News: Customer Service/Care
Tourism sector 'overlooking customer service skills'
31 March 2009
Customer service skills are overlooked in the tourism sector and could be damaging its chances of survival in the future, a government representative asserts.
Barbara Follett, minister for culture, creative industries and tourism, claims that nearly three quarters of businesses in this area are aware of this deficiency.
She suggests that there is a problem in which companies are overlooking skills development as a whole, leading to problems for the sector.
Ms Follett states: "63 per cent of employers in tourism businesses believe that their staff customer service skills are not of a sufficient level to meet the needs of their business."
The comments are made at the Best of Britain and Ireland, Travel Trade Forum, which is dedicated to showcasing the cream of domestic tourism to overseas visitors.
Earlier this year, Christopher Rodrigues, chairman of Visit Britain, told the Independent that the tourism sector needs to improve its customer service if it is to avoid having to cut 50,000 jobs.
