Hospitality and Related Services - Tourism: Principles, Practices, Philosophies - page 146

conventions, in terms of both numbers of attendees and the amount of exhibit and meeting space, the
growth in facilities is outpacing the demand.

MISCELLANEOUS SERVICES

Many other organizations provide essential services to tourism. Examples are hospitals and medical
services; police services; sanitary trash pickup and disposal services; laundry services; construction
services; retail stores such as department stores, drugstores, and clothing stores; advertising agencies;
marketing consultants; newspapers (including tourist newspapers and special travel editions); travel
writers; television stations; and magazines.

SUMMARY

Lodging and food services are major essential supply components of tourism. These services date back
to antiquity. World hotel room inventory is growing about 2.5 percent yearly. Room occupancy
averages about 65 percent. But such data vary considerably. The 1980s saw considerable overbuilding
and losses, especially in North America. However, in the late 1990s, record pro tability was achieved.
In the new century, lodging has been pro table but has suffered from the events of 9/11, war,
terrorism, and SARS, and economic recession. About 70 percent of the world s lodging establishments

are located in Europe and North America. There is a trend toward more franchising, chain or system
ownership, and growth in bed-and-breakfast lodging.
Resort and timesharing arrangements are also increasing worldwide. There are thousands of
timeshare resorts worldwide. The American Hotel and Lodging Association is the leading lodging
trade association in the United States, but many others are active in North America and elsewhere.
Eating and drinking places are big business. In the United States, this industry is expected to gross
$580 billion in 2010 and employ over 12.7 million persons, making the industry the largest private-
sector employer in the nation. The National Restaurant Association is the industry

'

' is most important

trade association.
Meetings and conventions constitute a major reason for business travel and have a huge economic
impact. Expenditure on these stimulates all segments of tourism.
The profession of meeting planner is an important and growing one. Those attending meetings
and conventions expect a rewarding experience. Thus, expert planning is critical to the success of
such events. Meeting planners provide all arrangements necessary for a successful meeting, from
transportation services to special events. They are particularly adept at negotiating elements
needed for the meeting. Some corporations, associations, government agencies, and others have
created their own meeting-planning department, with their own employees handling this
important function.

E KEY CONCEPTS E

American Hotel and Lodging
Association
bed and breakfasts (B&Bs)
culinary tourism
fast-food companies

food service industry
franchising
largest hotel companies
lodging industry
meeting planners

meetings, incentives, conventions,
and exhibitions
National Restaurant Association
timeshare
trends in the lodging industry