Page 28 - Tourism The International Business

This book is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License

Time can be saved by scheduling full passenger loads. If a tour operator can guarantee an airline a full plane of
tourists, the plane will leave when the operator wants it to leave. Departure times can then be scheduled that are
convenient to the traveler.

As the speed of today's planes increases it often takes less time to fly between two airports than it does to get
from the plane to downtown. Time is spent getting off the plane, waiting for luggage, finding ground transportation,
and fighting the traffic in what is often a long journey, both in distance and time, to the downtown area. Time can
be saved by considering ways to improve the travel from terminal to town by such means as high-speed rail
connections. Passengers at Chicago's O'Hare and London's Heathrow airports can deplane and, without leaving
cover, get on a train or tube to take them into the city.
Finally, time can be saved through the discovery and use of new devices such as radar and automatic signaling

devices. Advances in these areas made during World War II were used after the war in the commercial airline
industry to improve service.
Hospitality
The hospitality of an area is the general feeling of welcome that tourists receive while visiting the area. People do

not want to go where they do not feel welcome. When most people think back on a trip it is not the weather or the
scenery that comes to mind. Most often it is a memory of people, positive or negative interactions with other
tourists, with the people of the destination, or with the employees of restaurants, hotels and shops.
Destinations can encourage a feeling of hospitality in several ways. First, it may be necessary to conduct a
program to inform residents of the destination of what tourism can do and is doing for their area. Too often the
residents only see the negatives, the long lines and high prices caused, they feel, by tourists. A community
awareness program can show the benefits of both tourism and tourists. More specifically, for those who come into

contact with tourists through their work, hospitality training may be necessary. Employees can be instructed in
such things as the importance of appearance, greeting guests, and being helpful.
Each time a tourist meets an employee or resident of a tourist area is a "moment of truth".

Exhibit 12: Jamaican hospitality.
(Courtesy Jamaica Tourist Board.)

Tourism the International Business 28 A Global Text