2. NEW TRENDS IN GLOBAL HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

The global demand for travel and tourism provides unprecedented opportunities going forward. As some of the analysis show, individual hospitality enterprises address several key intertwining trends can greatly affect their ability to seize these opportunities and achieve financial success. Brand is expected to surpass location as deciding factor in hotel choices. Today, virtually all travelers consider location to be "extremely influential" in hotel choices, compared with slightly more than half being influenced by the brand. "Customers expect the brand promise to cover every interaction with the organization-pre-stay, stay and post-stay. If the hotel gets it right, they can expect improved customer loyalty, and guests who are loyal to their preferred brand are likely to stay more and spend more. China, India and the Gulf States to experience substantial growth. In China, India and the Gulf States, both domestic and international travel is booming, due to lower airfares and emerging middle classes keen to travel for the first time. Between India and China, the report predicts that a total of 35,000 additional hotel rooms will be required to reach the same penetration as in more developed countries, and the majority of these will be positioned in the economy and mid-market segments. These new markets pose unique challenges in politics and ownership, as well as in recruiting, training and retention of local staff. "While these emerging markets offer exceptional growth opportunities, the world's largest tourism market-the United States-still has a way to go. Total travel and tourism spend in the US, both domestic and outbound, is predicted to double from $830 billion to a staggering $1.6 trillion by 2015, leaving room for growth, particularly at the luxury end of the market. Aging consumers will change the game. The Baby Boomers in the United States and Europe are a huge demographic with enormous amounts of disposable income. They are expected to live longer, be more active, travel more and desire new experiences both in terms of cultural and event-based tourism. The percentage of the population aged 65 and over in Europe is projected to increase from 15 percent in 2000 to nearly 25 percent by 2015 and increased travel by the 'silver' segment is likely to maintain Europe's position as the number one tourism exporting region, delivering some 730 million travelers by 2020. In addition to addressing the needs of aging consumers/travelers, the hospitality industry will need to address talent management issues, as aging populations hamper the ability to find sufficient staff in some regions.Playing catch-up with technology. The industry is historically in the lowest quartile of technology spending within the consumer businesses; however, all the executives interviewed expect to increase IT investments, particularly in reservations, distribution, loyalty programs, and customer relationship management. In the US and Western Europe, more people relied on the Internet for travel information last year than relied on friends and acquaintances, posing significant challenges and opportunities for the industry. In addition, more demanding customers have come to expect more personalized service, and in the future hospitality suppliers will need to consider online room selection and check-in, personalized bed (variable firmness), and personalized inroom food and beverage offering.

3. TRENDS IN TOURISM AND TOURIST PRODUCTS IN SEE COUNTRIES

Europe's Mediterranean and SEE countries have strongly felt the economic crisis this summer as holiday destinations such as Greece, Portugal and Spain staggered through one of the worst tourist seasons in years. Tourism revenue has plunged in Europe's Mediterranean countries. Across the region, governments are scrambling to support the sector. In July, the Spanish government announced its second package of support measures this year - this time valued at [euro]1.03 billion. Italy has unveiled [euro]1.6 billion in financing for the sector. Even cash-strapped Greece has introduced tax cuts and subsidies for tourism. The roughly 10 million fewer tourists and [euro]14 billion ($20 billion) in lost income forecast this year by the private sector World Travel & Tourism Council translate into serious difficulties for the wage earners and businesses, large and small, that depend on the Mediterranean's critical May-to-September tourist season for their livelihoods However, the analysis by countries, showed some differences that would affect future tourism development and new products and services development in those countries. The number of foreign nationals visiting Albania in the first seven months of the year grew by more than a third as compared to the same period last year, but the tourism industries of other Southeast European (SEE) nations felt the pangs of the global downturn. Close to 1.6 million visitors entered Albania between January and July this year, marking a 36% rise year-on-year, the country's tourism ministry reported on August 20th. Almost 90% of them cited vacation as the purpose of their trip to the Balkan nation, the ministry of tourism reported. Mostly all were of the foreign tourists were European citizens, with Kosovo, followed by Macedonia and Montenegro accounting for a significant share, statistics showed. Tourist revenues for the first seven months totaled 212m euros. In 2008, Albania's tourism and travel industry earned 358m euros, accounting for 4.1% of GDP. Later in August, the finance ministry said it would set aside 1.5m euros in next year's budget for a special project to encourage the further development of tourism in the country's south. The funds would be earmarked for soft loans to families and companies interested in investing in the tourist sector. The World Economic Forum's (WEF) latest travel and tourism competitiveness index placed Albania 90th among 133 countries in the world, behind all other SEE nations covered by the report, except Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). With its 21st position on the global list, Cyprus was ranked highest among the SEE countries in the WEF study. However, the situation on the Mediterranean island, whose income from tourism accounts for up to 12% of GDP, appears glum, according to statistics. Cyprus recorded a 10.9% drop in tourist arrivals from January until the end of July as compared to the same period last year. With holidaymakers generally spending less, Cyprus's tourism revenues for the first seven months of 2009 fell 15.5% year-on-year to an estimated 798m euros, down from nearly 945m euros in 2008.

Greece, whose economy is facing its first contraction in 16 years, also felt the pangs of the crisis. A major European vacation site, Greece draws 15 million tourists, on average annually. Tourism accounts for nearly a fifth of Greece's GDP of over 240 billion euros and almost 20% of all jobs in the country. "The tourism sector will feel the full impact from the dramatic slowdown of economic activity in key source markets for Greek tourism such as Germany, Italy and the UK, with most of the impact in the last two quarters of the year," the National Bank of Greece said in a report in June. Two Greek organizations - Research Institute for Tourism and the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises - said in August that the number of holidaymakers arriving at the country's airports was down 8.6% since January, compared to the same period last year. The sector's revenues for the first half of the year fell by 14.7% to just over 3 billion euros, statistics also showed.

In a bid to boost their tourism industries, some of the countries in the region have offered tourist packages at good prices, lower visa fees, and hotel rates to attract more tourists. Some, like Croatia, launched promotion campaigns. Preliminary results of this summer season in Croatia released in late August showed that the country's tourism industry was not hit as badly by the global turmoil as initially anticipated. According to the tourism ministry's analysis, the number of foreign tourists visiting this year shrank by 5% compared to 2008 and the number of local holidaymakers dropped by 11%, translating into a loss of 500m euros in revenues - much less than the previously predicted 25% loss. In 2008, a record season, Croatia's tourism industry earned 7.5 billion euros. Bulgaria saw foreign tourist arrivals fall 12.7% year-on-year in June. Although July was slightly better, with a decline of just 5.8%, many hotels in the Balkan nation's overbuilt Black Sea resorts were half empty. A Sofia New Agency report on August 19th said 204 hotels on the country's southern coast were up for sale. Industry officials insist the government should consider ways to boost the sector. Some have proposed the introduction of tax relief for Bulgarian tourists who have chosen to spend their holiday at resorts at home. Despite the global economic crisis, Turkey recorded a 1.1% increase year-onyear in the number of foreign visitors to the country during the first seven months of 2009. German tourists accounted for nearly 16.5% of all 14.93 million foreign citizens who entered the country during between January 1st and July 31st. Russian, British and Bulgarian holidaymakers came next. After two months of decline, the number of foreign tourist arrivals to Turkey was up 6.32% year-on-year in July, the tourism ministry reported. Despite the upturn, Turkey's tourism revenues shrank 10% in the first half of the year and are expected to reach just over 15 billion euros for 2009, down from close to 15.5 billion euros last year.5

CONCLUSION

With global tourism facing slumps at every quarter, the industry has had to come up with new or better strategies to lure potential tourists into spending. Some hotels offer 50% discounts, others offer a free night on the fourth booked while others still advertise a 30% nightly discount. Always do the math, even on special packages that bundle hotel stays with passes to the spa and other attractions. If a trip abroad is still not within budget or isn't met with confidence, consider visiting the home country. More and more people are rediscovering their home land for less the price of traveling overseas. People no longer need month-long vacations to satisfy their wanderlust and indulge their senses in a foreign destination. Instead of inflating the family budget with airline tickets and accommodation prices, explore the greener option of eco-tourism and find conservation camp sites or national parks. While the downturn of the economy has certainly affected consumer trends and hit the tourism industry hard, people shouldn't deny themselves the pleasure of travel, the indulgence of being a tourist for whatever span of time allowed. This is the best time to discover closer destinations or re-discover lost ones. The best way to conclude the analysis of new trends and tourism products is to say that we have to be prepared that the end of the recession does not mean and end of all the implications it had to international tourism. Even the economic recovery would remain fragile. Output, households disposable incomes and employment remain at low levels. Therefore, we can expect that leisure travel will be the main focus for tourism this year and the next, as business travel budgets are expected to remain tight. "We live in interesting times. Surviving them requires some fresh thinking on the opportunities they offer"

1. What are the specific emergent niches of tourism that are gaining popularity? Provide some examples.
2. What are the implications of the changes occurring in the broader environment on the tourism, hospitality and events? How should the industry respond to those trends?

Please answer asap and in detail and typed I am in a rush for these thank you!