Topic 2: Characteristics of Tourism and Hospitality

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this topic, students will be able to:

1. Discuss the components of the tourism and hospitality.

2. Differentiate the characteristics of tourism and hospitality.
3. Compare and contrast the different classifications of travellers.

Components of Hospitality and Tourism

Components of Hospitality
1. The food and beverage component
2. The lodging component

Components of Tourism
1. Recreation and entertainment
2. Travel and Tourism
(Travel agencies and tour operators)
3. Transportation
4. Tourist Attractions

Similar Components of Hospitality and Tourism

1. Infrastructure
2. Hospitality Resources

Food and Beverage

-look everywhere by the public in
hotels, motels, airlines, airports,
cruise ships, trains and mall
-offered by commercial restaurants
like fast service restaurants, ethnic
restaurants and specialty
restaurants
-provided also by taverns, bars, kiosks, vending machines, supermarkets, food stalls, food carts
and food trucks
Lodging Component
Lodging- providing overnight or even long term
services to guests
- Other facilities provide not only beds but also
entertainment and recreational facilities
- Includes hotels, condominium, inns, motor
hotels, bed and breakfast, resort hotel, resort
condominium, hostels

Types of Lodging Facilities

1. Hotel – provides accommodation, meals and
refreshments for those who may reserve their
accommodations in advance
- portray an image of efficiency and service

2. Condominium – is an
apartment or individual dwelling unit owned by an individual but the
management and services such as maintenance and security are
handled by an independent company

3. Motels – provide bedrooms, bath, parking to

motorists
-rooms are usually accessible from the parking lot
-usually found near the highways

4. Inns – are lodging establishments catering to transients which do not

meet the minimum requirements of an economy hotel
5. Apartments – are hotels or apartelles, buildings, or
edifices containing several independent and
furnished or semi-furnishes apartments that are
 generally leased to tourists and travelers for dwelling on a more or less long-term basis
and offering basic services
6. Pensions –are private or family-operated tourist
accommodations similar to boarding houses or guest house
-offer food and lodging to tourists and are well-known for their
informal family atmosphere

7. Bed and breakfast accommodation – provide room, bath and hearty breakfast to
tourist/traveler
- Known as B and B’s and are popular in Britain, Ireland, and the
USA

8. Hostels- provide minimal amenities such

as a bunk bed and commonly shared
toilet and bathroom
- appeal mostly to young travelers

COMPONENTS OF TOURISM
1. Recreation and entertainment activities
- such as golf, tennis, hiking, boating, swimming, handball, casino gambling and concerts

2. Travel and Tourism

a. Travel Agent – is one who sells travel services in a travel agency
- sells travel services that are assembled by others into a “package”
b. Tour Operators – are wholesalers who make the necessary contacts with hotels, airlines
and other providers of travel services and devise packages which will appeal to retail
buyers
 -Arranging package tours is one of the services of a tour operator

3. Transportation – provides easy access to the destination

- Various forms of transportation such as road, rail, air and water

4. Tourist Attractions
a. Natural attractions – include mountains, beaches, climatic features etc.

b. Man-made Attractions – buildings of historical or architectural interests

c. Event attractions – is one in which tourists are drawn to the destination solely because of
what is taking place, include congresses, conventions, exhibitions and festivals

d. Site attraction – is one in which the destination itself has appeal

Similar Components of Hospitality and Tourism

1. Hospitality Resources – refer to the
general feeling of welcome a visitor
receives in the host destination

2. Infrastructure – consists of all underground and surface developmental construction

 Characteristics of Tourism and Hospitality
Tourism and Hospitality has special characteristics which make it different from other industries
1. In tourism and hospitality, the product is not brought
to the consumer; rather, the consumer has to travel
and go to the product to purchase it. In other
industries, an item manufactured in a factory is
brought to the wholesaler and retailer and ultimately
to the consumer.

2. The products of tourism and hospitality are not used up; thus, they do not exhaust the
country’s natural resources. The products of
other industries have a limited life and at the
end of it are either junked or replaced with new
ones.

3. Tourism and hospitality is a labor-intensive

industry. It requires more manpower than other
industries.

4. Tourism and hospitality is People oriented. It is

primarily concerned with people. One of the most important motivations of tourists is to
meet other people and see how other people live.

5. Tourism and hospitality is a multidimensional phenomenon. It is dependent on many and

varied activities which are separate but interdependent.

6. The tourism and hospitality industry is seasonal. During vacation seasons, millions of
tourists travel, which result in increased revenues for
several tourism agencies; but when vacations are over,
these companies experience a big decline in dollars
earned.
 7. The industry is dynamic. It is characterized by the
changing ideas and attitudes of its customers and
therefore must be always prepared and willing to
adjust to these things.

Classification of Travelers
1. Psychocentrics – are people centered on self, are inhibited and
unadventuresome
- they have a strong desire for consistency and the familiar
- prefer to visit safe destinations and look for experiences that will
not result in personal stress or involve unusual situations

2. Allocentrics – are people having interest and

attention on other persons, are highly curious
and thrive on stimulation and change
- they have a strong need for variety and new
experiences
- seek destinations that offer them an opportunity
to experience totally different cultures and
environments
3. Midcentrics – are between the psychocentrics and
allocentrics
- are not particularly adventurous yet not afraid to try new
experiences as long as these are neither too odd nor too challenging