Hospitality

My wife and I have been married now for eight years and our next anniversary is a bit special. I know to most people the eight year anniversary is a bit meaningless, but we had got married exactly two years after we first started seeing each other, so our eight year anniversary was also our ten year anniversary of us being together. If you had asked me ten years ago, I would have told you that no oone would be able to put up with me for just one year, yet here I was happily married with a wife who still loved me very much. I really wanted to show her just how important she was to me after all these years so I decided to plan a vacation for her to coincide with our anniversary.

I started off by looking on the internet to find a decent hotel on one of the islands that wouldn’t absolutely wipe my bank balance out! After a while I found a very nice four star resort with nice views of the sea and a decent pool. Nothing too fancy, but certainly good neough for anyone staying for a week. After that I started to try to find a cheap flight or two and it was quite hard at first, but in the end I found some flights to Caribbean which were affordable to me at last.

With everything all set I sat my wife down and told her that I had a bit of a surprise. I said that for our anniversary we would be staying in the Caribbean for a week, and I think she nearly had a heart attack!

The popular holiday island of Lanzarote is an ideal destination for a villa break – whatever the time of year.  As the sun shines on this small Canary Island for twelve months of the year – thanks to its semi tropical climate and location off the coast of Morocco.

Lanzarote is one of seven Canary Islands – the best known of which is Tenerife.  All of which are owned by Spain – despite the fact that they are situated much closer to Africa than Europe.  This also explains why the islands enjoy great weather all year round – making them ideal for both summer and winter sun seekers.

Lanzarote is located at the eastern end of the chain and is much more arid and unspoiled than the bigger islands.  Yet still manages to welcome around 1.4 million visitors every year.  The majority of whom fly in from countries such as the UK and Germany in Northern Europe.

Once on the island many visitors rent a vehicle as car hire in Lanzarote is very cheap.  Before heading off to explore the islands many attractions – which include breathtaking natural wonders such as the Fire Mountains of Timanfaya – scene of a series of huge eruptions during the 18^th century.  And the many creations of a local artist, Cesar Manrique, who is also famous for having helped to thwart over development on the island of his birth.

Many visitors to the island now book their own accommodation online – thanks to the growth of the internet.  Which has created demand for Lanzarote villas and apartments – especially in the main resorts of Puerto del Carmen, Costa Teguise and Playa Blanca. Whilst rural tourism also enjoys a growing popularity.

Holiday villas in Playa Blanca are the cheapest self catering option for those seeking a villa break on the island.  As there is a large supply of good value rental accommodation in this fast-growing resort, located at the southern end of the island.  Holiday apartments also offer great value for money – and there are hundreds of complexes located in the largest resort on the island, Puerto del Carmen. With prices starting from around €180 per week.

Whilst Lanzarote enjoys good weather al year round it still has distinct seasons – with spring often bringing a burst of colourful flowers to  the side of the islands volcanoes.  Whilst autumn offers calmer and mellower weather after the heat of the summer months.

The economics of the 21^st century will be dominated by three industries: telecommunications, information technology and tourism. The travel and tourism industries have grown by 500% in the last 25 years and it is estimated that by the year 2007 tourists will spend US$884 billion in foreign countries on tourism related activities.

Travel and tourism represents a broad range of related industries. The growth of these industries has opened up many new job opportunities for graduates in areas such as:

• hotels
• restaurants
• retailing
• transportation
• travel agencies
• tour companies
• tourist attractions
• leisure, recreation and sport
• cultural industries

It is interesting to realise that in 1997 travel and tourism provides 10.5% of the total world employment, with up to 25% of all employment, in some areas, such as the Caribbean. It has been estimated that, by 2007, more than 100 million people world-wide will be employed in this sector. Because of this, tourism is now seen to be of importance to most countries of the world.

During this time, the nature of tourism has developed in scope and direction, away from traditional activities, such as the sunshine sand and sea holidays to a wide range of new activities such as cultural tourism, adventure tourism, sports and leisure activities and eco-tourism.

Given the potential for interesting and rewarding careers in these industries many young people are looking for suitable courses which will help prepare them for careers in management within the tourism and hospitality industries. The UK higher education system has a well developed range of courses, at all levels from Higher National Diploma, BA or BSc degrees and MA/MSc/MBA Masters courses and using alternative methods of studying, (including full-time, part-time and distance learning). When looking at courses in hospitality and tourism, there can seem to be a bewildering variety of course titles covering the main employment areas of travel, tourism, hotels and restaurants. Typical titles include:

For hotels and restaurant management:

• hospitality management
• international hospitality management
• hotel and catering management

For travel and tourism:

• tourism management
• tourism studies
• travel and tourism Read more…

Are you planning to study hotel management…or perhaps hospitality, tourism, business or a mix of one or more of these fields ?

With the myriad of choices out there, it is very easy to get lost or sidetracked into choosing the wrong institution. After all, education is big business these days…and hotel school marketers will go to great lengths to paint a rosy picture of their school and facilities.
When running a search on the internet for hotel and hospitality schools, one is presented with hundreds of options and adverts…breaking through the clutter can be quite difficult. Here are a few tips on some of the basics to look for when choosing a good hotel or tourism school:

1. Is the School recognized by official bodies?

It is vital that the hotel, hospitality or tourism school that you choose is recognized and accredited by the appropriate government bodies. This guarantees better recognition of your qualifications once you graduate. The best way to find out about this, especially in foreign markets is to check with the school directly on federal and local accreditations or run a search for official hotel school associations. A classic example is Switzerland, which is home to many hotel schools, but only a handful really measure up. For statistics on Swiss Hotel Schools, try the Swiss Hotel Schools Association

2. Course Levels and Options

Again, a keystone to your decision…what sort of options do you have for study? Are you interested in a Degree, Diploma, Professional Certification or just specialized, short-term courses? Not all schools have the same strengths when it comes to differing course options, therefore it is important to choose the institution with known prowess in the qualification levels you’re interested in. Time is also a crucial factor – degree studies can take from 3 to 4 years, diplomas upto 3 years and certifications from a few months to a year or more. It is important not to choose shorter courses, e.g. a Bachelors of Science in Hotel Management in 2 years, when this is not the standard…unless you’ve taken a closer look at the course structure and strength.

Speaking from experience, you’d be better off choosing the longer course – it usually pays off by giving you a better, stronger academic base to start with. If you are planning to study abroad, also check if the English language curriculum is well established and is not something that was recently conceived from another language.

3. Recognition by the market and peers

While goodwill may not be a tangible asset, it does add value to the balance sheet…and so will graduating from a well-recognized university or school. You may not have the budget to go to Cornell or the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, but do try and ask around (perhaps a friend or relative who has studied hospitality or works in the hotel / tourism industry) and see what names come up more often than others.

 
4. Affiliations
The School or University you choose can really help you network, raise your ‘value’ and find jobs and options for further studies if they have strong affiliations with other companies in and outside the industry. A classic example is a hotel school partly or fully owned by a tourism company, which also owns hotels, restaurants and other businesses. Your chances of finding a good job placement with this school is definitely enhanced due to the schools strong affiliations.

5. Student Strength and Diversity

Most hotel and hospitality schools proudly advertise the fact that they feature students and alumni from all over the world. Try and find out the exact figures, though. Check how many international students are enrolled on current courses that you’re interested in…being in an international crowd will not only make learning fun, but also give you a superb network that will most likely last a lifetime.

The hospitality industry is all about people, and studying with the best from diverse backgrounds will foster your creativity and inter-personal skills. Also important to check is the total number of students in the school or university, and how many students are included in each class / batch. There is a big difference in learning in a class comprised of 20 or 50 students!

6. Staff / Teacher / Educator Strength and Competency

This is probably the hardest thing to check before you enroll on a course or join a school…but can also be one of the most crucial. You need to know the quality of the product you are paying for…after all, good hospitality education doesn’t come cheap these days, with costs running to $25,000 per semester (or more) in some schools.

There are important questions to be asked – is the educator strength sufficient for the number of students in the school, are the teachers specialists in their field with relevant industry experience, are the teachers from diverse backgrounds, etc. Being taught by a strong educator with 20 years experience in the industry vs. someone who’s just graduated, with absolutely no experience (and it hurts to say this, but was probably hired by the school because he/she represented a cost savings on payroll) is an experience that is poles apart. Read more…