After reading this chapter, you should be able to :

CHAPTER 8 • THEGuest 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. • Identify and describe types of travel and the specific wants and service needs of the travelers in the segments. • Define and identify the three components of providing quality service to travelers. • Identify and explain the dynamics of the macro-environment of tourism. • Explain the changes in tourism and detail how it affects the service of guests.

Introduction • 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.

Introduction (cont’d) • Consider the following statements: • It is very difficult to quantify and control for a favorable outcome. • Much is demanded of you. • Must always be vigilant of vulnerabilities that are largely outside your direct control.

1. Know the Product • STEP 1: Know the Product • The people • Transportation • Cycles of rates • Crowd flows • Calendars • Health factors • Social climates • Personal safety • Pricing strategies • Major players • Cultures • Governance • Societal norms • Laws • Reviews • Classifications • Lodging

1. Know the Product-Types of Travel and Tourism • There are many types of travel • Business travel: • Business functions, development, incentive • Leisure travel: • Adventure, cruise, golf, honeymoons, eco, family, luxury, spa, special lifestyle, winery

1. Know the Product-Qualities of Travel & Tourism • Intangibility of products. • Cannot be sampled or held before being consumed • Must provide prospective customers with a vision of what it would be. • There are many ways to do this: • Websites • Posters • Familiarization (fam) tour • Personal experiences • Ratings • Reviews • An experience is unique to all. • You must know the person and the product in order to match. It is an art. • This is what makes or breaks customer service.

1. Know the Product-Changes in Travel & Tourism • 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.

2. Know the Client-Understanding the Guest • 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

2. Know the Client- Learn their Motivations • 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.

3. Know Yourself – The Travel Professional • 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 world: • Language • Culture • Empathy

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)

4. Blend the Goals 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

Discussion Questions • Why might a client want an open-jaw flight? • Why is eco-tourism good for the community? • What is the difference between a tour guide and a tour operator? • Why is tourism so difficult to define? • List and briefly describe five types of leisure travel. • How does intangibility and heterogeneity apply to travel and tourism? • What is niche travel, and how can it be an effective means of pleasing your client? • How has the field of travel and tourism changed in the past few years? • What are some of the essential qualities of a travel professional? • What are the three main things that you should know in order to provide quality service to enhance a customer’s travel experience?

After reading this chapter, you should be able to :