Emerging Trends and Issues in Travel and Tourism Management Essay

This essay provides an analysis of the travel and tourism industry, exploring emerging trends and issues such as globalization, taxation, social issues, employment, and technology. It examines the impact of these factors on the industry, including currency changes, customer service, and transportation challenges. The essay also delves into sustainability issues, including environmental concerns, terrorism, and food safety. Furthermore, it highlights the role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in addressing these issues, emphasizing its contribution to sustainability through responsible resource use, pollution reduction, and fair treatment of employees. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of government and CSR initiatives in resolving industry challenges and enhancing the overall experience for tourists. The essay also includes references to various books and journals that support the arguments.

Trends and Issues in Travel
and Tourism Management

Travel and tourism is considered as one of the industries that provide a major part of the
economic growth to the country. These are defined as some temporary moments of a person or a
family which involves staying at a place that is away from home and having fun there. It can also
include exploring the nature. There can be various factors that motivate people to travel more
such as the beauty of the nature, ancient religious pilgrimages, having fun from daily hectic
routine schedule, etc. (Xiang and Gretzel, 2010). The essay is about analysing the emergence of
new trends and issues in the travel and tourism industry. Along with this, it includes the impact
of corporate social responsibility on sustainability issues.
There are various trends and issues that are going in the travel and tourist sector. Some
basic and well known examples are the globalisation, taxations, social issues, employment,
technology, etc. All these have a different impact on the tourist and travel industry. Changes in
the currency like the recent case of implementation of the euro and other aviation policies, such
factors throws an impact on the industry. These have a huge impact on the tourism industry. It is
because when the people travel from one place to another, there are some other rules for taxation
and currency as well such as after the entry of the people in the new place, they have to change
their existing currency in the one to which they are visiting. After changing the currency only,
then can shop and spend their money.
Another important factor, customer service acts very important such as giving smile to
the customer, shaking hands with them are some small efforts makes the customer happy (Mok,
Sparks and Kadampully, 2013). So, the management should focus on providing sufficient
guidance to the staff members so that no such situation can happen where the customer's may
feel disappointed. But sometimes, people have to face some issues regarding this because of
which they are not able to spend their money and also can't be able to have fun. The tourism
industry must understand the fact that they have to take care of the needs of the tourists by
providing them each possible benefit. Also, transportation is considered as one of the important
issues as while people travel from one destination spot to another, charges are high for
transportation. The cabs and the buses charge a huge amount from the tourists for moving from

one destination spot to another. So, now the people plan even shorter trips and it is however
affecting the tourism industry only.
The travel and tourism industry should focus on minimization of the transportation
charges so that people can plan longer trips and have fun to the limits. This will however,
maximize the business of the tourism. Also, there are various sustainability issues the tourism
company is facing. Sustainability development is also an important factor that needs to be
concerned. Sustainability development means that the utilization of resources in a way that it can
be further used by the future generations. It is because; the future generation has also equal rights
for using the resources and benefits, which the present generation is using. It also includes the
safety of tourists and for maintaining this, various measures should have been taken. Like in any
destination spot, terrorism has a major impact as it destroys the natural beauty of destination spot
(Scott and Becken, 2010). After the whole natural property has been destroyed, the place lose its
charm, so it is obvious enough that people may not want to visit that place. So, the travel and
tourism sector should ensure the fact that these damages have been recovered fast so that the
beauty and culture of the place stay maintained and represented as well. The government uses the
amount that has been collected by the people itself such as the tax amount etc., is being used in
modifying the infrastructures and the processes that needs to be changed or modified. Food and
safety is also a factor that creates various issues in the travel and tourism industry. The food and
meals that is available at these places for the tourists is not often healthy. The vendors there use
the food as well that has not been sold the last day (Xiang and Gretzel, 2010).
So, they make use of it and sell it without concerning the fact that it is unhealthy. So,
many people have been sick because of it. Also, they sell at a quite more price than the general
rate of the product and the tourists also have to purchase it as at such tourists destinations, there
are some specific vendors only and no other nearby availabilities are there other than this. So, the
people also have to purchase it from them at more prices. Various other sustainability issues
involve the carbon and the other emissions because an increased burden can affect the future
profitability of the tourist company (Spenceley, 2012). The sector has given various unemployed
people, an opportunity to work and earn money rather than begging from people. So, the travel
and tourist industry has also given employment to a huge number of people. The travel and
tourism sector should ensure the fact that these unemployed people must be properly trained so
that they can learn about different ways how they can communicate with the visitors and the

accurate way they have to talk with the visitors. It is very essential because the way people
interact is very important and no visitor or customer want that any vendor or the shop keeper
there at the tourist destinations should misbehave with them (Coles, Fenclova and Dinan, 2013).
So, speaking and interacting in an accurate manner is very important as it can please as well as
disappoint the visitors. So, the travel and tourism sector must ensure the fact that the staff should
treat well the visitors and speak in a pleasant way. Because of the poor hygienic of the food stalls
and vendors there, the travel and tourism sector should ensure that all the catering operations
should be traced by some authority and ensure all the hygienic measures so that the tourists may
not have to face any issue regarding the meals and their health as well (Moutinho, 2011).
The corporate social responsibility is considered as a sort of commitment for enhancing
the maintenance and well-being by means of various business practices that can help in dealing
with such issues. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) can provide a great contribution towards
the sustainability as it helps in integrating the social and environmental concerns in the business
operations and also, in the interaction with various stakeholders (Kusluvan and et.al., 2010). The
measures of tourism by the corporate social responsibility include a responsible use of cultural
as well as natural resources. Also, the corporate social responsibility focuses on various ways by
which it can minimize pollution and the wastages being done (Hall, Timothy and Duval, 2012).
The corporate social responsibility also focuses on treating all the employees and staff equally
and without any sort of discrimination. The corporate social responsibilities have become a
major part of all strategies in the tourism business.
The forte of the corporate social responsibilities is the promotion of a more tangible and
ever lasting commitment for the ethics and principles for the maintenance of the responsibility
and sustainability of tourism. The initiatives have been made in order to protect the sustainability
of the environment so that the future generations can also be able to make proper use of the
resources which are currently being used by the current generation. There are various
infrastructures at these tourist destination spots that do not have sufficient public convenience
and they lack of it (Evans, Stonehouse and Campbell, 2012). But people who visit these
destination spots get disappointed by the fact if there are not present any sanitation facilities and
other public conveniences. The initiatives by corporate social responsibility (CSR) also includes
the solutions to these issues by providing a proper structure of public conveniences that should
be included in all the destination spots of the travel and tourism (Buhalis and Darcy, 2011). The

public conveniences would be including all the sanitation facilities along with all water facilities.
It will help the tourists to have a comfortable stay as they do not have to worry about these
issues.
From the essay, it can be concluded that as travel and tourism plays a very important role
in increasing the economy of the world but along with it, it has various issues as well such as the
health and safety of the tourists, transportation issues etc., which the visitors have to face
sometimes. But the government has developed various initiatives including the corporate social
responsibility initiatives which can help in providing help by including various practices and
procedures which can help in resolving the issues. It will further help the travel and tourism
industry in gaining a large number of satisfied and happy tourists.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Buhalis, D. and Darcy, S. eds., 2011. Accessible tourism: Concepts and issues (Vol. 45).
Channel View Publications.
Coles, T., Fenclova, E. and Dinan, C., 2013. Tourism and corporate social responsibility: A
critical review and research agenda. Tourism Management Perspectives. 6. pp.122-141.
Evans, N., Stonehouse, G. and Campbell, D., 2012. Strategic management for travel and
tourism. Taylor & Francis.
Hall, C. M., Timothy, D. J. and Duval, D. T., 2012. Safety and security in tourism: relationships,
management, and marketing. Routledge.
Kusluvan, S. and et.al., 2010. The human dimension: A review of human resources management
issues in the tourism and hospitality industry. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly. 51(2).
pp.171-214.
Mok, C., Sparks, B. and Kadampully, J., 2013. Service quality management in hospitality,
tourism, and leisure. Routledge.
Moutinho, L. ed., 2011. Strategic management in tourism. Cabi.
Scott, D. and Becken, S., 2010. Adapting to climate change and climate policy: Progress,
problems and potentials. Journal of Sustainable Tourism. 18(3). pp.283-295.
Spenceley, A. ed., 2012. Responsible tourism: Critical issues for conservation and development.
Routledge.
Xiang, Z. and Gretzel, U., 2010. Role of social media in online travel information search.
Tourism management. 31(2). pp.179-188.