This results in flexible working hours and more part-time employment. In catering activities, the introduction of pre-prepared food products is likely to reduce the amount of training for kitchen staff, resulting in cost savings. In travel agencies, new, computer-based information technologies are decreasing the number of workers rapidly, particularly in larger enterprises. However, trends also point to an increase in the number of very small agencies with close customer contact and therefore to new job opportunities. Hotel and tourism schools experience difficulties keeping up with the pace of change.
Many countries lack special structures for training hotel and tourist staff.
Report for discussion at the Tripartite Meeting on the Effects of New Technologies on Employment and Working Conditions in the Hotel, Catering and Tourism Sector . International Labour Office, Geneva, 1997.