Asian hospitality is specific due to cultural peculiarities of the place. No matter which country one visits, the hospitality is going to be at the highest level. Being one of the main source of revenue, restaurant and hotel hospitality play important role in the development of Asian economics.
Being the third constituent of the world economics after oil and auto industry, Asia successfully develops this sector of its economics to continue profitable business in a complicated economic situation. Productivity, profitability, and sustainability are the main variables on the way to success in Asia.
Being involved in the competitive strategies, industries where hospitality is crucial try to develop and renew this sector. Human resource management also plays an important role in this sphere of services. Asian hospitality services are directed at customer. Having the motto to serve the customer all the services he/she required. All Asian and even international hospitality organizations work on meeting all the customers’ needs, both intrinsically and extrinsically.
Some Asian countries may face a number of difficulties due to their unawareness of the principals of hospitality. However, such places as Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau and Thailand rarely have such difficulties, however, the issues connected with organization of communication among staff may be crucial (Ali, Afzal, Shahzad, & Khan, 2012).
Starting the discussion about hospitality service trends in Asia, Machado (2006) says that “The need for better skills is addressed through improved materials and teaching methods, in the internationalization and the improvement of the quality of curricula in tourism and hospitality and in a more effective synergy between education and industry” (p. 56). Such approach to hospitality is advantageous as trained and particularly educated staff is more efficient for hotel and restaurant industry.
Moreover, the use of innovations and specific cultural trends are effective in increasing the income in the hospitality sector. Asian hospitality is closely connected to cultural aspects. Planning successful hospitality strategies, industries in Asian industries base their knowledge on culture, infrastructure, expertise, facilities, capacity and abilities (Machado, 2006).
Trying to meet customer’s needs, Asian hospitality industries try to include as many services in the list of the obligatory ones as possible. Most hospitality industries involve “meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE), backpacker, and bed and breakfast sectors” (Hing, McCabe, Lewis, & Leiper, 1998, p. 264) in their every day activities and services for tourists, however ,the hospitality industry is rather new in Asia as these countries have recently become pay attention to this sector of economics, therefore, it is possible to wait for the innovations in the sector in the nearest future (Hing, McCabe, Lewis, & Leiper, 1998).
However, having a good base for development, such countries as Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau and Thailand face a number of difficulties which may lead to the reduction of the quality of the services. Having conducted an Importance–Performance Analysis in one of the Hong Kong hotels, Chu, & Choi, (2000) have come to the conclusion that the inability to distinguish between customers and their needs may lead to the reduction of the income due to the inability to organize the hospitality process in a proper way.
The table below shows the market potential for hospitality in some countries of Asia,
Table 1. Market potential for hospitality, 2011 (The 2011-2016 Outlook for Corporate Hospitality in Asia & Oceana, 2011).
This data shows that Thailand is at the top of the list which means that this country has greater potential, more appropriate conditions, trained staff, etc. for serving more customers with higher quality.
Such country as Macau significantly legs behind other countries as this place does not have quality staff and appropriate infrastructure for offering top quality services in hospitality sector. However, the hospitality potential has been increasing in Macau as well as in other countries under discussion. Moreover, the calculations show that the further grows of the hospitality in region in going to increase.
HONG KONG
MACAU
SINGAPORE
THAILAND
Table 2. Corporate Hospitality, 2006 – 2016 (The 2011-2016 Outlook for Corporate Hospitality in Asia & Oceana, 2011).
In conclusion, it should be stated that the hospitality trends in Asia depends on the development of the hotel and restaurant sector, on the number of annual tourists and on the quality of serving staff.
Reference List
Ali, H., Afzal, M., Shahzad, A., & Khan, M. A. (2012). Successful business ventures in South Asia Hospitality: Making profits in Recession. Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business, 3(11), 706-723.
Chu, R. K.S.., & Choi, T. (2000). An importance-performance analysis of hotel selection factors in the HongKong hotel industry: a comparison of business and leisure travelers. Tourism Management, 21(4), 363–377.
Hing, N., McCabe, V., Lewis, P., & Leiper, N. (1998). Hospitality trends in the Asia-Pacific: a discussion of five key sectors. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 10(7), 264-271.
Machado, C. (2006). Introducing Learning Technologies in Tourism and Hospitality Studies in Central Asia. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education, 18(3), 56-66.
The 2011-2016 Outlook for Corporate Hospitality in Asia & Oceana. (2011, March 1). Regional Outlook Reports, 1-54.