Monday, January 27, 2020

Factors That Attract Tourist To The Caribbean Tourism Essay

Factors That Attract Tourist To The Caribbean Tourism Essay It is considered to be the most important aspect of the hospitality industry, to demonstrate high levels of quality service. The hospitality industry emanates from the principle that the customer needs to be treated with priority, and should see incomparable value in the service delivered. Customers will be willing to spend their last dollar on services that surpass their expectations. On the contrary, dissatisfaction with service rendered will have customers look elsewhere for value offerings from the competition. Some hospitality Industries may provide the best service, but if these industries are not efficient and innovative with services offered, they may lose an important customer and several other referrals. These industries have to be cognizant that if their customers are not satisfied, they may lose the opportunity to break even and to keep their doors open. Understanding that customers are the wind that keeps the company above ground, they have to keep learning how to constantly innovate to meet high expectations and provide good service. The customer should be the center of your universe and the services provided should be designed around your customer. Quality in the hospitality industry also involves consistent delivery of products and improved guest services according to expected standards. They are various tools that measure and improve quality service, as well as mechanisms for quality recognition in the hospitality industry. One such mechanism is the systematic method of Quality assurance which refers to any planned and activity directed towards providing consumers with goods and service of appropriate quality, along with the confidence that they meet customer requirements. The hospitality industry thrives on convenience. If your customer service is missing this essential ingredient, your business wont last long unless you bring about changes that demonstrate your commitment to customer satisfaction. Hospitality industries were built to offer the basics of convenience to customers. Today, as the industry is expanding and the competition is growing, hotel conglomerates are getting innovative and thinking of means to achieve the highest standards in convenience offerings. Customers are now making their decision on which Hotel they stay base on remarks made about the accommodation from previous quest. So it is essential that these industries ensure that they maintain high level of customer satisfaction to grow customer visit/stay. Unlike the Hospitality Industry, some services and goods manufacturers will never meet with customers face to face. They often will only ensure that the product gets to the customer and satisfy their needs. However the Hospitality Industry cannot offer this same method of services. The industry can never survive unless customers get and feel of what they are buying into. These industries are service oriented, but retail industry speaks to good for resale. Retail companies have their nest of challenges too, they have to figure out where they are going to manufacture it, how to get the product to the market who wants to sell it, and once its in the market how to promote it. Even with all the challenges faced by the retail industries the hospitality industries face greater difficulties as they have to use the same service being constantly innovative in keeping the demand for such product lucrative. Hence one can assume that the hospitality industries require far more attention to mainta in its relevance COMMUNITY-BASED TOURISM PROS:- Community-based tourism is an alternative tourism product being developed in Jamaica and to some -extent, in the Caribbean region. The intent behind this cultural up-close opportunity is to meet the varying needs of the local and overseas vacationers seeking a natural experience. Traditional tourists in search of sun, sand and sea still remain the largest segment of the tourism market. There is, however, a growing market for an alternative tourism product that is heritage-, cultural- or nature-based in a rural setting. This presents an opportunity for Jamaica to position itself to offer a wide array of tourism products. Community tourism is not a brand of tourism, but rather a type of ownership and management arrangement. One set of alternative tourism products focuses on Jamaicas history, culture and nature-based attractions in rural communities outside the main resort areas. This method of tourism is one or a combination of tourism products offered at a community level to domestic or international visitors. In the Jamaican context, community-based tourism usually refers to visitor interaction with local people in rural areas. This based tourism has the potential to significantly boost employment. Community tourism is about new levels of relationships between the host country (Jamaica) and the visitors. What is a appealing to the visitor is found among the varied natural attractions, local resources and talents, and indigenous attributes of the Jamaican communities. Community based tourism enables tourists to discover local habitats and wildlife, and celebrates and respects traditional cultures, rituals and wisdom. The community will be aware of the commercial and social value placed on their natural and cultural heritage through tourism, and this will foster community based conservation of these resources. Community-based tourism affords travelers with rare opportunities to experience local communities first hand. Its distinctive in that it provides an alternative to development thats not sustainable, giving rural and poor communities an additional source of income in supporting community-based tourism; you can immerse yourself in the day-to-day lives of local and indigenous people while helping them to preserve their environment and cultural heritage. The residents earn income as land managers, entrepreneurs, service and produce providers, and employees. At least part of the tourist income is set aside for projects which provide benefits to the community as a whole. Tourists will spend time near areas that are rich in culture and biodiversity, and, at the same time, will get to know the locals at the grassroots level. CONS:- Whilst many will argue that community-based tourism will strengthen the local structures of the communities they are others that will say that it has seen some negative impact of the same or no impact at all. In many cases, tourism does not benefit local people as too much money is spent on imported goods or with foreign tour operators and only urban areas see some economic benefits, Money generated by tourism does not always benefit the local community, as some of it leaks out to huge international companies, such as hotel chains. When tourism sectors arent properly monitored, its impacts can be grave. Trending from land and housing taking over for tourism infrastructure, eroding social and cultural norms, whilst encourage begging and prostitution. Successful community-based tourism relies on establishing a basic infrastructure, such as roads, visitor centers and hotels. The cost of this usually falls on the government, and is funded by tax revenues. Jobs created by tourism are often seasonal and poorly paid, yet tourism can push up local property prices and the cost of goods and services. Destinations dependent on tourism can be adversely affected by events such as terrorism, natural disasters and economic recession. Visitor behavior can have a detrimental effect on the quality of life of the host community. For example, crowding and congestion, drugs and alcohol problems, prostitution and increased crime levels can occur. Tourism can even infringe on human rights, with locals being displaced from their land to make way for new hotels or barred from beaches. Interaction with tourists can also lead to an erosion of traditional cultures and values. Tourism poses a threat to a regions natural and cultural resources, such as water supply, beaches, coral reefs and heritage sites, through overuse. It also causes increased pollution through traffic emissions, littering, increased sewage production and noise. Communities are encouraged to weigh the cost of these project and development to ensure that the introductions and implementations of these community oriented tourism, will bring about more benefits in the development of its social, environmental and economical framework. Factors that attract tourist to the Caribbean:- The Caribbean region attracts tourist seeking a family or exotic romantic getaway, or a sunny break from the harsh cold winters of their countries. Offering year-round sunny, warm weather with cool breezes, tropical beaches, cultural carnivals, peace and tranquility and delicious food; its perfect vacation location, especially for Canadians, Europeans and Americans. Ease of Access For most people living in the northern hemisphere, the Caribbean is the quickest getaway destination where they can be on a beach with a colorful drink in one to four hours. The Bahamas, for instance, has islands that are barely 50 miles away from Florida. This has made the Caribbean a favorite of many travelers and contributes to tourist growth. Airlines continue to create more flights such as the JetBlue route from both Boston and New York to the Turks and Caicos. And for those who prefer not to fly, there are several cruise ship options. These include the Royal Caribbean Cruises that visit the Bahamas, St. Thomas and the Disney Cruise Lines, which are tailored for families. Cost As noted above, there are many options for getting to the Caribbean. as a result, reaching the region is equally affordable, especially when compared with other destinations in Europe, Asia and even parts of Latin America. You can find an affordable ticket for a quick trip during off season when there are fewer tourists. And for large islands with airports that are hubs for air carriers, like the Bahamas and Puerto Rico, cheap tickets are available almost year round. And upon arriving, visitors can enjoy themselves without going broke. Save, for sure, if they choose to shop at prime luxury stores, this affordability is an essential factor in the regions tourism growth. The mild and tropical climate along with the long and extensive soft sand beaches, the palm trees aligning the beaches and the sweet aroma of the tropical flowers and fruits in the air, has rendered much to the Tourism in Caribbean. The lush green environment, the charming sunrise and sunset views, the turquoise lagoon, the warm waters of the ocean and spectacular views of the sea, all combine together to make the Caribbean countries perfect spots for an unforgettable holiday retreat. While in the Caribbean tourist also shop. They shop for various products including garments, beachwear, shoes, accessories, souvenirs, gifts and handicrafts. The small shops along the beaches are ideal places to shop for the local artistic goods at reasonable prices. Accommodations The Caribbean has a variety of accommodations from high-end luxury resorts to bed and breakfasts and everything in between. These options mean that visitors of all economic levels can come to the region. But in addition to the accommodations is the affordable cost. Resorts and hotels continue to present competitively priced accommodations that attract visitors. Reputation The Caribbean has been visited by tourists since the 1800s, and tales of its beauty and relaxing environment precede it. In fact, the Royal Victorian Hotel was built in the Bahamas during the American Civil War, one of the first such establishments in the region. This continuing good reputation makes it easy for tourists to visit for the first time or return for a repeat vacation. Also, the region is known for being safe, alleviating concern from families and single visitors. Events and Conferences Events and Conferences are also major reason people travel. The Caribbean is the perfect destination for conferences and event planners. Its natural beauty and climate is just amazing. Questionnaires What is it that you do exactly? What do you enjoy most about your job? What are the roles and responsibilities of a hotel manager?   What job specific tasks did you performed in your previous hotel?   What is your area of skill?   What are some of your weak points?   What qualifications, skills and abilities do you have? Can you tell state some of the different sectors in the hotel industry? Answers What is it that you do exactly? I am responsible for the entire operation at the Spanish court hotel, making sure that all our guests are happy and want to come back and also recommend our hotel to their family, friends and colleagues. Its fun to work closely with all the different Heads of Department towards the same goal of offering excellent guest services. What do you enjoy most about your job? To be fortunate to do what I am passionate about. I love all the various aspects of the capital city hotel. Its the contact with the guests at the lobby, welcoming them to our executive lounge, inviting people  for a thrilling wine and dinner in one of our amazing restaurants, as well as Working with colleagues and associates. Am swollen with pride of what I do, and of the hotel I work for. What are the roles and responsibilities of a hotel manager?   A hotel manager has to perform large number of important roles and responsibilities. He or she must ensure that the hotel is been managed properly and is required to prepare a yearly reports and submit them to the hotel owner. They even set hotel service standards as well as choose extra services or amenities to make the hotel more appealing to travelers. What job specific tasks did you performed in your previous hotel?   The job specific tasks which I performed include training newly recruited assistants, creating and delivering the payroll records, managing records of employees, motivating employees and managing different programs and seminars to increase efficiency of workers. I even handled and coordinated the food and beverage operations for a period of time. What is your area of skill?   I have specialization in financial and strategic planning, profit and loss management, hotel administration, accounts maintenance, marketing, housekeeping, food and beverage management, catering and maintenance. What are some of your weak points?   This is a nice question which gives you an excellent opportunity to put an optimistic turn on something negative. You have to shape your negatives into positives. Like in weakness you can say that I am way too focused towards my work and I think I should make time for myself. It is very important to be prepared for an interview. During the course of an interview, you may be asked a variety of questions. Just one bad answer can stand out and cost you the job. So be prepare and practice well before interview. What qualifications, skills and abilities do you have? I have plenty experience in this field, possess good knowledge in all phases, departments and shifts of hotel operations. I have supreme guest relation skills especially in creating special touches and resolving guest problems and concerns. I have strong computer skills and I can easily operate hotel systems. I have worked successfully in team as well as individual work environment. Can you state some of the different sectors in hotel industry? Sectors in hotel industry are housekeeping, accounting, maintenance, public relations, security, sales, food and beverages, and front office. Housekeeping this sector is responsible for the spreading of beds and making sure the rooms is kept up to standard for our guest. Accounting maintain the general and subsidiary ledgers; process and record all revenues and prepare general purpose financial statements. Maintenance This department is responsible for the condition of engineering facilities that contribute to the comfort of guest and increase the efficiency of staff. Public relation- responsible for managing the flow of  information  between our hotel  and the  public. Security to protect the guests and staffs of the hotel, including all of our assets. Sales- The sales department is the channel of how well our services are introduced to the marketplace. Food and Beverages this Department is responsible for maintaining high quality food and service, food costing, managing restaurants, bars, etc. Front office Members of the front-office staff welcome the guests, help with their luggage, and assist in registering, provide them with their room keys and mails, answer questions about the activities in the hotel and surrounding area.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Dangers of the Internet :: Internet Pornography

Surfing the Internet can truly be fun sometimes. Many times you don’t realize how long you been in there until you sign out and your server tell you that you have spent many hours surfing the net, either that or the sunshine begins to bug you. Yet there’s something that has began to bother me every time I surf the net. I feel that I just can’t trust anyone. People are using this way of communication to be free about anything .It scares me how it is so easy to create identities through the digital world of computers to surf the life of the Internet. I feel the evolution of computers is influencing our way of living and our lives. In Sherry Turkle’s article she tells us the different ways of creating games, alternate identities and lives people assume when they are "gaming" online as she calls it (456).Free speech , privacy, people sending you all kinds of stuff over the internet–porn for example I’m really tired of it! . All I know is that every time I check my Email box there are piles of messages coming up like â€Å"Are you Horny?† and many other that are so indecent to say. I feel that we are not protected from the internet. There must be a way to control these unwanted messages, because my block sender feature seems not to work. Calling Aol to change my password doesn’t either. What can we do? For me it is scary sometimes I’m not against technology at all but there must be a way that technology doesn’t take over. I always wonder how people sending pornographic web pages get our emails address, I assume that they probably steal or buy our information from Internet servers. I guess is it just like when you get junk mail from businesses that mail you advertisement from items you never inquire about. That sucks if people get their advertisement from stealing our addresses, or using â€Å"cookies† to store our information. I’m not really sure. I assume another probable way is picking at random which I think is odd because everyone I ask says that they are tired of getting unwanted messages. My cousin who’s 14 yrs. o lds gets dozens of messages a week. Not only are these kids getting messages but, they are being tricked into going to these pornographic web pages. How dangerous is that because who knows how many thousand or million children and teens are being exposed to that junk.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Coffee Shops and Mobile Apps

Researcher Role The researcher role in this qualitative study was to oversee the data collection process and analysis of the study. The data collection and analysis process consists of gathering and measuring themes of interest in a fashion that answer questions and evaluate outcomes. Participants The population of this study was employees and customers of coffee shops.The participants for this convenience sampled, interview study consisted of employees and customers of local coffee shops located in the Saint Paul, MN. Participants were contacted in person and asked to participate in the study. Overall 15 customers and employees were solicited. Participants were told a brief overview of the purpose of the study and presented a consent form. The consent form contained information relating to the purpose of the study and information ensuring the participant that their identity and confidentiality would not be compromised.Data Collection Technique Before collecting data, the researcher completed the required ethical training by reviewing and understanding the ethical principles and guidelines for the protection of human subjects of research. Informed Consent A walk up approach method was used to solicit prospective participants for this study. It was stressed that participation was voluntary and confidential. A letter in Appendix A was prepared for interested parties. If prospective participants did not show an interest in the interview, they could Just decline to participate and no further involvement was needed.Instruments The two data collection instruments, one for employees and one for customers, were composed six structured open-ended questions in Appendix B. The questions were designed to capture participant feelings about mobile app technology and its adaptability to coffee shops. Data Collection Data was collected through an in person structured open-ended interview. The researchers were able to interview the participant during the end of the work day by walking up to the prospective participant and asking if they had a couple of minutes to answer a couple of questions.The researcher would then ask the participant six questions and record the participant response. The interview would end with the researcher thanking the participant for their time. Data Analysis Data Analysis Technique The raw data was separated into the two instruments and analyzed by group first. Through the first pass of each questionnaire, the researcher highlighted and noted interesting thoughts from each of the individuals and then determined which comments stuck out more frequently and noticed comments that were unique but very valid points, both for and against the mobile app idea.By doing this, the researcher was able to develop themes and then make an assessment as to if the customer or employee saw potential with the app and if there was going to be a level of demand high enough to support the amount of investment and increase in resources within the coffe e shops. Data Analysis – Customers The researcher was able to get 8 customers varying in age and gender to take the 10 to 15 minutes with me to answer the 6 question questionnaire. As expected, the researcher got many similar answers to the questions however; the researcher did collect some very interesting comments that were unique.It was found that of all the customers have heard of this mobile app technology and of those, 75% said that they would use the technology if it were available. The main theme for participants who said yes was because they thought it would be a great way to save time and avoid re typically compulsive and would not want to use a telephone to order in their vehicle. The customers who answered yes agreed that they would use it for all of the items on the menu, especially the food items because those tend to take a little longer.When asked about potential complications all said they could see things going wrong particularly regarding the quality and te mperature of the pre-ordered items. A few were concerned about the actual mobile app technology staying current and functional. Another idea was to add a feature to the app to act as a reward punch card. Data Analysis – Employees The employees, on the other hand, had a bit of a different view on the functionality of having a mobile app ordering process.All seven of the employees interviewed shared the knowledge of the technology, but only 14% thought that it would work and the others thought that it only could work or it would be rather challenging to implement successfully. The employees shared the same concerns as the customer about quality and temperature however, this was more of their focus because they have certain standards they have to meet based on their business model. It was also made apparent that the majority of coffee shops business model involves face-to-face contact for suggestive selling and for customers to come in and stay a while.Many of the employees thou ght that there would have to be a dedicated member working in a distinctly different area of the store with more resources, for example more screens, a new POS system, more counter space and more employees. Some of the thoughts were that mobile app users and regular order in customers should not be forced to be in the same line. This could cause client satisfaction to be decreased. That being said the employees did have many positive things to say about the mobile app.Many thought that there would be more organization behind the counter and it could increase sales and revenue and it could reach a completely new realm of clients. Some thought that this would work great for locations with a drive thru window. Many said that this would be a great opportunity for larger orders for example when people need coffee for more than 5 people at once. The larger coffee canteens take a while to make and get ready for customer pickup especially during busy times. Lastly, to go with that it was sa id by many that they could see this working much better if there were a limited menu for the app.Limitations/Delimitation's Limitations in this exploratory research were that when trying to interview employees, there were a couple of times we were rushed or interrupted because of customers. In addition, we were limited to only the population that was in the coffee shop at that time therefore not allowing for a large demographic diversity. Population and Sampling The target population of this study consisted of customers of a coffee shop in the United States. The expected size of the sample was over 25 participants where we didn't know anything about if they even drank coffee or visited coffee shops.Also we had no idea if they were handy with mobile APS. Data Collection E-mail or a message board requests via Backbone and Linked were used for this study. This method made sure that participants knew this was voluntary and confidential. A letter on the first page of the survey was prepa red for interested parties to learn more about the study. If potential participants did not want to partake in the survey, they could disregard the request and no further contribution as needed. Instrument The data collection instrument (Appendix C) was composed mostly of quantitative closed-ended questions.

Friday, January 3, 2020

Swot Analysis Target Marketing - 1194 Words

SWOT analysis of Target: Strengths: Target has a lot of services and product as well as red card which use for 5% save and free freight. Company’s website includes entire store and provide plenty of offers in every week. Many features like ability of verifying if product is in a particular location. For client refreshment providers inside target Coffee house. Though, online strike was a black section in Target’s history, still able to sustain clients even after data violation. They provide give 5% of benefit to local neighborhoods. Weakness: Target customer service- not as delightful as the presentation, low salary with high turnover rate can be a reason of it. Target receives a red dog as a reward instead of a monitory reward. Recent activities have shown little preparedness for prevention against cyber-attacks and fraud activity. In globally, only India has target stores. Opportunities: Target express in testing and collaboration with designing. Shops, artists, enable red credit cards with master credit cards chip and pin to secure payments. Target carry natural and organic brand, besides the company is developing in Canada. Threats: Target’s number one competitor is Wal-Mart, which also competition with general retail stores. Plans to prevent Cyber Attack: Defending organization’s and customers’ details from crime, lack of availability, or details loss is essential in maintaining your ability to provide essential alternatives to organization and customers. As part ofShow MoreRelatedMarketing Plan Soft Drink Company 1st Half1495 Words   |  6 PagesExecutive Summary The following plan is intended to provide a basic marketing communications plan for a fictitious company. The company in question operates in China and produces soft drinks, particularly adult soft drinks. The information in the plan has been sourced from various textbooks and online research including the National Bureau of Statistics China. 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