Are we listening to young people in tourism?

Many young people work in tourism mostly seasonally. They usually start finding work in the summer months, collect work badges and an amount for the winter to use for tuition, pocket money, etc. Some view tourism as a professional career and others as a seasonal job opportunity. But how does the industry “see” young people? How well does he know them? They took a step in that direction Hotels Kulias with a fruitful dialogue that highlighted, among other things, how they think, what worries them, cooperation with elders and what they “want in their lives”.

From time to time we read in the press or in the comments impressions of young people who work in hospitality and tourism in general, sometimes very positive, sometimes less, sometimes even negative. Someone experienced understands behind their words, the culture of the company, the support they receive, whether the work environment is attractive to young people, etc.

It is known that the seasonal tourist activity of hotels is characterized by high pressure in trying to achieve the objectives of survival and development of the business, difficult depending on the circumstances. Management and executives are committed to the above with an emphasis on guest satisfaction. The result is that actions that would encourage young people to choose a career path that the sector badly needs are neglected. THE COVID 19 demonstrated the resilience of tourism and the high level of responsibility, sustainability, compliance of the business, but on the contrary, the fear worked accordingly, which greatly reduced the attractiveness of the hotel industry for work, especially for young people. In the new reality, it seems extremely difficult to find personnel with education and desire to make the values ​​of traditional Greek hospitality, the culture of the place their own and consciously offer them to the guests.

It is a common understanding that the hotel industry will develop and benefit from the integration of new people into its workforce, especially if they are qualified even from scientific disciplines that at first glance seem indifferent to tourism, for example philosophy, agriculture, statistics , etc. Many young professionals are characterized by new ideas, different practices, flexibility, adaptability, curiosity, interest in acquiring knowledge, comfort with new technologies and their development, the same with social networks. They grew up in an environment full of crises, they know the changes, they are not afraid of them, they look them in the eye. The hotels with a stable culture, clear values ​​and orientation, with investments in staff training, they offer an ideal framework to start a career in an environment that offers services and holiday experiences and is focused on the person, the guest, the employee, the partner. Classic values ​​such as teamwork, with team members of different generations, lead to a balanced and at the same time dynamic professional environment, open to innovation, with a competitive edge and a step for young people for suggestions, ideas, development and growth.

To win over young hotel managers, they try to win their interest, then their trust, and finally their preferences. Koullias Hotels, operating in Kos, approached the problem in their own way. The general manager Mrs. Eleni Bassi, known for her directness, individual consideration of each issue, in-depth analysis, organized special meetings last month with the young people aged 17 to 30 who work in the group’s hotels to discuss and get to know any other issues that concern young people about work, cooperation with the older generation, their concerns and goals.

The lady Eleni Bassi with the group’s deputy director mrs Fotini Angelidou in a friendly and open discussion, held meetings with the young workers individually in each hotel and asked the following questions. The participants answered spontaneously and very honestly. Each question is followed by the answers as given and in the order in which they were written without priority, etc.

How do you comment on working with the older generation?

Answers:

• The older generation imposes its own conditions with its behavior, its people often behave selfishly, easily criticize, but difficult to reward
• Communication with them is not fast and efficient
• On the one hand, they do not pass on their knowledge and experience, and on the other hand, they do not accept new ideas
• Adults accuse younger people of being reactionary, of not ‘listening’
• They impose procedures, but do not explain accordingly
• A section of older colleagues share knowledge that is very useful for everyone and the business
• The older ones have the experience, but the younger ones have the freshness and risk-taking for changes
• It is instructive to grow around older people who are willing to share knowledge and experience with you
• Respect on both sides is the key to good cooperation
• Adults sometimes demand respect (because of age).

Where do you think the new generation is lagging behind?

Answers:

• It has high demands without effort
• A lack of respect as well as behavior problems have been observed several times
• They spend a lot of time on social media
• Addiction to the Internet and new technologies, which are not always used as a tool in their work
• Young people often seem impulsive and reactive
• Communication takes place in a special and specific way, but real contact is absent.

What makes young people happy?

Answers:

• The small, simple things like sharing moments with family
• A well cooked meal
• To be with loved ones
• Waking up in the morning and health
• The journeys
• To offer help
• The acquisition of knowledge
• Do things you love
• A love message from his partner
• The moments with friends
• Their pet
• A walk on the sea
• Creating a nice plate of food
• To set goals, achieve them and slowly, gradually build their future in this way.

what are your dreams

Answers:

• Creating a family
• Professional development combined with personal development (self-improvement)
• Travel to the most amazing places in the world
• Vocational rehabilitation and stability
• Creating your own business
• To follow the profession that I really dream of
• To be in a work environment where I will feel that I am delivering and producing satisfying and meaningful work
• To live abroad to develop my horizon, with new experiences and knowledge

What worries you about your future?

Answers:

• The grueling pace of work
• Lack of free time
• Funds are not sufficient
• The work is simply done without passion
• There are goals, but their implementation seems difficult due to workplace barriers such as lack of innovation
• The future looks uncertain, uncertainty reigns alongside rapid change and instability
• Environmental changes and crises limit resources
• People who want to develop are not easily identified by the company
• There is concern among students who work during the summer months to complete their studies on time
• To identify the appropriate opportunity that will lead to their development.

After the discussion that developed, the following are the general positions:

General Locations:

• Diversity at work requires acceptance and humility from management
• Individual self-improvement leads to personal and professional development
• Communicativeness, critical thinking, initiative contribute to the success of cooperation
• Technology is a useful tool, but it is not a solution to everything
• Everyone’s character, their cognitive level determine their behavior in the workplace
• The path of evolution requires discipline and personal sacrifice
• Effective communication on both sides is necessary to achieve a healthy partnership
• Love of neighbor resolves many differences
• Lifelong learning promotes professional development, it is an investment
• The difficulties we encounter along the way contribute to our individual improvement and development
• I set goals that I try to fulfill with persistence and patience (two great virtues)
• Good communication is an individual quality and not necessarily related to generation
• To work means to create work that gives me a sense of euphoria

The lady Helen bassgeneral manager of Koullias Hotels, adds: “Young people are an important potential in our business, we strive to keep them close to us in tourism. In order for them to respond, we must listen to them, share their thoughts and dreams, their ideas, because they can give us very good solutions at work. Let us hear, let the administration take care of their housing, education, finances, along with support and encouragement in their careers.”.

On the other hand, we believe that local communities have a role and a reason to welcome young people who move from their place of residence to the city. It is good to offer them warm hospitality at all levels. Many times in the new destination they start their family alongside their career and livelihood. Each destination is useful to contribute to the efforts of the tourism business by highlighting and promoting the attractiveness of the area and its unique characteristics. The task of attracting young people to the tourism industry is comprehensive and it is important to plan the services they will offer so that they are satisfied and creatively and successfully carry out the work they undertake.