Essay Example on Tourism and Hospitality Stakeholders

The tourism and hospitality is the fastest growing industry compared to others. The sector is currently undergoing a myriad of organizational changes due to the mandates in the public sector reform policy. Stakeholders are important in such an industry because they ensure the long-term stability of the project and its outputs. In the tourism and hospitality industry, stakeholders include labor groups, certified organizations, volunteer and community agencies, Aboriginal groups as well as education and training providers. As well, in such an industry, stakeholder management is significant. The idea comes in when managers and planners implement processes which satisfy shareholders and various groups associated with the sector. Stakeholders can be either primary or secondary. Primary stakeholders are those who have legal relationships with the industry. On the other hand, secondary stakeholders are those who are influenced by the sector but do not have active interactions with the business. Due to the changes in globalization and technology, tourism and hospitality stakeholders plan for change regularly. These changes can be pricey, vital, and difficult to implement. Stakeholders are part of the Albertas tourism and hospitality industry. It is the leading economic growth in Canada and the world. The paper below aims to provide three temporary changes, which stakeholders in the tourism and hospitality industry need to consider.

The first change, which stakeholders need to consider, is to put affordable housing. Many communities in Alberta lack affordable housing. For example, key tourist destinations such as Banff, Canmore, and Jasper have a shortage of affordable housing. Stakeholders need to consider it as a temporary change, which will make tourists enjoy their time when they visit. Affordable housing for tourists will contribute to sustainable tourism. Nursey (2017) affirms that housing is a significant aspect in the tourism and hospitality industry. As he affirms, shortage of affordable housing is not just a hotel problem, but also a disruption in the quality of life. My observation during the field study research was that many tourists complained of the high amount they have to pay for their vacation. According to some of the tourists complaints, the tour destinations are exemplary, but the high prices, which they have to pay, affect their quality of stay in the area. Some even mentioned that they would like to stay longer in the area but they cannot do so due to the high hotel prices. During peak seasons, stakeholders in the tourism and hospitality industry need to change the prices for hotels to ensure that their guests are comfortable. Even so, University of Alberta Libraries (2007, p.7) indicates that the shortage of affordable housing contributes to the challenge of recruiting and retaining workers. As the author explains, the situation is more acute especially in rural areas of Alberta such as McMurray, Hinton, and Grand Prairie. Furthermore, the Albert street master plan has an aim of ensuring that there is a balance between pedestrian, business, cyclists, and vehicles. In their process of development, stakeholders need to ensure that they set affordable housing process for tourists during the peak months.

The second change, which stakeholders need to consider, is the participation of younger women. Truly, women comprise of the largest part in any tourism and hospitality industry. In the same case, Albertas workforce has the leading number of women. The declining labor force challenges in Alberta require younger women with children to intensify the challenges of labor supply in the industry (University of Alberta Libraries, 2017, p.5). Moreover, Cropp (2016, p.1) articulates that the Tourism Industry Association (TIA) estimates to recruit 47000 employees over the next decade with 8252 more accommodation managers, 6213 chefs, 4923 waiters, and 1866 baristas. As the author explains, during the peak season, there is an acute labor shortage in popular tourist destinations, which bring a decline in the level of services. Truly, even during my field trip observation research, I noticed a shortage of workers in the tourism and hospitality industry. The number of staff did not match up with the number of guests who visit the destination. Stakeholders, especially the labor groups, need to consider the gaps in staff within the industry. When they consider it as a temporary change during the peak season, there will be a balance between the staff and tourists. Younger women are vibrant. In fact, they are the best individuals to work in such an environment because they will know how to communicate with the tourist who visit various destinations. Most importantly, training programs will be effective to ensure that the right labor workforce fit the industry. Stakeholders need to ensure that younger women have active participation in the industry.

The third change, which stakeholders need to consider, is the immigration programs. According to University of Alberta Libraries (2007, p.6), the current immigration legislation policies and processes limit the potential supply of workers to meet the needs of tourism and hospitality industry. As the author adds, the immigration policies in Canada favor skilled worker over the unskilled. He explains that people who have the necessary skills have a higher chance of working in the tourism and hospitality industry. During my field trip observation, I noticed that the staff in hotels knows what their work perfectly. They appeared to have undergone intensive training before they joined the industry. Some of them mentioned that they have worked in the industry for more than ten years, which makes them more capable of treating tourists appropriately. More to the point, the author puts forward that Canadas temporary foreign work program is unresponsive to the needs of the tourism and hospitality industry. As he explains, a majority of employees do not have the time and resources to make applications that bring temporary foreign workers. On a broader perspective, there are a high number of immigrants in Canada. Therefore, stakeholders in the tourism and hospitality industry need to ensure that they change the immigration programs to ensure that immigrants get the jobs within the industry.

In summary, tourism stakeholders need to consider the changes mentioned above to ensure that they are at par with all the recent trends in the sector. Stakeholders play a huge role in determining the outcome of any business. As well, many organizations operate on a shifting situation, which can either be internal or external. Meeting the labor force challenge requires participation from all stakeholders. Strong participation and partnerships is necessary to ensure the implementation of a strong workforce. Tourism and hospitality industry is a dynamic environment that demands adaptability and capabilities to absorb change within the industrys environment. Organizational change marks the period of transition in any sector. Stakeholders in the tourism and hospitality sector ought to implement changes that consider the human touch to execute their processes successfully. Due to the nature of the industry, quality change is significant to meet the required criteria on operations.

References

Cropp, A. (2016). Hotel staff shortages spell trouble for tourism. Businessday. Retrieved from http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/75646138/hotel-staff-shortages-spell-trouble-for-tourism

Nursey, P. (2017). Comment: Vacation rentals concern is affordable housing for all. Times Colonist. Retrieved from http://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/op-ed/comment-vacation-rentals-concern-is-affordable-housing-for-all-1.21161027

University of Alberta Libraries. (2007). A Workforce Strategy for Albertas Tourism and Hospitality Industry. Retrieved from https://work.alberta.ca/documents/workforce-strategy-tourism-and-hospitality-industry.pdf