Hospitality and Tourism 110

Tourism Guests and Hosts

Guests and Hosts Guest – outside visitors who have come to

be entertained by the people of a community or region

Host – individuals, communities, or regions who entertain the visiting guests

Guests Grouped three ways:

By their motivators (business or pleasure) By their demographics (age, occupation,

education, income level, marital status) By their psychographics (personality,

behaviours, likes and dislikes)

Business Guest Guest has few choices of where, when,

how, and how long to travel. Fill about 35% of all airline seats. Reasons for travelling:

Meetings Conventions Consulting Sales Physical functions

Business Guest Frequent business traveller

Stay repeatedly in the same hotel Offered specialized service such as instant

check-in Staff encouraged to remember names of

guests Luxury business traveller

Not concerned with cost Consider service attitude important

Business Guest Female business traveller

Concerned with safety issues Likely to ask for room service rather than

venture out International business traveller

Travel in this segment is down due to higher costs, fear of terrorism

More use of internet conferencing

Pleasure Guest Discretionary time – time away from work

and other obligations Discretionary income – money people may

spend as they please. Family life stage – person’s position in his

or her life People in the young single and empty nest

stages have more discretionary income

Demographics Travellers are generally more educated

than average. Represent white-collar worker more than

blue-collar

Psychographics – Stanley Plog Allocentric – risk taker.

Prefers to go where no foot has gone before Willing to go without normal conveniences to

gain a fuller travel experience First to try a new travel destination

Psychographics – Stanley Plog Psychocentric – “armchair travellers”

Reluctant to travel Prefer places that feel like home Travel to places with the same language, food,

mode of travel Good repeat customers

Psychographics – Stanley Plog Midcentrics – travel to break routine

Enjoy a change of pace Choose vacations that allows them to have the

basic comforts of life

Barriers to Travel Cost Lack of time Accessibility or Distance Health and Disabilities Travel Tastes and Experiences Education Age Fear

Hosts When you go somewhere, how do you like

to be treated? How do you want to view your physical

environment? Tourism Illiteracy – often occurs due to

lack of understanding of the benefits of tourism

Ethics Morals – ability to make a distinction

between right and wrong conduct Ethics – a system or code of morals of a

particular person, religion, culture, group or profession

Many businesses now have a code of ethics – beliefs on how the business should operate and on proper treatment of guests and employees