*Originally published in Tecno Hotel News on September 6, 2016 (http://www.tecnohotelnews.com/2016/09/calidad-la-palabra-que-puede-ensombrecer-los-brillantes-datos-del-verano/)
The summer of 2016 will go down in history as a pivotal moment in the Spanish tourism industry. The most important tourist destinations of our country have hung the no vacancy sign and even the most illusory expectations have been met. Nevertheless, in a country like Spain, where the tourism industry is a mainstay of the present and must of the future, we can not be complacent and satisfied with what we have achieved.
The Shopping Tourism Institute, a Spanish entity with an international outlook that provides data for value-oriented shopping tourism, has just published a report that says Spain managed to double the quality of tourism and the country is forecasted to generate up to €8,7 billion in profits.
The organization encourages the industry to open new avenues of tourist development for the dual purpose of tourism quality and sustainability. They suggest several measures, including notably – the commitment to specialized training.
“Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of the UNWTO, highlighted the importance of entrepreneurship and the need to invest in specialized education to train future leaders.”
During the Les International Forum held on June 30th in Madrid, one of the most authoritative voices in international tourism, Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of the UN World Tourism Organization, highlighted the importance of entrepreneurship and the need to invest in specialized education to train future leaders. When asked what the next step of tourism development would be, he insisted that without human capital development in the long-term the industry will not be sustainable.
From Les Roches, and possibly because we have over 60 years experience educating many of the top executives who lead important hotel establishments in more than 129 countries, we are aware that in recent years the development of human capital is especially important. This is the strategic key needed by companies that want to innovate and excel in this new and rapidly evolving sector.
“Les Roches Marbella has responded to this demand with an executive version of the program in International Hotel Management, oriented towards working professionals in the hotel management world”
During the Les Roches International Forum last June the discussions focused on innovation and developing tourism talent, and we discovered that the key to the future will be the ability to manage immediacy. This immediacy in the tourism industry requires new skills and above all a constant professional updating. In the past tourism scenarios where manual booking channels had a stable cycle and lengthy process, the basic training professionals received at the start of their careers could be used for many years into the future. However, under the present scenario, where the trend has changed dramatically, management models and flexibility of supply have become much more dynamic. Thus, training professionals who make management decisions, as well as those who interact and give customer service in real time are required to dedicate more time to training in more specialized areas of the sector. At Les Roches Marbella we have responded to this demand with an executive version of our program in International Hotel Management, oriented towards working professionals in the hotel management world who need to update their working knowledge of the industry. This new program is very much in line with our academic model by offering a unique international orientation and a direct connection with major multinational companies who are on the leading edge of the industry.
Personally I feel very proud to present this unique course in Spain and we are confident it will contribute decisively to better prepare hotel and tourism professionals who are currently on the front line and working directly with the extraordinary growth of tourism. Our mission with the new executive program is to ensure that talented professionals have the tools and knowledge needed to become key elements in the future of the hotel and tourism industry. Indeed, human capital is the foundation of our current and future tourism. Surely those professionals who embrace “Quality” will find a bright and truly promising future in their tourism careers.
