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Journal 2-The Travel and the Tourism Industry
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Journal 2-The Travel and the Tourism Industry
There are numerous changes in the world that are impacting the travel and tourism industry recession and associated cost of travel, emerging customer types and security concerns. The ongoing recession has significantly increased the cost of travel, and the prices of travel expenses keep rising yet people’s income remains the same. Recently, people are taking one holiday abroad compared to 2007 when families took at least two international or domestic holidays. As people continue taking fewer holidays, the tourism industry will continue to lose funds from the recession. Another world change that is impacting the tourism industry is the changing nature of customers. Independent travelers have become more common as travelling alone has become easier. With the advent of the internet, finding cheaper destinations and accommodations has become easy. More independent travelers are taking business trips and taking long-haul flights. Security concerns are also another factor impacting the tourism industry. Security and safety are important for quality tourism. A tourist destination’s failure or success depends on the ability to provide a safe environment for visitors. While other factors are equally important in the tourism sector, security is the most significant determinant as no tourist wants to find themselves in harmsway while on vacation. The change that has affected me the most has to do with the recession and its impact on cost of travel. Almost all countries are having an economic recession resulting from a combination of factors including the covid-19 pandemic. Travel costs, including accommodation and flights expenses, have increased significantly, and as a result, it is taking me longer to save up for vacations especially to international destinations.
People travel to destinations that are beyond their home location to stay a night or two for many reasons. The first reason people travel is to learn as possible about other cultures. Every tourist destination has its own unique cultural style and history. One of the ways to learn about cultures is to find a passionate local tour guide to immerse you into their world. This way tourists get to learn about a culture that is different from their own. The second reason people leave their homes is to connect with mother nature. Travel provides people with the gift of seeing the beauty of Mother Nature in new places. People will travel thousands of miles just to get a glimpse of pink sands, blue waters and lush greenery. The real world is filled with sites, sounds and sights to spend our lifetimes in one place. Although some of these sites can be experienced virtually, computer screens do not do justice. One of the travel experiences that took me away from home was my trip to Tulum, Mexico. I travelled there last summer and spent a few nights. It turned out to be one of the best vacations that I have ever taken thus far. I could not have enough of the stunning beauty of the coastline. I would give anything to enjoy the blue Caribbean seas and the amazing white sandy beaches.
To better understand travel trends and buyer behaviors, various types of travel research can be employed. Psychographic research is one of them. It is a unique way of understanding changing travel patterns and travelers. Psychographic research tries to classify according to their values and lifestyles rather than factors such as gender, age, and education. This information is useful in determining the kind of amenities to provide in a given resort or in advertising a specific destination. Carrying out sociographic research also goes a long way in understanding travel trends. This research mainly analyses the social groups and their patterns. This way, travellers are well informed about the things that are acceptable and those that are not acceptable within a certain society.
Without a doubt, the advent of the pandemic transformed the tourism sector for both consumers and businesses significantly. For instance, tourists have started leaning more towards sustainable tourism than before the pandemic. People have moved away from preferring usual travel destinations like beaches and hotels, which tend to be crowded. Keeping in mind, the ongoing pandemic, social distancing is becoming a factor to consider when selecting a destination. As a result, sites like Alaska glaciers, Amazon rain forests and Australia barrier reefs are beginning to enjoy unprecedented popularity. Additionally, cruises and tours are now providing trips to places that were previously inaccessible like the North Pole and New Guinea. Another notable change is that the pandemic changed how people travel. Nowadays people are taking shorter vacations than before when they took long vacations. One positive effect of the pandemic is that people have started travelling more than before. This is as a result of the restrictions and lockdown measures that took effect after the pandemic started. People have gotten tired of staying indoors, which pushes them to take more vacations than before. The pandemic impacted my viewpoint and my behavior towards travel and hospitality in numerous ways. Before the pandemic started, I used to take at least two trips abroad but this has since changed. Nowadays, I am taking fewer trips and when I do so, I prefer local destinations to international ones. Also, I have started finding alternative travel destinations, including like hiking and camping. Essentially, I have become more open-minded about the world of travel.
The hospitality, travel and tourism industry has numerous sectors. The sectors include casinos, meetings and events, tourism, travel and transportation, and recreation. Others include entertainment, cruise, and technology. Besides hotels and restaurants, these are some of the sectors with viable career opportunities. The sector that is of most interest to me is the casino sector. If I were to work in hospitality, I would prefer to work in casinos as I have always been fascinated by how they operate. The fact that popular casinos tend to have the feel of a nightclub and, at the same time provide guests with world-class dining is fascinating. Additionally, I also enjoy watching people having fun as they gamble.
Job growth is critical for any career and the hospitality industry is no different. The Casino sector has many entry-level positions that one can pursue as a beginner. The casino industry is almost an $80 billion business. Seeing this, there is a lot of opportunity and money to be made in the business. These remarkable profits linked with the sector are prompting states to re-assess their position on gambling. If I were to venture into the casino sector, I would start with entry positions such as accounting clerk and over time, rise through the ranks of casino accountant to head of finance department. Eventually, one can even shift career paths into the head of operations or human resource officer.
A resume is a formal document that gives an overview of an individual’s professional qualifications. It gives a summary of one’s skills, abilities, experiences and accomplishments. Essentially, the main purpose of a resume is to provide potential employers with a feel of a person’s skills and experience. As a job seeker, a resume helps them sell themselves by emphasizing their skills. The purpose of a LinkedIn profile is to enable a job seeker to establish networks with professional organizations and people within their area of specialization. LinkedIn provides an excellent way to stay updated on the latest development in various fields and share information with like-minded individuals. Four important aspects to include in a LinkedIn profile include a professional photo, a list of skills, a string headline and a summary of education and industry experience. All these factors go a long way in providing a clear professional picture of an individual, making it easy for them to find employment.
Sources:
https://youtu.be/1wfZ2mRn1qchttps://youtu.be/CZDNAvscb7whttps://youtu.be/qCrpQuijqeQhttps://youtu.be/c1eCPy5rikohttps://youtu.be/Q_jbVpzCvBUhttps://youtu.be/X3OzK2w8kUshttps://youtu.be/WpI4ySemWAA
Cultural Aspects of Counseling
Cultural Aspects of Counseling
Some trends exist in today’s society that serves as the driving force of the current interest in the cultural aspects of counseling. This is a fact that is based on the realization of diverse cultures which are associated with conflicting behavioral patterns, ways as well as norms of life. The field associated with cultural as well as linguistic competency, cultural diversity in addition to other closely related themes, exists in a continuum of dynamics. One area in organizations that has attracted significant attention in regard to the trends of today’s society which drive current interest in cultural aspects of counseling relates to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (Ayalon & Alvidrez, 2007).
Striking of disparities in intellectual disabilities and health requires a foundation that provide for the effectiveness of multicultural behavior in addition to developmental services. This is an important accomplishment in today’s society and organizations. There has been a growing recognition among the system stakeholders of a prevalence of discrimination coupled with oppression within the society. These acts are manifested in a wide array of forms based on the level of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that a person may suffer. It is the responsibility of the staff along with the system stakeholders to contribute significantly towards the mitigation of discriminatory effects that go along with such barriers. It is important to account for the cultural competencies through a proper understanding of the developmental as well as an evolutionary process in as far as individuals, organizations and systems are concerned, which incorporate creation of awareness, knowledge in addition to skills at varied levels
Importance of cultural and linguistic standards in organizations
In organizations today, it is important to consider cultural and linguistic standards. This is achieved through assessment of the attitudes, the practices, the structures as well as the policies inherent in organizations, which contribute to the health status of individuals. This is the most effective as well as the systematic approach of incorporating the cultural along with the linguistic competencies. Innovative instruments coupled with processes should be put in place that will facilitate carrying out self assessment practices for the organizations together with their personnel. All processes leading to self assessment are beneficial to the practitioners through the improvement of their awareness. They are also responsible for influencing the attitudes to practice coupled with the motivation of knowledge and the skills development. The trend that organizations should adopt is towards more groups oriented counseling in that it is simply cheaper (Betancourt, Green, Carrillo & Park, 2005).
Organizations require adopting of some important guidelines that facilitate the development of cultural as well as linguistic. This is achieved through implementation of specific strategies, which in turn help the organizations towards the development of values dealing with processes that will facilitate the appreciation of diversity. This therefore leads to the creation of an enabling environment for a cross cultural work in the most effective manner. The starting point deals with addressing of the attitudes, the values as well as behaviors of individuals coupled with the values, the policies, principles as well as the structures of the institution that hamper or prop up diversity. The organization should be made to move through the processes of development which is achieved through the cultivation of the capability of conducting self assessment, managing the dynamics associated with differences, acquiring as well as institutionalizing the cultural knowledge and the adoption of diversity in addition to the cultural context of communities being served (Betancourt, Green, Carrillo & Park, 2005).
The accomplishment of such processes are resourceful in the building up of a framework of a cultural competency and it is vital to consider incorporating them in all the aspects related to policymaking, issues of administration, practice as well as the delivery of services. “Building of the cultural competence capacity of the organization in addition to the infrastructure is made potent through the involvement of the consumers, the stakeholders and the community members which is considered as a position that is consistent with Joint Commission” (Ayalon & Alvidrez, 2007).
Current and future expectations of consumers
Current and future expectations exist that consumers will have of organizations and counseling services given the current trends and emerging standards. The current expectations of consumers are that the organization will uphold integrity and diligence in its work for utmost consumer satisfaction. For example, that the organization will amicably apply the above mentioned standards to ensure acceptability to the society. Use of easily understandable language is central to the good interactions with their clients. Moreover, they expect that the organization plays a central role in the solving their problems without discrimination thus remaining fair and fearless in the course of their duties.
By remaining neutral, they will not single out individuals in relation to age, race and gender among other quantitative and qualitative variables. In future, the consumers hope to see better conflict resolution strategies with a view that the universe has turned to be multi cultural, they are optimistic that the organization will be abreast with issues relating to culture and language to enhance cordial relationship with their clients (Ayalon & Alvidrez, 2007).
In conclusion, keen observance of cultural and linguistic standards is determinants in the overall success of an organization. Therefore such measures as militating against effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder should be the ingredients in maintaining credibility of the organization to its workers. This can be achieved through cultural counseling whereby the staff is briefed to accustom themselves with the varying cultural beliefs and ideologies inhibited by different people.
References
Ayalon, L. and Alvidrez, J., (2007). “The experience of Black consumers in mental health system-Identifying barriers to and facilitators of mental health treatment using the consumers’perspective”. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 28, pp 1323-1340.
Betancourt, J.R., Green, A.R., Carrillo, J.E., & Park, E.R., (2005). “Cultural competence and health care disparities: Key perspectives and trends”. Health Affairs, 24 (2), pp 499-505.
Jose Maria Velasco
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Jose Maria Velasco
Born on July 6th, 1840, Jose Maria Velasco was a 19th-century famous painter who used Mexican geography as a representation of national identity using his paintings. At the time, he was one of the most famous artists. He was an internationally renowned figure. Some of the most significant characteristics of Jose Maria Velasco’s work include a scientific approach to painting, using landscape as a symbol of Mexico’s identity and technology and industrialization.
Velasco illustrated a scientific approach to nature, as clearly evidenced in how he showcased nature in his paintings. He tried to make it as exact as possible. He ensured the painting had the exact detail he wanted under the controlled circumstances. He bases his paintings on numerous sketches that he had done in the landscape. Velasco had developed some of these sketches as he hiked in the mountains. His paintings show the value of Mexico City from his perspective. In the painting of the valley of Mexico, he does not include human figures, but instead, he includes an eagle that has flown off the cactus. The eagle is a symbol of imagery. Mexican history relates to the Aztec Migration story where they established their capital city (Modern Day Mexico City) on an island in the middle of the lake. The eagle perched on a cactus is a symbol of the Mexican flag that can be found on the Mexican currency. The symbol is an important way through which modern Mexico ties itself to its Aztec origin. Velasco uses human figures as key components and not as mere accessories for the artwork. Velasco explores the romantic relationship between human beings and the sceneries they inhabit. There are two indigenous figures that are painted to be in transit with their belongings and pets. They seem to be fleeing the city reflecting the romantic yet struggling relationship between the natives and their ancestral land.
Jose Maria Velasco’s work, Valley of Mexico from the Hillside of Santa Isabel, 1875, became a symbol of the nation as it showcased a significant phase in the development of Mexico’s national identity. Additionally, the work also showcases an important episode in the history of art in Mexico. The photo landscapes developed by Velasco became significant symbols represented in various World Fairs across Mexico.