value of the tourism industry. Once the value was recognised, greater levels of investment had begun by promoting destinations to tourists, educating and training programs were developed for new recruits and existing employees and in the 1990’s there was an increase in research projects on tourism. Following on from this the government was giving subsidies to sponsor dozens of new projects every year for the tourism industry. Leiper (2003) also stated ‘with the growing recognition of the tourism industry, banks and other financial institutions dealing with businesses have been more willing to
My first point to discuss will be the Social and Cultural impacts on the tourism industry. In 1998 (amended in 2003) a new law was introduced which stated that adult workers cannot be forced to work more than 48 hours a week on average (normally averaged over 17 weeks). This has a huge impact on many sectors in the industry as employees cannot be forced to work more that the previously stated 48 hours a week, therefore strategies to maybe have organisations opened later into the evening or even on the weekends will require hiring more staff. However, an employee can opt out of this law voluntarily in writing and this can also be cancelled at any time, nonetheless this is not a likely occurrence to happen.
My second point is the Economic and financial trends in the tourism industry. Leiper (2003) shows that in the 1980’s, governments started to recognise in many countries the value of the tourism industry. Once the value was recognised, greater levels of investment had begun by promoting destinations to tourists, educating and training programs were developed for new recruits and existing employees and in the 1990’s there was an increase in research projects on tourism. Following on from this the government was giving subsidies to sponsor dozens of new projects every year for the tourism industry. Leiper (2003) also stated ‘with the growing recognition of the tourism industry, banks and other financial institutions dealing with businesses have been more willing to