The tourism and hospitality sector is one of the most important sectors that drive employment for millions of people globally. Besides, many countries largely rely on it for their economic growth and development. Due to the nature of the tourism and hospitality business, the sector depends on people more than technology to deliver a positive guest experience and set the standards of service. As a result, the most important factor for the success of this industry is effective internal and external communication. Communication has been recognized as the means by which both people and the organization survive due to the fact that today, businesses are borderless and economies are intertwined more than before.
People or simply employees perform better when they have necessary information and skill set to perform in the job. But this is highly dependent on the quality of communication. Communication is the most important and one of the most used of all skills in every industry and particularly in tourism & hospitality sector which is one of the fastest growing sectors in the globe. This explains why companies spend a lot of money in training their staff.
It is common knowledge that during the Covid-19 outbreak, the tourism and hospitality sector suffered the blow more than any other sector. As a result, the focus at the moment is to uplift the status of the sector by restoring it and making it better. As earlier mentioned, people and organizations will survive by means of effective communication only. The balance between organizational objectives, profitability and stability is ensured by means of effective communication. Therefore, it is important that the players in tourism and hospitality sector invest in effective communication for them to realize their goal of increasing productivity and ensuring the sector stabilizes after the losses incurred during the pandemic.
For the sector to bounce back quickly, it will definitely require great transformational leadership. But this is still proof that effective communication is paramount because it is very important in leadership roles as it will help synchronize and connect all the leadership functions. The main difference between a good leader and a transformational leader is in terms of his communication with the employees. Effective communication helps to remove mis-understanding between the employees which will automatically help to maintain a healthy and peaceful environment which is very crucial in every industry and particularly in the growth of tourism and hospitality sector.
For the tourism and hospitality industry to survive, remain resilient and bounce back quickly after a crisis such as the pandemic, there is need for effective communication both internally and externally. Research has shown that effective communication in an organization helps to improve productivity and performance among other benefits outlined below: enhanced team building, increased employee morale, boost to diversity and global business by removing various cultural and language barriers and improved customer service.
To ensure effective communication, managers need to train their staff, listen to their employees, and also incorporate mirror technique whereby they observe their guests and clients’ communication styles then act accordingly. It is advisable to engage training experts to ensure employees gain the most relevant and effective skills to enable them handle clients and guests appropriately.
Consultancy firms such as Commken Afrique can be of great help when it comes to conducting business communications and customer engagement programs aimed at sharpening employees and top management skills in effective communication.