Qualified personnel provide maximum revenue and contribution to the enterprise by lowering their unit costs, as they enhance service quality. Those most affected by the pandemic have been the tourism sector and tourism personnel. During the period when the sector experienced difficult times in terms of revenue, qualified hotel employees working in the luxury segment spent this time through training, thanks to visionary investors and managers, and did not suffer significant financial losses due to their enterprises.
However, for smaller businesses, the situation resulted in a complete disaster. Small businesses and revenue-maximizing operators could not turn this crisis period to their advantage due to their focus on maximizing revenue. The sector also suffered a loss in terms of qualified personnel. Today, qualified personnel, except for qualified tourism personnel working in the luxury segment, have become disenchanted with the sector and are working in different jobs.
Unfortunately, today there are very few personnel who are high school and university graduates with tourism education. Therefore, it is extremely necessary for the tourism sector to invest in academic education and train academics. Increasing the education quality of universities and establishing a joint working committee with tourism businesses so that students can apply the knowledge they acquire in school to practice in these businesses and gain experience is important for both their own development and the development of the sector. The more accurately the process of transforming theoretically acquired knowledge into practice works, the more the tourism sector will become enriched in terms of qualified personnel, and consequently, the quality of the service and the value of the service performed will increase.
Unfortunately, this issue is not taken seriously today, and it is among the topics whose importance is overlooked by teachers and students, just like foreign language education. As a result, unfortunately, dozens of tourism graduates every year cannot hold on in the sector and continue their working lives in different professions.
The answer to why tourism graduates prefer different professions, why they become disenchanted with the sector and shift to different lines of work, is the working conditions and the low wages they receive. The working conditions in the tourism sector, especially requiring operational personnel to work shifts on holidays and vacations, put this sector at a disadvantage compared to other professions.
Unfortunately, since the tourism sector is affected by even the smallest incident, a minor detail creates insecurity for both tourism investors and personnel, leading to job loss and similar consequences. The foreign currency income provided by tourism is of vital importance in closing the country’s current account deficit; therefore, even the smallest problem experienced affects the entire country.
The state should concentrate its investments on tourism. It should stand more firmly with tourism investors, assist them in many matters including VAT, and increase their incentives. Today, the support given to tourism does not match its importance.
Tourism investors also bear responsibility in gaining qualified personnel for the tourism sector. Training qualified personnel and contributing to this is the duty of investors as well as educational institutions. If an investor wants to increase their revenue, they can only achieve this with qualified personnel. Investors who are aware of this increase their revenues three to five times compared to other tourism investors, earning more income. Businesses must value education, move out of the mode of just getting by, invest in people, and improve the weak points of employees through personal development seminars that can be provided alongside job training. Companies providing such training services give certificates to participating personnel at the end of the training. Corporate companies and firms already benefit their existing personnel from these trainings and receive positive feedback.
Every business should maintain its current workforce in sufficient numbers and facilitate working conditions. It should expand the salary scale to make it attractive, be open to innovations, and adapt to today’s conditions. Among the main complaints of today’s investors is the inability to find qualified personnel. The main reason for this, unfortunately, is the low wages given to personnel.
Consequently, two problems are experienced in the sector. The first of these is working with unqualified tourism employees; that is, personnel who have not received tourism education before and have no experience. The second is experiencing constant circulation, i.e., not being able to gain permanent, loyal personnel. The occurrence of these problems in businesses directly affects the quality of the service provided, and this is reflected in guest reviews online, determining sales. For income to rise, guest satisfaction is primarily required, and this is only possible with equipped personnel. No matter how high-quality the product is, it is the person who reflects it. The tourism sector is a service sector and therefore requires educated and qualified tourism personnel.
In summary; all businesses operating in the service sector need tourism professionals who have received vocational training, are qualified, and love their profession, in order to achieve successful performance and sustainable development. Qualified personnel have a ripple effect; they directly affect not only the hotel where they are employed but also the country’s image. A person leaving satisfied from a facility also leaves satisfied from the country. Moreover, with what they tell their relatives, circle, spouse, and friends, and with the positive comments they will make on websites, we achieve advertising that would cause very high costs without spending a penny from our pocket.
In a low-priced product, the customer may not seek qualification, but what matters is not how many people buy it. The qualification and quality of the product come first. We must quickly get rid of being preferred due to a cheap country image, and we can achieve this with qualified personnel. We should aim to market the valuable facilities in our country and our unique resources at the value they deserve and achieve this in the shortest possible time.
SOLUTIONS AND TARGETS
- For wages to increase, service prices must increase, and for this, supply-demand balance must be established. For example, local governments should not permit new facility construction unless the accommodation occupancy rate in a region exceeds a certain number.
- Components in the tourism sector where local governments are important should be enabled to produce projects with local governments.
- Qualified personnel who left the sector due to the pandemic should be regained by the sector.
- Personnel should not be employed through subcontractors.
- Vocational high schools should be increased, and language education should be geared towards tourism practice.
- Employment incentives should be increased.
- A tourism profession law should be enacted, and certificates and documents should be given to the entire sector.
Dr. Yüksel Türemez
Murat TÜZEL
CHP Istanbul Provincial Presidency Tourism Commission Chairman
Şişli City Council Tourism Commission Chairman
Member of the World Federation of Travel Journalists and Writers
