Customer service at its finest
HOSPITALITY is a human instinct that comes to us as naturally as eating and sleeping. Most of us like to make sure that people around us are comfortable, but some go above and beyond to make this happen.
Love talking to people and having their needs tended to? Interested in food preparation and presentation techniques? How about travelling the globe on a cruise, meeting people from different cultures and learning new languages?
If you have any of the above attributes, you may want to consider a career in hospitality and tourism.
The hospitality industry is growing at unprecedented levels, providing many career options for individuals who have the right training and education for this vast and exciting industry.
According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, the tourism industry will host one in 10 jobs globally by 2025, generating nearly seven million jobs per year over the next decade.
Bed and breakfast
Online accommodation marketplaces such as Airbnb mean individuals and corporations are branching out and looking for more innovative options for travellers.
One-of-a-kind accommodations are not limited to upper-class travellers anymore. Today, everyone can find a good deal on a hotel, inn, cottage or even someone else’s basement and not break the bank while travelling.
With the accommodation scene growing more diverse, new talent and perspectives are needed to cater to the future needs of the industry, especially with its heavy dependence on people-pleasing.
Many universities in Malaysia have been attempting to meet this demand by tailoring wider-scope, more skill-specific courses of study to churn out the kind of individuals needed to support the local hospitality sector.
A common misconception about the hospitality industry is that careers are limited to low-paying, janitorial positions.
This is no longer the case today as diverse options include positions in theme park management, housekeeping coordination and event planning.
The good news for graduates in this area is that in the coming years, the industry will likely provide more training and development for existing staff, retain individuals who show potential for growth, increase the minimum wage and offer structured career development opportunities at points of hire.
Most importantly, careers can take off in many directions including hotel management, travel and tourism, event management, sports and entertainment, and other service sectors such as luxury brands and banking.
To put things into perspective, the local tourism revenue (which directly and indirectly contributes to other hospitality sectors) in Malaysia last year was a whopping RM82bil, according to Malaysian tourism online portal mytourismdata.tourism.gov.my. The impressive figure is RM66mil higher than the previous year’s performance.
An increasingly popular convention is to put accommodation and food services within the same establishment – think room service, in-house ballrooms, hotel breakfast buffets and camping sites with common dining halls.
At the very least, commercial accommodations are expected to provide simple continental breakfast items or light local fare.
This practice indicates a bright future for the food and beverage industry and the kind of careers that could be created in the future. The fact remains that wherever there are people, there needs to be food.
In addition, the surge in the number of “hipster” cafés and the inherent do-better nature of the industry have kick-started positive growth, encouraged development of different subsectors and introduced more diverse areas of study in the industry.
For the immersive experience
Everyone needs a guiding voice, especially on unfamiliar ground. The rising popularity of the “do as the locals do” approach has driven tour operators to offer a wider range of services for tourists’ different needs, from those who want to slum it to those who prefer a more comfortable experience.
The digital world has caught up to the tourism and travel industry with online platforms such as Withlocals and Couchsurfing. These platforms allow you to connect and make friends with people in the country you plan to visit under the assumption that they will act as your unofficial tour guides when you arrive.
With such innovations in how travel tours are being conducted now, traditional tour agencies find themselves having to step up their game.
Industry professionals now realise that tourism cannot be offered from a one-size-fits-all approach and there is a new niche in the market for entrepreneurial thinkers just like the founders of Withlocals and Couchsurfing.
Who knows, in the future, there could very well be an entirely different way in how tourists want to explore their destinations, and you could be at the centre of that change.
In the lap of luxury
Focusing on getting your money’s worth is a thing of the past. Sure, affordability is still an important aspect, but what is a lower price compared to memories of a good travel experience?
The phenomenon of experiential value has swept across industries, taking over everything from the fitness to automotive industry. It is all about how something makes you feel as opposed to how much it made you spend.
A significant trend is the rise of experiential luxury, including categories such as high-end food and wine, luxury hotels, and exclusive vacations.
According to solutions provider The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), nearly half of all consumers say they are buying fewer products and purchasing more experiences.
The BCG projects that by 2022, the experiential segment will account for nearly two-thirds of the total luxury market – representing a fundamental shift in consumer behaviour from “owning” to “being”.
The future of luxury is promising for graduates who have the right skills and experience to start a career in this high-pressure industry.
A degree in hospitality can equip you with the right soft skills, interpersonal abilities and flair for language that the experiential luxury industry is looking for to meet the level of service expected by customers.
With so many perks, benefits and potential for growth in the industry, pursuing your dream job in hospitality should be an easy decision to make.
To begin your journey, make sure you research programmes from a few different learning institutions first before committing to any of them.
With the accommodation scene growing more diverse, new talent and perspectives are needed to cater to the future needs of the industry, especially with its heavy dependence on people-pleasing.