Spicy News @ Express Speed.

We are very proud to release our final version of Ultimate Meyshan Search Widget for wordpress. This plugin has undergone several test and modification. Before it is released for public use under GNU GPL.  This plugin has over 12 ultimate features, which you would nave seen in any wordpress blog or in search widgets. Very easy to use, Jut activate the plugin, that is all it is done. Ofcourse, you need to get some api key for it to function. Though we recommend for the full complete usage of this widget, through the option page, under Meyshan Search tab, make sure you will our the entire tab, with the necessary and correct answers.  You can download the plugin in the bottom of this post, but you see the demo at spicyvillage

1. This plugin uses yahoo UI and Yahoo Exit

2. Provide you with the  Goggle suggestt style search functionality. 

2. User can easily search your blog, for comments, images, post, achieves and everything. Live search style.

3. User can search your blog pages that is listed in Yahoo and Google.

4. Meyshan King search widget integrated with Google custom search, web search, video search, blog search, and local search

5. Meyshan King search widget also integrated with Yahoo web search, video search, news search and local search.

6. Meyshan search widget is inbuilt with snap preview so that easier view the search results before click on the link.

7. Meyshan search widget on click uses yahoo exit to open the new sites, with leaving your site.

8. Meyshan Search widget is Google Adsense integrated and in build with which help you make some money.

9. Easy to configure and install.

10. Installation is very easy  Just copy the Meyshan search king folder to the plugin folder and activate, it will automatically over write your default search.

11. Get Google api key, adsense code(optional) custom search link (optional) and configure it under option in your wordpress admin. That is all.

12. You can control where to display the Google adsense, either on the top or in the right side.

Download the plugin from here.

Successful Career in the Hospitality Industry……………

A brief introduction to this industry…..

Hospitality and tourism are vital elements of the global economy. The hospitality industry is the largest, fastest growing industry in the world. The hospitality and tourism industry employs more people than the agricultural, automobile, electronics, steel, and textile industries combined. Currently, the hospitality industry supports more than 21.1 million jobs. By the year 2010, hospitality is projected to be the largest industry in the world, employing 10.5 million workers in the U.S. alone and more than 112 million people internationally. On a worldwide basis, the industry generates more than $3.5 trillion in annual revenues.

of Labor, opportunities to fill job openings are expected to be best for those with a college degree. Better-trained workers are needed in greater numbers to fill employment growth and the new job openings created from replacement needs in this large industry. Moreover, hospitality industry is not just hotels. Since Hospitality encompasses several different fields – Marketing, Sales, Information Technology, and Finance, and Management – graduates are able to move into many different professional positions with a degree. Hospitality continues to be one of the fastest-growing industries in the world. The hospitality management program combines traditional general education and business studies with coursework focused on issues unique to the service industries and hospitality organizations. Graduates are prepared to pursue a wide variety of management-based career opportunities in the hotel, food service, cruise line, tourism sales and promotion, and facilities management industries.The world of hospitality and tourism encompasses a wide variety of career opportunities in lodging, food and beverage, recreation, travel, tourism, and event management.

Typical careers include the following types of positions:

Hotel and Resort Management

• Director of rooms division

• Executive housekeeper

• General Manager

• Director of sales

Meetings and Events Management

• Convention sales and service

• Conference services/meeting planning

• Special events management

• Convention and visitors bureaus

• Association meeting manager

Food and Beverage Service Management

• Hotel food service

• Restaurant management

• Institutional food service

• Beverage/lounge management

• Banquet/catering management

Club Management

Recreation/Theme Park Management

Think of yourself running a convention hotel in an urban environment, cooking gourmet dinners for international dignitaries, preparing a convention hall for 1,000 doctors attending a training seminar or more. The opportunities are endless. Jobs in the hospitality industry are everywhere. You can choose to work internationally. You’ll have tremendous freedom to travel and work in exotic locations while building a successful career. Whether a person works in a hotel, a restaurant, a club, a cruise ship, a tourist bureau, a convention center, or any of dozens of other operations, still count themselves as being in hospitality. Opportunities abound worldwide. Like any industry though, there are barriers to entry as well as barriers to promotion. Strong job knowledge, effective communicational skills and outstanding interviewing ability are the keys to success in hospitality.

Why Choose Hospitality and Tourism Management?

Hospitality and tourism encompass activities that may be considered the world’s most widespread and familiar services: lodging, food, and beverage. According to the Career Guide to Industries published by the U.S. Department of Labor, the eating and drinking places industry ranks among the nation’s leading employers and has an 18 percent projected increase in jobs for the period 2000-2010. Jobs in lodging are projected to grow 13 percent over the same period. Both industries are attractive to entrepreneurs and graduates of college hospitality programs should have the best opportunities for salaried management positions, according to the guide. Opportunities for advancement, specialization, and international placement are especially attractive features of a career in hospitality and tourism. Management jobs are consistently available and median annual salaries across the United States range from approximately $35,000 to $45,000.

The hospitality and tourism industry plays an important role in the global economy. As the world's leading employer, the hospitality industry affords graduates a wide range of opportunities. Employment opportunities exist in all parts of the world in a wide variety of positions with unlimited potential for advancement. Although some areas of the service economy have experience hard times lately, all indicators show that the hospitality industry has "turned the corner" and is on the way back to the vitality that made it great. As recently as two decades ago, competitive job opportunities for the blind and visually impaired were virtually non-existent. Current advances in modern technology have helped to open a world of possibilities never before dreamed.The multi-trillion-dollar industry of hospitality service is experiencing one of its most dramatic growth periods in history. Job projections for 21st century hospitality-related careers are strong. This optimistic forecast, along with an extraordinary potential for advancement within the field, leaves employment options wide open.

The hospitality industry covers a wide spectrum of activities and businesses in four main segments: lodging, recreation, transportation, and food & beverage management. Tourism is a subset of the hospitality industry, included as part of transportation.

Hotels, motels, and restaurants are most commonly associated with this career, but there are also opportunities in gaming hospitality, theme parks, hospitals, schools, and large office buildings.

Twenty years ago, most workers in the hospitality industry received on-the-job training, but that has changed as the industry expanded. Today, graduating from a hospitality degree program is increasingly important to compete for the best jobs.

Now that you know why hospitality industry is one of the finest areas towards which your career should head, Let look into…………..

How to land in a Successful Career in the Hospitality Industry……

Employment in the hospitality industry is expected to grow faster than the average during the 2002-2012 period, providing many opportunities for an exciting and challenging career. Statistics show, however, that if your ambition is a career in management, the right sort of hospitality management training is more important than ever.

So, if you are thinking of a successful career in the Hospitality Industry, then the first thing you need is the right Management Training.

Your qualifications will affect your career success in hospitality for the following reasons:

·   Job seekers who already have the special skills required are more likely to be employed, since the complexity in the nature of Hotel Operations is increasing day-by-day.

·   There has been an above-average increase in full-service restaurants. This has led to a demand for more highly-trained personnel, placing new job seekers who already have these skills in a favorable position.

Next, What Sort of Hospitality Management Training Program is the Right One?

Your exact choice of program should depend on what sort of career in the hospitality industry you want; findings published by the US Bureau of Labor Studies, however, have shown the following:

·   Graduates of college hospitality management training programs can expect particularly good career opportunities, especially those with computing skills.

·   Demand for people with special skills in hospitality management is increasing. This is especially true for those who have undergone industry-specific training at a college, technical institute, junior college or vocational school.

·   Some form of postsecondary training demonstrates that the candidate has the motivation and maturity for a career in this demanding and challenging industry. Suitable programs include a bachelor's or associate's degree in Hospitality Management or the culinary arts, plus any of the many certification programs which offer appropriate hospitality training.

Why is Training Important?

The amount of preparation you need for a food service job depends on the type of place you want to work in. For example, it's easier to pick up the necessary skills for a job in McDonald's than it is in a restaurant which serves 'haute' cuisine.

For the top end of the market, the right skills and knowledge are absolutely essential; if this is where you want to work, then you need to think about what kind of training program will teach you what you need to know.

Here is bit of Career Advise….After you are fully trained and ready for the industry challenge…..

The hospitality sector is one of the most dynamic, social and rewarding industries to work in. Most people have some idea of what it's like to work in this sector but very often it is just a tip of the iceberg. In fact, it's a huge industry, with an immense variety of careers on offer.

·   Think about which place is best to work for?

It depends on your existing experience and on whether you want to re-locate. Hotels can range from small, independent hotels in the suburbs which may require local experienced and apprentice staff to glitzy five-star hotels in cities like New York which may be looking for people more senior professionals looking to re-locate or with international experience. Either way, this sector offers a wealth of opportunities for most professionals as hotels are not just places where guests sleep, but also where they eat, meet for conferences, entertain guests and relax in leisure facilities.

·   So, it's not all about making beds and cleaning.

Not at all. Certainly, the housekeeping department plays a crucial and important role in the hotel, but there are all sorts of other functions too. You could work on the concierge desk helping guests with their needs, welcome them on the front desk, manage the running of a hotel or work behind the scenes in the kitchens as a top chef.

·   Are there any bonuses?

This is one of the best sectors to work in, if you want to travel. There are plenty of opportunities with hotels, especially at the five-star end of the market. Start out with a well established company and you could be in an international hotel within a specialized role before you know it!

·   Prepare yourself for the challenge.

Working in this industry can involve long hours, and sometimes unsociable ones, too. Very often, the times when you'll be busiest at work are when your friends are ready to play. That usually means weekends and evenings, but on the upside you will build your experience, social network and confidence by working in such a dynamic and financially rewarding industry.

If your ambition is to make a management career in the hospitality industry, take the time to research possible study opportunities before you start looking for your first serious job - it could make a big difference to your future success. Then choose the right to land in a successful career and we are here in SpicyVillage  offer you all the free help you ever would need.

Spicy Village – Non-profit open source portal..

Spicy Village is an open source hospitality portal that is committed to hospitality Industry. Here everything is free for everybody. It is supported and developed by higher-ranking proficient people sharing the same wavelength. It will be a stage for the complete hospitality industry and will provide an excellent opportunity for the hospitality industry. Under a proper license, Spice village is non-profit organization providing principal solutions of hospitality industry. The range of solutions provided includes management, services, tourism and all the fields linked with hospitality industry. The aim of the open source portal is to strengthen the existing infrastructure of hospitality community and building a new network of software tools where the source code is free for hoteliers to avail the services and support.

Competition and Savvy Consumers!

The city-center hotels, destination spa and golf properties, timeshare properties, casino resorts worldwide and virtually any hospitality enterprise will eventually be realizing the power of spicy village open source portal. The Web has totally changed the approach in which the hospitality organizations do their business including airlines, hotels, and tourism departments. The customers of the hospitality industry are now savvy buyers with elevated needs of service requirements. The net has provided a way for the customers to compare prices right away and avail the best cost-effective hotels as well as travel package. Thus, it’s the time for hospitality providers to gain a competitive advantage by getting the power of open source web development and adopt the new developing technologies world wide. Here comes the role of open source portal that is developed with users in mind, thus is simpler and better to use.

Cost Effectively and No monopoly of selected vendors

Moreover while using open source products in hospitality portals, cost effectiveness comes from the fact that the hoteliers will have to no longer pay the license fees for the software needed for providing various hospitality related services and can also get the updated versions from the web. Initially the support and maintenance was a problem with using open source hospitality portals but with various support consultancies cropping up,this problem has subsided. The consultancy services or the support executives dedicated to the open source portals provide support and services needed for any kind of in-house support.

Spicy Village provides the software written exclusively for hospitality sector free of cost. Till now the market of this sector was owned by a limited number of vendors but now with advent of technologically advanced open source products and their easy availability has forced the hospitality portal consider the open source option.

www.sourceforge.net divulges a lot of open source hospitality projects that are in progress for hotel accounting packages as well as reservation system.

Freedom, Trouble-free Portal

The hospitality industry shares a lot in common while there is an individuality associated with each hotel business. Whether having a restaurant, hotel, spa or a catering service, you might want to take the broad aspects of software written for hospitality sector and still want to add or remove the features. With open source software you can actually do this, as you own the software once you download it and you’ll never face any copyright or license problems. The hoteliers will no longer be limited to their software suppliers but will have freedom to change them. They have more freedom to alter, broaden and supplement your know-how as is needed by your infrastructure.

The Computer in your Pocket–The Increasingly Surprising Capabilities of Modern Cellular Phones

In less than a decade the cellular phone has gone from a novelty owned by a few to a necessity owned by nearly everyone, regardless of nationality or economic status.  Cell phones have evolved with the times as well.  Just a few years ago, cellular phones were large and clunky and had only one useful feature–the ability to make phone calls.  Modern cell phones are sporty and sleek, and technology has increased to the point that size is no longer an issue.  In fact, it is possible to make cellular phones now that are so small as to be practically unusable.

Whereas cell phones once were used exclusively to make and receive telephone calls, they now have so many bells and whistles that the ability to make and receive calls is now only one feature out of many.  Perhaps the most commonly used feature of modern cell phones is text messaging.  Text messages are, as the name implies, short bits of text that can be sent to and from a cell phone.  In fact, text messaging has become so prevalent that an entirely new version of written English has spontaneously sprung up to make using cell phone alphanumeric keypads more efficient. 

Most modern cell phones now have the ability to browse the internet.  This means that users can now check traffic reports, view sports scores, and book plane and hotel reservations from anywhere and at any time.  While internet browsing on a cell phone used to be rather slow, new communication technologies and protocols are opening up a world of broadband browsing to cell phone users.

Most cell phones today come with built in cameras and video recorders.  This has impacted society in some rather remarkable ways.  For instance, it is now likely that anytime a major event occurs there is probably someone nearby who can record it.  This has essentially turned the public into an enormous cadre of free lance reporters and photo journalists.  From the sublime to the horrific, if something happens, it is likely that someone will use a cell phone camera or video recorder to capture it.  This was most poignantly illustrated by the macabre footage of the execution and post-mortem of the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.  The videos that were leaked to the press and broadcast by countless media outlets and internet news sites were, of course, captured on cell phones. 

Many modern cell phones also allow users to load and play digital music files.  The so called "Ipod effect", a term given to the increasingly important role of digital music in modern life named after Apple Computers' ground breaking digital music player, has resulted in a consumer base that demands that their portable electronics be able to play digital music.

Cellular phones are now full fledged computers that can run software in the same way that a desktop computer does.  While the first optional computer programs for cell phones were games, there are now software programs that allow cell phone users to read electronic books, write documents, manage their finances, check their email, and do much more.   

Cell phones have certainly come a very long way in a few short years.  They have gone from being primarily toys of the few to ubiquitous tools of the masses.  Their functionality has increased to the point that it almost seems laughable to refer to them as phones at all.  No matter what you call them, the computer that you carry in your pocket has changed and is changing the world. 

The Troubles with Tourism………….

Tourism has become a major world industry. We are traveling further and in far greater numbers than ever before. We journey into the heart of rainforests and up the highest mountains, soak up the sun on tropical beaches and dive in coral reefs. We gaze in wonder at the mighty ruins of ancient civilizations and get up close and personal with the most amazing wildlife on earth. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, tourism – and associated activities – generates over 10 percent of Global Domestic Product and employs 200 million people. There are nearly 700 million international travelers a year, a figure which is expected to double by 2020.

The trouble with tourism is that it is so massive, complex and global that almost every supra-national body sees itself as having some role to play in it - hence the UN, World Bank, EU etc. Below you will find a selection of initial entry points only - the larger sites have their own search engines for you to use! You will need a very clear idea of what it is that you are looking for!

Let us now take an insight into the various factors that impact the tourism industry.

·         Nature - Descriptive data provided by the research conclude that, Climate and weather are most important factors that impact the tourism industry, coz they in turn affect the choice of destination of the traveler. These factors influence the attractiveness of a potential vacation region (good weather and plenty of sunshine are among the most important expectations in connection with vacations), require or enable certain kinds of facilities to be offered at the destination, and can also have an effect on accessibility, depending on the time of the trip. Climate change effects could have an influence, either directly or indirectly (through reactions of the persons concerned): attractiveness, e.g. a slight increase of the air and water temperature during summer could increase the attractiveness of the North German coastal region as a vacation destination; available facilities, e.g. a higher probability of precipitation could lead to an increase in weather-independent recreational facilities, such as indoor fun pools; and accessibility, e.g. a higher sea level could threaten the existing infrastructure, e.g. destruction of roads. As climate change will be manifested in weather, this is one of the most important factors with potential influence on tourist behavior. Nicely warm, but not too hot, sunshine and no rain and a light wind seems to be the leisure activity optimum.

Tourism is largely dependent on climatic and natural resources. For example, “warmer'' climates generally constitute preferred environments for recreation and leisure, and natural resources such as fresh water, biodiversity, beaches or landscapes are essential preconditions for tourism. Global environmental change threatens these foundations of tourism through climate change, modifications of global biogeochemical cycles, land alteration, the loss of non-renewable resources, unsustainable use of renewable resources and loss of biodiversity. This has raised concerns that tourist flows will change to the advantage or disadvantage of destinations, which is of major concern to local and national economies, as tourism is one of the largest economic sectors of the world, and of great importance for many destinations. In consequence, an increasing number of publications have sought to analyze travel flows in relation to climatic and socio-economic parameters. The ultimate goal has been to develop scenarios for future travel flows, possibly including “most at risk destinations'', both in economic and in environmental terms. Such scenarios are meant to help the tourist industry in planning future operations, and they are of importance in developing plans for adaptation.

·         Natural Disasters - Natural disasters are destructive, often tragic events that harm people, the environment, and economies. Natural disasters always alter the building blocks of economic production. Personal tragedy through injury or death decreases the size and quality of the labor force. Damage to buildings and machinery reduces the amount of capital needed to provide goods and services. Natural disasters often destroy property, contaminate air and water, kill fish and wildlife, and damage other natural resources. Tourist areas suffered damage from both the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia and Hurricane Katrina. Only time will tell what the long-term impact will be on New Orleans’ estimated annual $7 billion tourism industry. Tourism may not dominate a national or regional economy, but nearly every country, state, or province has some location that attracts visitors. Catastrophes like floods, earthquakes, wildfires, volcanoes, avalanches, drought and diseases can have a serious effect on inbound and domestic tourism and thus on local tourism industries. The outbreak of the foot and mouth disease epidemic in England earlier this year (2001), for instance, has severely affected Great Britain's inbound tourism market.

• Poor Infrastructure and Cost needed to improve - Due to poor infrastructure, a large number of tourists, particularly foreigners visitors, do not carry a good impression of the tourist location. The condition of roads being poor and besides, other problems faced by tourists like lack of adequate parking space, poor sanitary conditions and some other similar small problems add up to this. Developing countries are particularly are challenged by this, because they will have to compensate for a loss of long-distance travel and overcome the problems of poor infrastructure to receive tourists in places other than beach resorts. Tourism development can cost the local government and local taxpayers a great deal of money. Developers may want the government to improve the airport, roads and other infrastructure, and possibly to provide tax breaks and other financial advantages, which are costly activities for the government. Tourism can induce the local government to make infrastructure improvements such as better water and sewage systems, roads, electricity, telephone and public transport networks, all of which can improve the quality of life for residents as well as facilitate tourism.

There is no doubt that the arrival of the so called "low cost airlines" have changed the face of short haul air travel & although it pains me to say it, as they have taken away a lot of my revenue, for the better in my opinion. I have been running my own travel business for over 12 years now, mainly dealing in discounted airfares. It used to be the case that if you wanted low cost airfares that you had to stay a minimum amount of time & especially a Saturday night. This was impossible for people who only wanted to travel for short periods, wanted to travel during the week or simply wanted one way travel. Now you can get low airfares staying as long or as little as you want, travel when you want & even for one way travel, this was unheard of only a few short years ago.

The low cost airlines and their low airfares have had a huge impact on air travel and peoples flying & holiday habits with more and more people now taking lots of short breaks instead of the traditional 2 weeks in the sun during the summer. As a result of this impact the long established Airlines are following suit in offering low airfares for travel for any durations & one ways.

·         Terrorism and war - The world has lived with terrorism for decades, but in recent years things have changed. Attacks now are carried out often by international groups with sweeping cultural agendas, rather than national organizations with local goals. They are bloodier, intended more to cause mass casualties than to win support for a political cause. It seems that the number of major attacks has grown since the Iraq war began. These are worrisome trends, and they threaten the hospitality industry more than any other sector of society. Many of the most destructive terrorist incidents have struck at hospitality, tourism, and travel. This is important for hospitality providers, not just because of the threat itself, but because of the effect it has had on many of the industry’s customers. In late 2003, a poll asked more than 2,300 tourists in Southern California what factors were most important in planning a vacation or convention. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most significant, domestic visitors gave safety an average rating of 8.9. No less than two-thirds of international visitors said that safety was their single most important concern. In choosing a hotel, 62 percent of domestic visitors and two-thirds of international travelers put safety and security at the head of the list. Here are some of the more obvious vulnerabilities: Hotels are popular targets, for good reason, Transportation is a prime target for terrorists, Major sports events are terrorist magnets, Restaurants face special risks, Militant Islam is spreading and gaining power, Technology dominates the economy and society, The world’s population will double in 40 years, International exposure creates a greater risk of terrorist attack.

Despite the horrifying headlines that regularly arrive from around the world, many companies seem to have shrugged off the risk of a terrorist attack. According to a recent survey by the Business Roundtable, 85 percent of American firms have increased their spending on security since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Yet their budgets for this purpose have risen by only 10 percent, on average, in nearly three years. Even in this time of relatively stable prices, about half of that increase has gone just to keep up with inflation. The situation is little better in the hospitality industry. Though some hotels have added security cameras to their lobbies and installed electronic locks on guestroom doors, many more have done nothing at all. For any business, the most likely security threats come from disgruntled employees and former employees. Before employees are hired, they should be screened thoroughly, not only to confirm their identity but to weed out those with significant criminal records, suspicious associations, or other potential risks. The screening procedure should be as rigorous at a hotel or restaurant as it is at an airport or airline. This will be particularly difficult for companies that hire large numbers of non-citizens, and particularly undocumented workers. Yet no company that skimps on this process can hope to be safe from attack. In a world of terrorism, this requirement extends not only to the firm’s own employees, but to those of suppliers, builders, and service contractors. Someone who comes to repair the air conditioning could also release anthrax into the system, and no one would find it easier to contaminate food than the people who deliver it. Suppliers and contractors that cannot guarantee that their employees have been screened as rigorously as the facility’s own workers should be replaced by firms that can. Having once screened their new hires, large-scale employers need to make certain each day that someone presenting an employee ID really is that worker and not an imposter. Even photographic identity cards can be tampered with, so something more secure is required. That probably means biometrics, the use of automated systems to match people with their known physical attributes. Available technologies include fingerprint and retinal scanners, facial recognition software, and pen-sized accelerometers that can measure the precise hand movements used to sign one’s name—data far more difficult to disguise than the signature itself. These techniques have undergone rapid development since September 11, and many are now deemed reliable enough for practical application. Installing a biometric identity system and training security personnel to use it is expensive. Yet it is by far the best guarantee now available that someone who appears to be an employee really is who he claims to be. Identifying guests with any certainty is still more difficult. For restaurants and other businesses where customer turnover is extremely rapid, it may be impractical or impossible. However, hotels, resorts, and conference centers all need to be certain who is staying with them. This will be easier now that most foreign visitors need machine-read visas, fingerprints, and photo IDs to enter the country. A national identity card, if one is ever issued in the United States, could make the process easier still. These changes will be especially welcome for international meetings, where asking guests for finger prints or other reliable identification has been an especially frequent and difficult challenge.

·         Lack of awareness - Many of the LDCs (Least Developed Countries) have excellent tourism potential, with a rich diversity of natural, cultural and other heritage assets. However, in the majority of LDCs, including the United Republic of Tanzania, a high proportion of the assets remain undeveloped and inaccessible to visitors. Moreover, the LDCs have yet to make a significant impact in this industry that is forecast to become one of the largest in the world. Their product offer is unknown and their industries are underdeveloped as a result of structural constraints:

·   Lack of effective promotion, both of the destination and products offered by specific businesses.

·   Weak tourism administration.

·   Lack of basic facilities, proper infrastructure and social services.

·   Lack of investment in the tourism plant and associated products (attractions, entertainment, shopping, etc.).

·   Lack of qualified, trained and skilled human resources.

·   High level of ecological fragility and vulnerability.

The solution to this is to raise awareness. One of the main challenges for LDCs is to raise awareness of potential tourists of their offerings. Most LDCs do not have an experienced tourist board to promote the destination and the private sector lacks the expertise and resources to promote their products to the tourism trade and on the Internet. Online bookings are difficult or non-existent, due to limitations in the telecommunications and Internet infrastructure. Information is not presented in a manner that helps the potential visitor to differentiate the country and businesses’ market offerings from others.

In most LDCs, there has been little training of front-line personnel (e.g., taxi drivers, tour guides, interpreters, hotel and restaurant staff, attractions staff) in customer service standards. LDCs have also neglected two issues of primary importance to foreign visitors: health and safety. For this reason, most foreign tourists prefer to travel with prepaid arrangements where an intermediary is responsible for the quality of service that they receive. This leads to a lowering multiplier effect in the host countries.

But perhaps most importantly, many LDCs have yet to embrace the concept of sustainable tourism. Conventional hotel-based tourism, restricted to the beach, is not sustainable, and it often builds resentment in the host community.

·         The impact of e -trade - E-trade is having a profound effect on the tourism industry. Consumers have adopted online travel planning faster than any other online retail activity, and leisure travel bookings online are expected to exceed US$ 29 billion (or 12% of industry revenues) by 2003. Increasingly, tourist destinations are offering ‘virtual reality’ samplings online of the ambience and their tourism products, before consumers make a travel commitment. Consumers now expect not only to make destination selections online but also to make travel, accommodation and local transportation arrangements at the same web site.

It’s easy to assume that our holidays are insignificant compared to the enormity of the global travel and tourism industry. But a single trip can make a difference to someone’s life… the mountain guide, the village market trader, the local community group that receives a donation from a tour operator. Responsible travel and positive actions by travelers can reverse the impact of destructive tourism, can genuinely contribute towards good global development and can help preserve the beauty of the world for future generations.