CONTEMPORARY CITIZENS BELIEVE THAT THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO ENGAGE IN ANY CULTURE AROUND THE WORLD.

Essay
Student Name: Sarah Frost Student Number: 00085475T Subject Name: Introduction to Accommodation Management HOS101 Lecturer Name: Lydia Befekadu Due Date: Sunday 25th November 2012

Introduction
This essay discusses the contemporary citizen and its influences in accommodation and tourism by analysing how different countries and cultures of the world have adapted to new demands. In light of the new trend that the contemporary citizen is exploring: culture; the essay will compare culture in different countries of the world, focussing on Greece, Bali, Thailand and Australia. The demand for transportation, accommodation and lodging will also be discussed as tourism factors influenced by the needs and demands of the contemporary citizen. Lastly, the essay will explain how other countries have adapted to the needs and demands of the contemporary citizen.

Cultures
World tourism day, 2011, was based around the message that thanks to tourism, millions of people from different cultures are being brought together around the world like never before. (Rifai, 2011) As Mr Rifai, 2011, stated Culture is one of our most precious assets and it needs protecting According to the World Tourism Day website, 2011, in 2010, 940 million tourists from around the globe travelled to another country to experience different cultures of art, monuments, music, food and traditions. It is the contemporary citizens new way of discovery, as the contemporary citizen wants to leave their own backyard and experience so much more out of life. Cultural tourism is said to bring in more money than standard tourism, with the contemporary citizen exploring more in the foreign lands community then just in the standard shops that normal tourists would frequent (www.media.unwto.org, 2011) With debts of 340 billion, Greece is turning to its cultural heritage to attract a better class of visitor and make tourism the engine of the Greek economy (Smith, 2011). When visiting Greece, the contemporary citizen, can visit the museums, the ancient rooms, the beautiful history of their land. According to the Tanah Lot website, culture has always been Balis strongest attraction, with beautiful Hindu temples and, traditional dancing and arts being
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the strongest in their culture. The Balinese government developed their tourism advertising to showcase their culture as the main attraction to their country. The Balinese have adapted their cultural traditions to tie in with the international tourists by performing dances, which were only performed every 60 years, on a weekly basis as requested by local hotels. The Balinese have protested tourist developments within their community such as a 300 room luxury resort to be built near one of their most sacred temples. The Balinese believed this would harm their spiritual place of worship. Despite these protests, many indigenous Balinese believe that tourism has helped keep their culture and traditions alive by showcasing to the international tourists. According to Thailandyoday.org, like Bali, Thailand is visited by international tourists for their religious culture of spiritual temples and, their traditional dancing and arts. Thailand also has archaeological sites that are waiting to be discovered and explored. Thailand is a favourite spot for adventure seekers with white water rafting, trekking and camping. It is also a great location for the eco-tourist with its vast mountains, national parks and, mammal species (www.thailandtoday.org) Australia has become very well recognised for its indigenous and modern culture; with museums, art galleries, historic and indigenous sites, performing arts and live concerts designed to enrich, educate and entertain visitors (Foo, Rossetto, 1998, Pg. 1) In terms of these findings, the contemporary citizen needs to be aware of the worlds different cultures to gain rite of passage to travel i nto the foreign lands.

Transportation- How it has Enabled Us to Travel the World

With over 240 international airlines operating within the world (http://www.iata.org) and countless international flights happening every minute of every hour of every day; train stations running trains from airports to destinations within the country and airport shuttles and taxis getting you to your hotel; it is not hard to see how the contemporary citizen finds their way

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around the world to feed their longing for a more cultural and educated lifestyle. On the 3rd of March, 2012, the Sri-Lankan government released a press statement that they will be borrowing RS 40 billion from the Japanese government to expand the Bandaranaike International airport (BIA) to accommodate international tourists. The aim of this expansion is to convert the airport into a commercial and business hub in their country (www.english.irib.ir) In regards to the findings on the importance of transportation, the contemporary citizen needs to be aware of the worlds different transportation to enable them to travel freely and comfortably around the foreign lands and get to their destination.

Types of accommodation

In terms of the findings; due to the current trend and demand for a greater range of accommodation experiences, countries that wouldnt normally have international guests due to their third world or poverty ridden country, have expanded their tourism marketability by erecting resorts and accommodation that tourists can feel at home staying in.

The types of accommodation range from activity based lodging, themed lodging, eco-tourism, leisure only, unique facilities, resorts and non-traditional lodging (Stutts, James, 2006, pg. 303-304)

Activity based lodging include tennis resorts, snow resorts, and golf resorts where you can find a resort built around the foundation of an activity that you specifically stay at the resort to engage in the activity. (Stutts, James, 2006, pg. 304)

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Themed lodging includes spring break party destinations, historic lodging including, gambling-oriented, cultural, celebratory and, leisure only for the likes of the club med travellers. (Stutts, James, 2006, pg. 305)

Eco-tourism is for the environmentally aware traveller whom does not like to leave a large environmental footprint; the eco-tourism industry focusses on National park visits and usually includes guided tours on the local park for its visitors. (Stutts, James, 2006, pg. 306) Leisure only facilities, with most people in todays generation being so time poor, a relaxation holiday is growing more and more popular for the contemporary citizen. The holiday generally consists with massages and lying by the pool to relax and refresh. (Stutts, James, 2006, pg. 302) Unique facilities are a one of a kind style of facility, the Ice Palace Hotel in Sweden is completely carved out of ice from its exterior to the furnishing inside of the hotel. (Stutts, James, 2006, pg. 314) Non-traditional lodging is types of lodging that are not traditional; these include bed & breakfasts, military lodging and missions. (Stutts, James, 2006, pg. 316) With all of these different types of lodging there becomes a need to organise and define jobs (study guide, pg. 39), the contemporary citizen has a high expectation of customer service so the lodgings staff need to be well trained and have a specific and defined organisational structure. The hotel manager needs to stay on top of current trends and be prepared for any event or situation, however unlikely they may be. To do this the hotel manager must set up a strong team of employees including food and beverage teams, room division teams, housekeeping teams, marketing and sales teams, engineering teams, security teams, finance teams, human resource teams, front office teams, laundry teams, Concierge and, events teams. (Study guide, pg. 44-45)

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The size of the hotel will reflect how formal the teams structure will be, a hotel under 50 rooms may just have the owner and one or two extra staff to accommodate the facility.

Contemporary citizen
A trend has been discovered that the contemporary citizen has had a rise in awareness of environmentally-friendly products, as opposed to luxury items in their accommodation facilities. The contemporary citizen is concerned with their environmental footprint and what they are leaving behind when they travel to destinations (study guide, pg. 29-30) Consumers are divided into different generations of travellers and expectations; Gen Y want to use budget accommodation, Gen X are wanting luxury accommodation and the Baby boomers are generally wanting to caravan around their own country (study guide, pg. 30) After the global financial crisis in 2008, the world economic crisis meant that with the Australian Dollar (AUD) being decreased in value, the desire for Australians to travel overseas was dismal (Study guide, pg. 31) Hotel operators had to readjust their market to accommodate for domestic travellers wanting a stress relieving holiday. With a generation of hard working and time poor citizens, people want more of a relaxing holiday with spa treatments, resort hotels and time on the beach. (Study guide, pg. 33) The new major growth in tourism, other than the eco-tourism seeker, is Cultural tourism seekers, tourists that want to experience different cultures of the world and become more educated. (Study guide, pg. 32) With the contemporary citizen wanting more of a cultural and relaxing holiday hotel managers have the challenge of learning and training staff to understand about the different cultures and mannerisms of the world, so as to make all guests comfortable and feel at home when they are away. Gestures and body language are different in all countries, what is considered to be courteous in Australia may be very unwelcomed in Asia (study guide, pg. 35)

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How have other countries adapted to the contemporary citizen?

It is important to remember that not all countries have the same beliefs and customs, when travelling to another country a traveller conducts research so they can understand what is to be expected of them when they are in their new environment. In Dubai for example, on the ninth month of the Islamic calendar Muslims must abstain from food, drinking and smoking (Ramadan). It is illegal and considered disrespectful to enjoy eating, drinking and, smoking in front of Muslims at this time. Although it is illegal to eat, drink or, smoke in public during this time, most hotel establishments have erected restaurants that allow non-fasting travellers the privilege of eating out of the public view, (www.mydestination.com) so that they can enjoy what their country has to offer whilst still enjoying their own beliefs whilst in the foreign country. It is clear from the findings that, third world countries have erected 5 star resort hotels in their countries to accommodate for the western traveller to feel comfortable in their community, whilst still being able to enjoy the countries own culture. In doing this the traveller can enjoy creature comforts like clean establishments, comfortable beds and, gourmet food that they are used to in their own country of origin. Whilst the indigenous person of Bali, or any third world country, may not have air-conditioning, clean drinking water, television or, beds in their own houses they have adapted their accommodation to suit what westerners are used to in their lifestyle. They have also adapted their languages by learning the English language so as to communicate with travellers.

Conclusion
It is clear from the findings of this essay that contemporary citizens believe they have the right to engage in any culture around the world. Different countries have adapted to the contemporary citizens belief by staying current and on top of trends by performing more culture oriented activities for travellers and allowing them to engage in their own cultures and customs. Whilst some traditions are sacred, for example Ramadan, and must be abided
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by, the countries have adapted facilities to make the traveller welcome in their own community. In conclusion, in a world forever changing and different wants having to be met by guests and travellers, it is important for accommodation managers to stay on top of trends and be ready for any event or situation that may come about.

References
http://english.irib.ir/subcontinent/culture/tourism/item/82448-sri-lankaexpands-international-airport-to-accommodate-increasing-tourist-arrivals (accessed 13 November 2012) Foo L.M. and Rossetto A. (1998), BTR Occasional Paper Number 27, Cultural Tourism in Australia Characteristics and Motivation Bureau of Tourism Research, Canberra. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/08/only-tourism-save-greece (accessed 13 November 2012) http://www.iata.org/membership/pages/airlines.aspx (accessed 22 November 2012) http://media.unwto.org/en/press-release/2011-06-20/tourism-linking-culturesunwto-launches-world-tourism-day-2011 (accessed 13 November 2012) http://www.mydestination.com/abudhabi/usefulinfo/6179026/social-customsin-abu-dhabi (accessed 22 November 2012) Stutts A., Wortman J., 2006, hotel and lodging management, John Wiley & Sons Inc., New Jersey http://www.tanahlot.net/home/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id =1197:the-impact-of-tourism-on-balinese-culture-in-tanahlot&catid=1:latest&Itemid=46 (accessed 13 November 2012) www.thailandtoday.org (accessed 22 November 2012) Think: Education, Introduction to accommodation management, Study guide, 2012

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