CTO Delegates Get Heads-Up to Focus on Hospitality Experience

Caribbean tourism human resources professionals who met in Curacao last week have been challenged to adopt a new approach to human resources that will lead to a more hospitable experience for visitors.

Professor Nigel Hemmington of the Auckland University of Technology (AUT) told delegates attending the fifth annual Caribbean Tourism Human Resources Conference that this new approach must take the emphasis away from service delivery to the delivery of experiences that are personal and memorable.

“Customers do not buy service delivery, they buy experiences. They don’t buy service quality, they buy memories. They don’t buy food and drink, they buy meal experiences. They don’t buy events and functions, they buy occasions,” said Hemmington, who researches customer experiences, professional development and learning, and consumer behavior in hospitality and tourism.

In a presentation entitled, “From Service to Experience: The New Hospitable Experience Paradigm,” Hemmington said the paradigm shift from services to hospitable tourism means customer service becomes a performance and the staff becomes part of the cast.

During the May 27 to 29 conference, participants explored how to create a culture of lifelong learning at work; managing stress in difficult times; as well as how to measure and monitor productivity and performance in the workplace, among other topics.

The conference, which had as its theme, Best Practices for Creating a Motivated and Productive Tourism Workforce, was organized by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), in collaboration with the Curacao Tourist Board.