The Tourist Impact of Events and Eelebrations in Hotels
Tourist hotels seek to provide everything that can constitute a means of tourist attraction for visitors, tourists, conference attendees, or others. Since events and celebrations are considered one of the most important elements of tourist attraction, hotels always seek to achieve the best use of these events and celebrations in order to increase hotel occupancy.
Events and celebrations have an effective, important, and clear impact on the hotel’s business and operations for several reasons, including:
1- Hotel revenues are high, as the spending rate for a tourist at celebrations and events is double the spending rate for a regular tourist, and the average holding of parties is for several consecutive days, which increases the hotel’s revenue from room sales, food, and beverages, meaning that the celebration or event is usually not for one day, but for several days, which leads to the hotel being occupied for several consecutive days.
2- The percentage of loss in food and beverages is limited, as the cost of services provided to celebrants or invitees to events and celebrations is much less than others.
3- Reduced labor costs as the hotel’s party and events department manager can hire external workers for the party or event temporarily in exchange for temporary wages.
4- Other revenues are generated from commissions for party department activities such as entertainment, photography, etc.
5- A large percentage of celebrants or event attendees visit the hotel again after the party or event ends, especially if they are provided with a suitable and perfect service.
6- Holding celebrations, conferences, events and festivals increases hotel occupancy during seasonal periods when the hotel is in a recession.
From what has been presented, it is clear that events and celebrations have an important touristic impact that brings great benefits to the hotel, but this impact is reciprocal, meaning that events and celebrations do not have that impact unless the hotel uses them properly, through the use of several methods and means through which it seeks to achieve the benefits of holding the celebration or event in the hotel. Among the means that the hotel uses to achieve this are the following:
1- The success of the party, event, conference or festival depends on the good treatment of the guests, because they will judge the hotel’s service by the way they are treated, and they are likely to be the best advertisement for the hotel. If they are satisfied with the hotel’s services, they will tell their friends, colleagues and relatives to deal with the hotel.
2- The hotel concludes an agreement to hold the party or event with the owner of the party or event, in which all the details of the party or event are specified in order to prepare for it well and appropriately.
3- The party and festival department should take into account the day and date of the party or event, the place, the type of celebration or event, the person in charge, and other matters.
4- In order to make the event or celebration a success, the hotel determines the workers who will hold the party or event, and trains them on the method of service that must be provided and that is appropriate for the type of party or event.
5- The work plan is distributed to the workers and the job of each one of them is determined, and a group of reserve workers is determined who can fill the vacant place in the event of any emergency for one of the workers.
6- The hotel does everything possible to make the service in the best and most complete way.
From the above, we note that the process of influence between events and celebrations and hotels is a process of direct reciprocal influence, meaning that the higher the quality of service, the higher the positive effects that accrue to the hotel through holding parties and events, and vice versa.
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([3]) د. محمد البغدادي ، جغرافية السياحة في العراق ، ط1 ، وزارة التعليم العلي والبحث العلمي ، بغداد ، العراق ، 1990، ص 50-ص 52.
[4] Decision- Making ” Journal of Convention & Event Tourism, Vol . 7No. 1, pp . 23-24
([5]) د. رؤوف محمد علي الانصاري ، السياحة في العراق ودورها في التنمية والاعمار ، دار الكتب والوثائق الوطنية ، بغداد ، 2013 ، ص 101.
( ) د. رؤوف محمد علي الانصار
