Winning from within: How can travel & tourism stem the brain drain?

Travel & tourism is everyone's business. It's all about people. How do we keep people allied and inspired in organisations, destinations, and host communities? K Michael Haywood tackles this problem in his third "Good Tourism" Insight.

"Astonish, Smarter Tourism by Design" (my new e‑book yet to be published) opens with the following dedication:

To the indispensable and essential efforts of hundreds of thousands of hospitable people around the world who, unwittingly, go beyond the call of duty to welcome, serve, give, and care for travelers and visitors - hosts who are too rarely acknowledged or recognized as dedicated and honorable, bringing their skills and talent, flair and enthusiasm, to travel and tourism, our communities, and a multitude of visitor-serving organizations - too long deserving of our tribute and countless accolades. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

Who is developing, thanking, and livening the spirits of your indispensable hosts; your citizens and employees?

After all, people do the heavy lifting required by all communities-as-destinations. And they deliver the value that visitor-serving organisations pride themselves in offering.

And yet, for various reasons, they often lack a sense of connectedness, purpose, belonging, engagement, and meaning, which leads me to wonder:

What would happen if everyone in a community lacked the skills and capabilities to excel at relationship-building?

What if people remained deficient in their ability to co-create and deliver services; build endearment; strengthen loyalty to organisation and place brands; and reveal initiative and ingenuity?

What if people were never rewarded for being kind and empathetic?

Asked in a totally different way: What are your travel & tourism organisations and communities doing to avoid brain drain and ensure brain gain?

From hired hands to change agents
It's well known that many employers still treat their employees as hired hands.

They micro-manage them, inadequately train them, and reward them only on the basis of the tasks that they do and the hours it takes to do them.

While many espouse the importance of superior employer-employee relationships, why then then do so many rarely communicate with their employees face to face?

Why do so many neglect to weave meaningful experiences into work, or make decisions that fail to support workers and contribute to job insecurity?

Witness the priority given to luring workers through perquisites while failing to reinvent or change the nature of menial work; failing to even try to be top employers; failing in their stated commitment to "build back better" … continue reading this "GT" Insight in full & for free at https://goodtourismblog.com/2021/12/winning-from-within-how-can-travel-tourism-stem-the-brain-drain/. There are many others like it at The "Good Tourism" Blog.